J.D. Power Looks at U.K. Roadside Assistance
9 July 1998
J.D. Power and Associates Puts Roadside Assistance in U.K. Under Scrutiny LONDON, July 9 -- The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) tops the
rankings among U.K. consumers for customer satisfaction with roadside
assistance, according to the J.D. Power and Associates and BBC Top Gear
Emergency Roadside Assistance Study. RAC is followed closely by the
Automobile Association (AA), which recorded an overall score only one point
behind the industry leader.
Key elements that drive customer satisfaction in the roadside assistance
experience were identified as timing, operator/dispatcher assistance and
mechanical/breakdown vehicle driver assistance. These factors closely reflect
the attitudes of consumers surveyed by J.D. Power and Associates in the U.S.
Emergency Roadside Assistance Study released last September.
According to the recent study, 17% of vehicle owners required roadside
assistance during the first two years of ownership. On average, the waiting
period for service was 45 minutes, a result that closely reflects industry
claims.
The study found that vehicle owners are significantly less satisfied the
longer they have to wait; however, satisfaction levels increased when owners
were warned about the waiting period in advance.
"Roadside assistance organizations must be careful to manage consumer
expectations by providing a realistic estimate for time of arrival," said
David Sargent, director of European operations at J.D. Power and Associates.
"They will satisfy their customers better by giving a reasonable estimate and
arriving more ahead of schedule, rather than if they underestimate the arrival
time."
The study also reveals that consumers are more demanding when the
breakdown is caused by a fault with the vehicle, rather than "motorist error,"
such as running out of gasoline. Consumers are generally more tolerant when
they know that they are the source of the problem.
According to the study, consumers least likely to require breakdown
assistance were those driving Hondas, Isuzus, Mazdas, Nissans, Skodas and
Toyotas.
Finally, the study shows that the overall close rankings among the
principal players reflects the intense competition in the U.K. roadside
assistance market. More detailed analysis shows some substantial differences
between competitors in different areas of their service.
Both RAC and AA operate their own in-house fleet of rescue vehicles, which
helped them score well in terms of the level of service a customer receives
when the rescue vehicle arrives. Other organizations that use a network of
independent garages sometimes provide a quicker response time, but they
generally are less effective when they arrive.
"The overall narrow result between the top organizations disguises the
substantial gaps that exist between the competing companies on different
elements of the roadside experience," said Sargent. "This suggests there is
room for each of them to improve."
This is the first time J.D. Power and Associates has measured customer
satisfaction of the roadside assistance experience in the U.K. and the
standard has now been set for each competing organization to improve the level
of service they offer. The real winner will be the British consumer.
Best known for their annual U.K. car satisfaction study, J.D. Power and
Associates and Top Gear have teamed up again to provide British consumers with
an independent assessment of the levels of service they can expect from their
roadside assistance providers.
The first annual J.D. Power and Associates 1998 U.K. Roadside Assistance
Study(SM) is based on responses from nearly 5,000 owners and drivers of "N"
registered (1995-96) vehicles who required roadside assistance.
J.D. Power and Associates is an international firm best known for its
marketing information services in key business sectors including market
research, forecasting and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and
satisfaction measurements are based on actual customer responses from over one
million consumers annually. Headquartered in Agoura Hills, Calif., the firm
also has U.S. offices in Torrance, Calif.; Michigan; and Connecticut.
International locations include Japan, Korea, United Kingdom, Canada and
Brazil.
J.D. Power and Associates can be accessed through the World Wide Web at
http://www.jdpower.com. Media e-mail contact: john.pepitone@jdpower.com.
This press release is provided for editorial use only. No advertising or
other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D.
Power and Associates survey results without the express prior written consent
of J.D. Power and Associates.
