Nearly one in 10 (8%) described the service and efficiency levels of the car dealer they last dealt with as ‘very poor’ or ‘poor’, according to new research from EDM Group.
A third (34%) of people rated the service levels and efficiency of the car dealer they last dealt with as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.
For those who were disappointed with service levels, 45% said it was because they were given incorrect data and information. One in five people (20%) said the process was very paper-based and it took too long.
Significantly, some 86% of people who said that they were unhappy with service levels said they would not go back to that marque or dealer again.
| Reason why people rated the service levels/ efficiency of the car dealer/ manufacturer they last dealt with as very poor or poor | Percentage of people who rated the service levels/ efficiency of the last car dealer/ manufacturer they dealt with as very poor or poor |
| Gave me incorrect data/information | 45% |
| Staff did not know car details well enough | 28% |
|
Process was very paper based and it took too long |
20% |
| Had incorrect details on me | 15% |
| Lost my details/ documentation | 9% |
Associate director at Automotive at EDM Group Matt Collinge said: “Our research shows a significant percentage of people buying cars find the experience very frustrating because of poor information management from dealers. Having the correct information on a customer, and the speed and efficiency of the sales process, is obviously very closely correlated to how customers rate the service they received.
“The impact of not getting this right can be hugely significant. Our research shows that 34% of people avoid going to certain car dealers or marques because they have a reputation for poor customer service.”
Greengrass59 - 01/07/2015 13:23
As with the RAC survey last week there seems to be little effort given to differentiate the various areas of the industry. Are we talking independents or franchised? All information that leads to improved service and customer perception is to be welcomed but with arbitrary statements made like this there is little chance in finding which area of the retail business is significantly failing and there for giving consumers a direction to follow.