The contract hire and leasing sector has expressed satisfaction levels with the major motor manufacturers of below 50 per cent .
So says a new survey sponsored by Volkswagen as part of an attempt to better understand the needs of its leasing partners for future service initiatives. The survey sought the opinions of senior personnel from 34 of the major leasing providers, with average satisfaction across eight key areas sitting at 49.4 per cent.
The fleet strategy of vehicle manufacturers is in bottom place for satisfaction at just 43 per cent with support terms next lowest placed at 44 per cent.
Brand and vehicle range provided scored 59 per cent, the highest satisfaction levels recorded, with dealer performance in second place at 55 per cent.
Other scores were for the supply and order process (51 per cent), the quality of the contract hire and leasing managers (49 per cent), events and communications (48 per cent) and contract support (46 per cent).
The report also asked fleet decision makers to rank the importance of each topic, which revealed a troubling pattern because the areas of highest priority to the fleet sector scored the lowest satisfaction ratings.
The top four most important items to the contract hire and leasing sector were support terms (1st place), brand and vehicle range (2nd), contract support (3rd) and fleet strategy (4th), although three out of four of these achieved the lowest satisfaction scores.
Rick Yarrow, managing director of Experteye, said: “This was an extensive survey, covering thirty four major leasing companies that either lease or manage the lion’s share of the UK company vehicle fleet.
“In most instances more than one person was surveyed within each company, in order to get a balanced opinion, and it was sponsored by Volkswagen (UK) who is undertaking a major initiative to ensure its products, services and support meet fleet sector requirements.
“It is, perhaps, unsurprising to see support terms sitting as the highest priority to the contract hire companies, but second lowest in satisfaction, because everyone is always demanding better pricing. However, it will raise a few eyebrows with motor manufacturers that the leasing sector feels they are falling short with their fleet strategies, which achieved the lowest satisfaction score of all.”
Volkswagen (UK) donated £1700 to the automotive charity BEN as a way of thanking the leasing companies for their participation.
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