Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016 - (Page 40)

FIXED OPS JOURNAL BLAME GAME ■ Study: Recall repairs take a toll on customer satisfaction JIM HENRY foj@autonews.com D ealerships are struggling to pacify record numbers of customers coming in for recall work. According to the latest Customer Service Index Study from J.D. Power and Associates, service customers who came in for recall work were less satisfied than those with nonrecall work. "I don't think that should be any surprise," even though recall work is performed at no charge, Ross Choate, COO of the Philadelphia-area John Kennedy Dealerships, told Fixed Ops Journal. Customers understandably don't like being told their car has a faulty component, especially if it's safety related, said Joe Castle, CEO of the Chicago-area Castle Auto Group. "That's the most important thing: safety and security," he said. Dealers interviewed for this report said they weren't specifically aware of the survey results, but they were conscious of the increase in recall work and the need to keep recall customers happy. Choate: Safety repairs irk owners. Devil in the details Before the latest survey, CSI scores for recall service had been improving, despite the giant number of recalls in recent years, J.D. Power said. The average 2016 CSI Study score for recall service was 781 on a 1,000-point scale, down from 789 in 2015. Statistically, that's not much of a drop, but it was the first decline in six years. For customers with nonrecall work, the average score in the 2016 study was 809. "The overall satisfaction gap between recall and nonrecall work is also widening," said Michael Battaglia, senior director of automotive retail for J.D. Power. In the 2016 study, the 28-point gap between customers with recall and nonrecall work was more than double a 13-point gap in the 2015 study, he wrote Fixed Ops Journal in an email. He said recall customers gave lower marks in the survey for "fixed right the first time." In addition, the survey said customers who had recall work done were less likely to say their vehicle was returned to them cleaner than SEE RECALLS, PAGE 41 Gale Liter 37 years of service John Jackson 38 years of service That's not just a lift-that's a bold example of American ingenuity. Add to that rigorous testing and superior engineering and you have a lift that stands above the rest. Learn more at rotarylift.com/raised-in-madison/an Steven Smith 28 years of service PAGE 40 MAY 2016 http://www.rotarylift.com/raised-in-madison/an

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016

Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Service Counter
Legal Lane
Profit Builder
‘Grease monkey’?
Hail
Photo story
Richard Truett
High light
Service satisfaction
Certification
Tsunami
Recalls
90-second oil change
Financing fixes
Supreme Court
Tech trends
Top 50
5 Minutes With
Shop Talk
Fixed in Time

Fixed Ops Journal - May 2016