Australian Automotive Industry Ranks Second-worst In Customer Experien  

Australian Automotive Industry Ranks Second-Worst in Customer Experience Survey

Will the automotive industry rise to the challenge and improve the quality of customer interactions?

The Australian automotive industry has received disappointing results in a customer experience survey, placing second-worst out of 192 major companies across seven sectors. With declining customer satisfaction and a lack of improvement, there is a clear need for improvement among automotive players.

The latest results from Australian customer experience consultancy CSBA’s quarterly ‘SenseCX’ benchmarking program show that the automotive industry is lagging behind in terms of customer satisfaction. With six consecutive quarters of decline, automotive players are faring worse than other sectors. While other industries have seen stability or improvement in their results, the automotive sector is falling behind.

The SenseCX reports measure the quality of customer interactions with the automotive companies’ contact centers. The assessments are conducted by CSBA specialists through telephone conversations. The latest study reveals that customer interactions from nine automotive companies are firmly placed in the bottom half of the overall rankings.

When comparing the automotive sector to the education sector, it becomes apparent that there is significant room for improvement. The automotive industry achieved a median result of 50.5%, with the top five performers scoring an average of just 53.6%. In contrast, the education sector has a median benchmark of 58.2%, with the top five performers achieving 78.4%.

One interesting finding from the survey is that Great Wall Motors (GWM) has outperformed well-established brands like Toyota, Volkswagen, Audi, and Kia in terms of customer satisfaction. GWM achieved a high score of 55.9%, surpassing the lowest performer’s score of 44.6%. However, there is still plenty of ground to be made.

According to CSBA’s managing director, Paul van Veenendaal, customers want their interactions with providers to be easy, effective, and engaging. Unfortunately, the automotive sector is lacking in these areas. The agents fail to instill a sense of ownership and buy-in around the customer’s enquiry, and they do not provide any additional value to differentiate themselves from competitors.

The automotive sector scores poorly in the Ease factor of customer interactions, with an average score of just 31.3%. This is significantly lower compared to other sectors such as education (44.3%), utilities (36.2%), and financial services (34.4%). The Success scores are also below average, with the automotive sector scoring 58.2% compared to the surveyed average of 60.8%. This highlights the need for improvement in the automotive industry.

The CSBA study also reveals that customer service agents in the automotive sector offer only basic responses to customer’s questions. Only one in five agents fully understands the customer’s needs, and less than two-thirds can provide a thorough and detailed response. Additionally, in less than half of the interactions assessed, agents manage the customer’s expectations around timelines and outcomes. This is crucial considering the industry’s supply chain issues.

The quality of customer interactions in the automotive sector needs to match or exceed the experiences customers have when interacting with other organizations. With the rapidly evolving nature of customer expectations and the increasing number of brands entering the market, established automotive players must up their game. Consistent, high-quality interactions that are successful, easy, and leave customers feeling positive about the brand are essential.

Paul van Veenendaal suggests that investing in frontline staff and improving their soft skills is crucial for the automotive industry to meet the evolving expectations of customers. The Sentiment factor of customer interactions is particularly lacking, with only 62.5% compared to the top performers’ average of 86.8%. Simple behaviors like using the customer’s name and creating personalized moments are often overlooked.

Improving training and investing in staff should be a priority for the automotive sector to repair the ease, success, and sentiment of customer interactions. With the industry evolving rapidly, it is essential to provide consistent and high-quality customer experiences.

The automotive industry ranks second-worst in a customer experience survey
Customer interactions from nine automotive companies placed in the bottom half of the rankings
Great Wall Motors outperforms Toyota, Volkswagen, Audi, and Kia in customer satisfaction
The automotive sector scores poorly in ease, sentiment, and success factors of customer interactions

The Australian automotive industry has received disappointing results in a customer experience survey, indicating the need for significant improvement. With customer interactions in the bottom half of the rankings and poor scores in ease, sentiment, and success factors, the industry must prioritize investing in frontline staff and improving their soft skills. By meeting the evolving expectations of customers, the automotive sector can provide consistent, high-quality interactions that leave customers feeling positive about the brand.