Each year, the J.D. Power China Customer Service Index (CSI) Study aims to measure customer satisfaction in that particular country with after-sales service at authorized dealers in the past 12 months among owners of one- to four-year-old vehicles. To determine those rankings, the organization looks at six different factors – the dealer’s service facility, service team, welcome and diagnostics, service quality, service value, and reservations. Now that the 2024 version of the China CSI Study has been released, it contains some bad news for Lincoln dealers, specifically.
This year, Lincoln dealers achieved a score of 790 out of 1,000 possible points, which is behind the premium segment average of 796, as well as all of its competitors, save for Lexus and BMW. However, it is worth noting that Lincoln dealers did manage to improve their CSI score versus last year, when it was 774 compared to a segment average of 785, as well as the second-worst aside from Lexus’ 771. In the U.S. version of the CSI Study, Lincoln dealers ranked behind the industry average of 866 with a score of 853. Changan Ford – the automaker’s joint-venture in China with Changan Automobile – also finished below the mass market segment average, as Ford Authority previously reported.
The 2024 China Customer Service Index (CSI) Study is based on the responses of 33,298 vehicle owners of 43 automotive brands in 81 major cities who purchased their new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle between January 2020 and June 2023. This year’s study found that the overall market improved significantly – by 14 points to 773 – versus 2023. According to J.D. Power, this stems from automakers placing more emphasis on after-sales service. Of the six factors measured in the study, service quality has seen the highest increase, improving 16 points from 2023.
“With the rise of new energy vehicles (NEVs) and their accompanying direct sales models and digital communication channels, customers who purchase ICE vehicles are now expecting that same service efficiency,” said Ann Xie, general manager of the digital retail consulting practice at J.D. Power China. “Automakers need to actively adapt to market changes by building efficient digital service systems that reduce costs while also enhancing the customer experience. Striking the right balance between cost control and customer satisfaction will be crucial.”
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