The Chinese Customer Service Index for 2016 was recently released by research firm J.D. Power stating that car buyers' satisfaction declined in the past 12 months amid the sales growth in the automotive industry in China.
The purchasing power of the middle class has driven customer satisfaction even higher. Buyers are becoming more critical in a wide range of sectors.
Only five Chinese brands made it to the top 25, according to the study.
The study aimed to get the overall satisfaction of customers at the car dealership. The respondents were owners of cars for the past 12 to 36 months and have availed of service during the past 6 months.
Only 22 percent of customers from the mass market said that they will return to the dealership for servicing when their warranty ends. This is a steep decline of 34 percent from last year's 44 percent.
There are fewer people who have revisited their dealership. Vehicle owners in 2016 revisited their dealership 2.9 times, compared to 3.4 times in 2015.
According to J.D. Power's Frank Hu, general manager for auto service and loyalty, "Authorized dealers need to put more effort into turning around customers' perceptions, especially when those perceptions contradict the actual facts, in order to gain customers' trust and long-term loyalty."
The study also revealed that Chinese customers are more satisfied when an estimate is provided before the conduct of the repair.
They are also happier with the service if an explanation of the repair was provided upon return of the vehicle.
Other findings showed that Korean brands still render the best customer service. They have been at the top for five years running.
Among luxury cars, Audi is voted as the best in service. For the lower end brands, highest marks went to Dongfeng Citroen, followed by Dongfeng Peugeot and Beijing Hyundai.