Tata Motors leads not only in market share, but also tops in customer satisfaction
May 4, 2006

Tata Motors, leader in the heavy commercial vehicle segment (HCV), has been adjudged the forerunner in the first TNS TruckTrak 2006 Customer Satisfaction Study in trucks. Tata Motors leads in the key medium and heavy truck category above 10 tonnes with a truck industry highest index of 90 in the tractor-trailer segment. In fact in all three segments of the M&HCV truck market customer satisfaction (expressed as a TRI*M index) is highest for Tata Motors.

In the two-axle 16-tonne medium truck category, the TRI*M index of Tata Motors is the highest at 81. In the 25-tonne multi-axle vehicle segment, where the highly popular 2515 TC of Tata Motors is positioned, its customer satisfaction stands at 82 which is again the highest and in the tractor-trailer segment. Tata Motors excels with a truck industry highest TRI*M index of 90. Thus in various segments of the M&HCV truck market, Tata Motors leads in market share as well as tops in customer satisfaction. This unique combination of market leadership and leadership in customer satisfaction has been ensured by constant endeavours to improve product quality and enhance customer ownership experience.

TNS Truck Trak is the first ever syndicated study on customer satisfaction of trucks — it maps customer expectations in the dynamic truck market so that manufacturers can prepare themselves to meet them. The study analyses the responses of over 5,000 truck customers in areas of ‘sales satisfaction’ and ‘service satisfaction’, across the country. TNS have vast experience in conducting customer satisfaction studies for automobiles and have in the past conducted similar studies for passenger cars and two-wheelers.

Across the industry, dealers have largely managed to provide a smooth purchase process to ensure customers find it easy to choose and buy their preferred commercial vehicles. While the industry scores high in purchase experience, the segment that has done better than the rest in purchase experience is the tractor trailer with a sales TRI*M index at 90.

Customisation — the big opportunity: Truck customers have found the quality of new vehicles delivered very good and is fast matching customer expectations like in the rest of the automotive industry. But they feel manufacturers need to provide customisation in standard features, which could be a great opportunity area for future. Customer handling, during the delivery process, needs improvement, like explaining warranty and service terms clearly.

After-sales service the key customer concern: As in the rest of the automotive industry, after-sales service is a concern area for customers as their expectations on the overall quality continue to go higher. After-sales service is rated considerably lower than the purchase experience.

In the past, truck service centres always left a lot to be desired on basic infrastructure and lagged behind their cousins in the car and two-wheeler segments. However, the study shows that now customers are extremely happy with the overall infrastructure for servicing and customer comfort at the dealerships.

The study also finds that managing customer expectations becomes increasingly challenging as the length of vehicle ownership increases. There is a sharp drop in the TRI*M index from customers with ownership up to 6 months to customers in 12-36 months ownership period.