After-sales service as a driver for word-of-mouth and customer satisfaction: insights from the automotive industry

This study aims to study the effect of the after-sales service experience and its quality on overall customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth (WOM) within the automotive industry. Based on the additional marketing mix elements required for service marketing (people, process and physical evidence, respectively), we investigated the effects of after-sales service experience quality on both satisfaction and WOM. Data were collected through a survey of 210 customers in the automotive industry. Respondents were asked to evaluate several items related to their after-sales service experience for car maintenance services provided by authorised dealers. Data were analysed using a linear regression model and R software. The results showed evidence of a relationship between satisfaction and the desire to recommend, and supported the fact that after-sales service satisfaction represents an antecedent of consumer satisfaction and WOM. However, not all elements of the aftersales experience had a significant impact on the two output dimensions (satisfaction and WOM). This might lead managers to consider which of the main elements of the aftersales service consumers consider more when evaluating their satisfaction with the dealer and what elements they are more willing to talk to other people about. This study contributes to enriching the existing knowledge regarding after-sales experiences and the impact of this phase of the consumer’s decision process on their overall satisfaction and the related WOM.