BearingPoint Institute study reveals major deficiencies in connected car manufacturers’ support for customers across Europe
London, December 10, 2015 – New research from the BearingPoint Institute exposes significant shortcomings in the customer service of connected car manufacturers. The study “Upgrade customer services, or risk falling behind” reviewed the customer service provided by 10 leading vehicle manufacturers (VMs) across their UK, German and French operations. Though connected car support was better in the UK and Germany, in general it was found to be very poor in all three countries. According to the study most customer support is designed for a pre-digital environment.
New technologies are a key differentiator for consumers, and so too is customer support for those technologies. Though 8 in 10 new cars offer connected features, support for these features is limited. According to the study, less than 1/3 of manufacturers are able to provide answers to straightforward connected car questions.
Customers recognize the value of a connected experience. To win brand loyalty, car manufacturers need to transform their customer support and make sure that they connect customers to their connected cars.
Sarah-Jayne Williams, author of the study
The report identified three primary recommendations for how VMs can transform customer support:
The report provides guidance for VMs faced with the challenge of engaging a diverse customer base that may vary significantly in terms of technical knowledge. Foremost is the need to develop and nurture in-depth product knowledge for customer service staff, enabling better customer training and engagement.
Ten leading car manufacturers were evaluated between July and September 2015 on their support for connected car features across France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Rating criteria included the quality of information available online, call center availability and responses provided to calls on a standardized question set.
To read the full article, please download the BearingPoint Institute paper “Upgrade customer services, or risk falling behind,” which can be found at http://inst.be/008DSC.
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Alexander Bock
Global Senior Manager Communications
Telephone: +49 89 540338029