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Customer Satisfaction Research

DaimlerChrysler Services (DCS) Ltd is part of the DaimlerChrysler Group of companies. Their core experience is vehicle-related services, from financing and leasing to comprehensive fleet management.

Maven have been working with DCS since 2002, helping them to understand their customer needs more fully and guiding them in their service provision that results in customer retention and recommendation. Maven runs both a customer and a dealer satisfaction programme on an on-going basis that identify possible areas for improvement and measure the impact of new service initiatives.

In addition to improving service for end-customers, DCS set an objective to increase their perceived ranking by vehicle dealerships within the industry (measured within the annual Sewells New Car Finance House Survey). The Dealer Satisfaction Survey focuses on dealers' interactions with DCS and the processes involved in the setting up of finance contracts. Maximum efficiency in these areas is paramount in aiding dealers with the promotion of DCS products to end customers.

The integration of the customer and dealer research findings enables DCS to identify key processes, assess where they are performing well and which areas should be the focus for development. The interaction between the dealer and the customer impacts on DCS' business, and so it is vital that DCS considers the needs of both parties.

The current surveys originated from a qualitative research stage which involved identifying the expectations that both customers and dealers had of an ideal finance supplier. The research also sought feedback on the service levels that they actually experienced. A GAP analysis built upon this, and the results were used to identify relevant priority areas for improvement, and to set attainment targets in terms of customer satisfaction levels. The CSI began in early 2003 and has since evolved into the current program covering a wide range of areas for customers and a separate survey for dealerships. Both studies are integral to the on-going management, and success, of DCS' customer and dealer relationships.

The CSI is designed to cover customers at all stages of their finance contract, from those at the very beginning through to those whose finance contracts have finished. This ensures a balanced and reflective picture of the service offered by DCS as a whole throughout the life of the finance contract and enables DCS to pinpoint differing needs at various stages of the contract. The research has aided DCS in understanding which types of customers are likely to re-use them and at which point in the contract duration their retention efforts would be best placed. Maven also identifies for DCS the key drivers behind customer satisfaction and loyalty, and highlights how performance in these areas could be maximised to increase levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.

DCS is committed to the programme and regularly communicates the research findings to all staff through monthly newsletters and team briefings. The research results are used as a management tool to praise success and to implement action plans for development. The survey results have been instrumental in the decision-making process for DCS, and several changes have occurred as a result of the study; for example the regional re-structuring of the Dealer Service Centre, and the introduction of specialised Customer Welcome packs and Maturity Information packs.

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