RAC Edges Roadside Battle

RAC has overtaken the AA to rank highest in the newly released J.D. Power and Associates 2004 UK Roadside Assistance Customer Satisfaction StudySM. The overall customer satisfaction scores of the two are 830 and 825 respectively out of a possible 1,000, showing intense competition.

Last year the AA took the chequered flag but the margin was even narrower (4 points). The RAC has since improved by 20 points and the AA by eleven.

Customer satisfaction is broken down into three categories, each of which summarise a number of aspects of the roadside assistance experience (total 16 aspects). Timing, consisting of the time taken for help to arrive and time taken to do what was needed, is the most important aspect, contributing 48% to the total satisfaction score - here the AA scores highest as it did in 2002 and 2003. The performance of the mechanic / vehicle driver (which includes items such as appearance, courtesy and ability to do what was needed) is second with 33% and the performance of the operator / dispatcher, (which includes items such as friendliness, reassurance and time taken to answer the phone) makes up the other 20% - RAC performs particularly well in these two categories.

Mondial, which provides roadside assistance services to many of the car manufacturers, makes the most significant improvement in customer satisfaction, and ranks third overall, increasing by 22 points to 805. Other organisations rated were Green Flag with 776 points and Mercedes-Benz with 747 points. Small sample sizes prevent overall ratings for Britannia Rescue and Direct Line.

Overall customer satisfaction across the UK has increased by 14 index points-from 802 to 816. Improvements have occurred across all three measures. Operator / dispatcher and mechanic / vehicle driver both increase by 15 points, and timing improves by 12 points.

15% of respondents to the study required the aid of a roadside assistance organisation during the first two years of ownership-up from 12% in 2003-with increased reports of flat tyres and engine problems. Engine problems are the most common cause of call-outs (30%) followed by flat tyres (19%) and other mechanical problems (17%). Only 2% of call-outs follow an accident, and 2% of respondents require roadside assistance due to being locked out or having alarm problems.

Dave Sargent, Director of European operations at J.D. Power and Associates says the narrow five point gap between the RAC and the AA 'highlights the intense competition in the marketplace', adding that the overall improvement in ratings is heartening.

As in previous years, satisfaction ratings are higher when a motorist is attended to by a mechanic perceived to work for the roadside assistance organisation, rather than one employed by a subcontractor.

'Small efforts by roadside assistance companies, such as ensuring obvious brand identification of mechanics, go a long way in maintaining customer satisfaction," said Sargent. "Particularly with a competitive industry like roadside assistance, a powerful relationship exists between customer satisfaction and the likelihood of recommending the provider to others'.

The study is based on responses from 24,000 randomly selected owners of '51' and '02' registered vehicles. This is the seventh year of the study and the third time that J.D. Power and Associates has teamed with WhatCar? to conduct the study.

The company's Web site is at www.jdpower.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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