A Satisfied Customer Is A Bad Customer

[Papasito]

A "Satisfied" Customer Is A Bad Customer

 

In a time when General Motors is discontinuing and downsizing product lines, losing market share to compeditors, and shaky over their own financial future, the company's Customer Satisfction Index (CSI) policy only makes things harder for the company to survive.

 

Working with CSI program nearly 2 decades old, the financial penalties toward the dealerships trickle down directly to the way consumers are treated by dealership employees. A customer who gives less than a Completely Satisfied score is viewed as a bad customer, and a financial risk. A customer who repeatedly sends in a survey with poor markings is often seen by a dealership to be undesirable as a consumer. In fact, the dealership stands to be more financially sound to lose that customer entirely, then to service them and receive poor survey scores by continuing to sell them cars and service their vehicles, under the current CSI program.

 

The GM survey gives the customer five possible answers. Completely Satisfied, Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, and Not At All Satisfied. The only answer the dealership can afford to have on every survey is choice #1: Completely Satisfied. Mathematically speaking, if a customer chooses 80% of the available answers, the survey is a failure to the dealership, and there are financial consequences to the dealership and the employees.

 

Sales staff and Service personnell stress to the consumer that only one answer is correct. Some dealers go to the point of stating the "in order to continue" serving them, Completely Satisfied is the only answer for the consumer to check. If anything is needed to demonstrate the flawed system GM is running this should be enough right there. Some dealers offer free services, others offer prizes or incentives, and others outright strongarm their customers into getting the scores that they need. How is this program benefitting the consumer? How is it benefitting GM? It's not.

 

Let's look at the available answers on the GM survey. Is a "Satisfied" customer a bad customer? Is a "Somewhat Satisfied" customer a bad customer? I believe a good customer is a customer who purchases GM vehicles, and has them serviced at a GM dealership, reguardless of what they fill out on a sheet of paper. Unfortunately, under the defunkt GM CSI program, simply being devoted to GM products and services is not enough. Service Advisors shun people who send in poor surveys, as they are paid based upon the scores marked on them (the "trickle down" financial penalties to the dealership in action).

 

Now let's consider how reliable the surveys are alltogether. For example, when a spouse or sibling fills out the survey, and not the person who actually brought the vehicle in for service. This person may not understand the magnitude of how important it is to have the survey filled out Completely Satisfied. Also, if the survey gets into the hands of the correct person, they may fill it out while they are having a bad day, and project their frustrations onto the survey. They could be angry that their expensive new vehicle broke in the first place, and now they have a piece of paper where they can purge their feelings onto. They could also be offended that the dealership insisted to them that only one answer was acceptable, and complete the survey with their genuine answers in rebelliance to a totalitarian system.

 

Let's also consider exactly what Completely Satisfied means. To me, one would think this means that all aspects involved were the best they could ever be, with no room for improvement. The cream of the crop. It can't get any better than this. Well, this is impossible. Any business person knows there is ALWAYS room for improvement. There are always ways of doing things better. If a consumer checks that they are Completely Satisfied, they are essentially limiting their service experience. A consumer always wants more, they always want better, and they always want new. What is the incentive to conceding you are Completely Satisfied, when in fact, satisfaction can not be measured. The limits of what makes someone satisfied are constantly changing.

 

If the treatment you receive at the dealership you purchased your vehicle from is based upon a survey score, would you purchase another vehicle there, or continue to business with them? Would you continue to do business with them if you are constantly told what to put on your surveys, or treated differently if you did not comply?

 

I doubt it.

[fourwheelinfool]

Where can I take this survey? There is one particular dealership service dept. I would like to rate...

[Zembonez]

CSI ratings are a total load of bullsqueeze.

I wouldn't trust the average idiot's opinion as far as I could throw him.

 

Of course I mean that in the nicest possible way.

[Schmids5.3l]

I would have gave my dealer 'not at all satisfied'. They tried to charge me $50 to scan my computer for codes with an OBDII scanner. I basically told them to get bent and give my keys back.

 

The type of system they should have is if a number of people give any responses lower than very satisfied (for customer service or waranty issues ect), a guy 'up top' should ream the dealers ass and whip them into shape, because happy customers come back. I know my dealer doesn't have a clue of what customer service is. I literally thought I was going to get into a big brawl with everyone at the dealership to get my keys back My ricer buddy with an Acura gets treated like a god at the Acura dealer for repairs and he didn't even buy his car from them!

 

Crappy dealer service won't keep me from buying GM, but it would be nice.

[asilverblazer]

I think the system is flawed too.

[Schlogster]

A "Satisfied" Customer Is A Bad Customer

 

In a time when General Motors is discontinuing and downsizing product lines, losing market share to compeditors, and shaky over their own financial future, the company's Customer Satisfction Index (CSI) policy only makes things harder for the company to survive.

 

Working with CSI program nearly 2 decades old, the financial penalties toward the dealerships trickle down directly to the way consumers are treated by dealership employees. A customer who gives less than a Completely Satisfied score is viewed as a bad customer, and a financial risk. A customer who repeatedly sends in a survey with poor markings is often seen by a dealership to be undesirable as a consumer. In fact, the dealership stands to be more financially sound to lose that customer entirely, then to service them and receive poor survey scores by continuing to sell them cars and service their vehicles, under the current CSI program.

 

The GM survey gives the customer five possible answers. Completely Satisfied, Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, and Not At All Satisfied. The only answer the dealership can afford to have on every survey is choice #1: Completely Satisfied. Mathematically speaking, if a customer chooses 80% of the available answers, the survey is a failure to the dealership, and there are financial consequences to the dealership and the employees.

 

Sales staff and Service personnell stress to the consumer that only one answer is correct. Some dealers go to the point of stating the "in order to continue" serving them, Completely Satisfied is the only answer for the consumer to check. If anything is needed to demonstrate the flawed system GM is running this should be enough right there. Some dealers offer free services, others offer prizes or incentives, and others outright strongarm their customers into getting the scores that they need. How is this program benefitting the consumer? How is it benefitting GM? It's not.

 

Let's look at the available answers on the GM survey. Is a "Satisfied" customer a bad customer? Is a "Somewhat Satisfied" customer a bad customer? I believe a good customer is a customer who purchases GM vehicles, and has them serviced at a GM dealership, reguardless of what they fill out on a sheet of paper. Unfortunately, under the defunkt GM CSI program, simply being devoted to GM products and services is not enough. Service Advisors shun people who send in poor surveys, as they are paid based upon the scores marked on them (the "trickle down" financial penalties to the dealership in action).

 

Now let's consider how reliable the surveys are alltogether. For example, when a spouse or sibling fills out the survey, and not the person who actually brought the vehicle in for service. This person may not understand the magnitude of how important it is to have the survey filled out Completely Satisfied. Also, if the survey gets into the hands of the correct person, they may fill it out while they are having a bad day, and project their frustrations onto the survey. They could be angry that their expensive new vehicle broke in the first place, and now they have a piece of paper where they can purge their feelings onto. They could also be offended that the dealership insisted to them that only one answer was acceptable, and complete the survey with their genuine answers in rebelliance to a totalitarian system.

 

Let's also consider exactly what Completely Satisfied means. To me, one would think this means that all aspects involved were the best they could ever be, with no room for improvement. The cream of the crop. It can't get any better than this. Well, this is impossible. Any business person knows there is ALWAYS room for improvement. There are always ways of doing things better. If a consumer checks that they are Completely Satisfied, they are essentially limiting their service experience. A consumer always wants more, they always want better, and they always want new. What is the incentive to conceding you are Completely Satisfied, when in fact, satisfaction can not be measured. The limits of what makes someone satisfied are constantly changing.

 

If the treatment you receive at the dealership you purchased your vehicle from is based upon a survey score, would you purchase another vehicle there, or continue to business with them? Would you continue to do business with them if you are constantly told what to put on your surveys, or treated differently if you did not comply?

 

I doubt it.

 

Just wondering why your even here? Is this your little way of making yourself feel good about buying a Blundra? If you came here to try and justify why you "feel good cause I bought foreign vehicle", your pandering to the wrong crowd.

 

Personally, I've had a great experience over the last 8 months and have had no issues with my truck, just allot of love. The dealer has contacted me a couple of times to make sure I was happy and even changed the oil and filter twice without charge, and once left me a LTZ for the day because it was going to take at least 2 hours to complete due to a technician calling in sick. They have been better than I anticipated from any car dealership, so I'm kinda blown away at this point. NEVER, EVER did they ask me to rate them in any waywhen I was contacted by GM about my experience. What they did say is this: "If there is anything about your experience with us that has made you less than 100% satisfied, please let us know and we will make it right immediately" No dealership has ever expressed or implied that commitment to me in the past. I feel that this Chevy dealership is putting it's self out there and saying they want me to see the difference from the norm, and I do. How could I not feel good about that?

 

Can't speak for everyone here, but that's my 2 cents. Can't help but wonder what your true intention for this post really is. Maybe a frustrated Toyo dealership that has an excessive inventory of Blundra's sitting on the lot? Turn them around backwards and I'd hope you'd at least get some lookers. That front end is as ugly as a truck can get, let alone the cam shaft and tranny issues.

[Nytemare]

^^^^well said.

 

My dealership gave me a $400 road side assistance kit 2 free oil changes (dino oil so I gave them away) and they wash the truck when ever I bring it in for my regular maintenance, which is not very often..I do most things my self. This was a second hand vehicle that I paid about a third of the price of a new one for. New vehicles get way more shyte...I know guys that got 1000 bucks in accessories (no deal on) the rims and rubber that were on it on the show room floor, all kinds of stuff.

 

I'll take my "archaic" push rod V8 any day over these DOHC Variable Valve BS POS motors.

 

 

Toyo "WAS" a good truck back in the day, well the engine and cab anyway, cant say the truck as a whole, I haven't seen a full one in about 20 years.

 

OK, so the 22re, cab and chassis, and the drive train was awesome...one of the best off road buggys you can buy.

 

I do like what they've done with the tundra though....slap a V8 in there from a Lexus with just enough power power to shave your balls, toss it in the market dominated by the big 3, and give it a front end makeover remnant of a Downs Syndrome grasshopper. Gotta love that cough* Truck.

[Norseman]

Just wondering why your even here? Is this your little way of making yourself feel good about buying a Blundra? If you came here to try and justify why you "feel good cause I bought foreign vehicle", your pandering to the wrong crowd.

 

 

Agian I must say, The only object more dense than a neutron star is the mind of a Toyota apologist.