Toyota tops JD Power\'s 2013 PH Customer Service Index

Toyota has topped J.D. Power Asia Pacific\'s 2013 Philippine Customer Service Index, stealing the crown from the top carmaker the past two years, Chevrolet.

\"When evaluating their experience at dealerships, customers are giving more weight to personal interaction,\" said J.D. Power Asia Pacific executive director Mohit Arora. \"Manufacturers and dealerships, therefore, need to focus on communication and soft skills, such as managing customer expectations.\"

The J.D. Power Customer Service Index measures overall satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit an authorized service center for maintenance or repair work during the first 12 to 24 months of ownership. The findings are based on the following five factors listed in order of importance: service quality, service advisor, vehicle pick-up, service initiation, and service facility.

For 2013, Toyota topped the 11 brands measured in the study with a score of 832 out of the 1,000-point scale, the carmaker performing well in the service advisor and vehicle pick-up areas. A close second was Honda, which tallied a score of 831 and performed commendably in the service facility factor. Closely shadowing the two carmakers was Kia, which had a score of 830. Chevrolet, after two years of ruling the Customer Service Index, fell down to the fourth spot with a score of 827.

According to J.D. Power Asia Pacific, the 2013 Philippine Customer Service Index Study was based on responses from 1,834 vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between February 2011 and May 2012, and took their vehicle for service to an authorized dealer or service center between August 2012 and May 2013. The study itself was conducted from February to May 2013.

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