German car maker Mercedes-Benz has topped the after-sales customer satisfaction survey among luxury brands, global market research firm JD Power said on Thursday.
According to the JD Power 2018 India Customer Service Index (Luxury) Study, Mercedes-Benz India topped the rankings with a score of 903. Rival BMW came second with a score of 884 points.
The study is based on responses from 301 new-vehicle owners in the luxury segment who purchased their vehicles between March 2015 and August 2017. The study was fielded from March through August 2018.
It measures overall new-vehicle owner satisfaction in the luxury segment with the after-sales service process by examining dealership performance in five factors pertaining to service -- quality, initiation, facility, advisor and vehicle pick-up.
The study also concluded that compared to owners of mass market cars, luxury car owners in India prefer non-intrusive and digital methods when scheduling future appointments, making payments and receiving post-service follow-up from dealers.
"While personal interaction is still the most common way for customers to communicate with their service dealer, premium automotive manufacturers need to incorporate more digital methods that are transparent and time-efficient in order to engage with customers," Regional Director Automotive Practice at JD Power Kaustav Roy said.
With more younger buyers considering luxury models, the rules of doing business are rapidly changing, he added.
"Luxury car manufacturers will have to continue to extend the focus on the brand-customer relationship and stay ahead of the curve by leading in areas of digital convenience," Roy said.
Commenting on the development, Mercedes-Benz India MD and CEO Martin Schwenk said customer centricity has been integral to all the company's operations.
"This recognition is a positive affirmation of the efforts that our dealer partners are putting into maintaining the highest level of service excellence," he added.
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