Market survey firm J.D. Power Asia Pacific has released the 2009 Vietnam Vehicle Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study. Honda ranks highest in overall new-vehicle sales satisfaction in Vietnam.
The inaugural study measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction with the sales and delivery experience, and examines seven key factors that contribute to overall satisfaction. In order of importance, these factors are delivery process, delivery timing, sales initiation, paperwork, salesperson, dealer facility and deal.
The 2009 Vietnam Sales Satisfaction Index Study is based on the responses of 708 new vehicle owners who purchased their vehicles between October 2008 and June 2009. The study was fielded between May and July 2009.
Among the six brands included in the study, Honda ranks highest with a score of 852, followed by Toyota (840). Ford (837) and Mitsubishi (829) also ranking above the industry average of 826 points. Kia and GM Daewoo have below average score. Customer satisfaction is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale.
The study finds that two measures of the delivery process - the condition of the vehicle at delivery and delivering the vehicle with a special ceremony - have a particularly strong impact on satisfaction with vehicle delivery. Approximately 97 % of customers report receiving their vehicle clean and undamaged.
However, among customers who report that their vehicles were not clean or were damaged when received, satisfaction with the delivery process is 157 points, lower than the industry average.
In contrast, when dealerships perform a special delivery ceremony, satisfaction with the delivery process increases by 24 points, on average. Overall, only 20 % of customers report that their dealership performed ceremonies when their vehicles were delivered.
"The delivery of the new vehicle is an eagerly awaited event, particularly in an emerging automotive market like Vietnam, where vehicle market penetration levels are still relatively low," said Rajeev Nair, senior manager at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. "Given this high level of anticipation, delivering the vehicle to the customer in an imperfect condition may cause considerable disappointment. On the other hand, special ceremonies arranged by dealers at delivery-such as taking a family photograph with the car or providing a gift-may enhance customer delight with the delivery process."
The study also finds vehicle test drives play an important role in increasing customer satisfaction. Among customers who were able to take a test drive, satisfaction scores are 53 points higher, on average, than among those of owners who were not able to take a test drive due to the unavailability of a test drive vehicle.
The study also finds that 65 % of highly satisfied customers (satisfaction scores averaging 877 or higher) say that they "definitely would" recommend their selling dealer to friends and relatives.
In contrast, only 16 % of customers with low satisfaction levels (satisfaction scores averaging 783 or below) say the same. In addition, 83 % of highly satisfied customers say that they "definitely would" return to the dealer for service, while only 56 % of the least-satisfied customers say the same.
J.D. Power Asia Pacific is a member of J.D. Power and Associates, a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. J.D. Power Asia Pacific has offices in Tokyo (Japan), Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand), Beijing and Shanghai (China).
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