The national Auto Bild's Purchasing Study was conducted for the 19th time. Pre-trained mystery shoppers visited car retailers, observing sales skills and customer service as usual. After their visits, the observations were analyzed and quantified.
Audi climbed from the seventh position to become the top brand in Auto Bild's extensive service study in 2023. The 2022 Number One dropped to ninth place, even though Mercedes-Benz's importer, Veho, was the best in both new and used car comparisons. Succeeding comprehensively in the car business requires understanding customer needs, effective communication, convincing presentations, and continuous contact.
The overall score for the brands was 77, which was one point better than in 2022. The current score matches the second-best overall score of all time. A better score (79 points) was achieved nearly ten years ago in 2014.
Compared to 2022, the score decreased in the area of digital services. More customers than before did not receive answers to their questions. For the second year in a row, explaining offers for used cars also declined, with the score now being 18 points lower than two years ago.
Positive developments in service areas were particularly notable in the assessment of the cars's intended use, which increased by a remarkable 21 points. Financial matters were also assessed positively by customers, resulting in the best score of all time.
Similar to 2022, there was a positive trend in closing deals. This year, deals were proposed and encouraged more actively than in the previous year. Certainly, this had a positive impact on customers perceiving the service as more sales-oriented than in 2022.
The research was conducted by Palvelu Plus, part of Dive Group, which has over 35 years of experience in measuring and improving service processes and customer experience. For more informatioin about the study, please contact: siiri.saarinen@palveluplus.fi