RAC Is Again The Motorists's First Choice

For the fourth consecutive year, RAC ranks highest in helping customers who’ve broken down at the roadside, according to the 2009 UK Roadside Assistance Study - an annual independent survey undertaken by consumer research company, J.D. Power and Associates. RAC has secured this title more times than any other breakdown provider.

For the fourth consecutive year, RAC ranks highest in helping customers who’ve broken down at the roadside, according to the 2009 UK Roadside Assistance Study - an annual independent survey undertaken by consumer research company, J.D. Power and Associates. RAC has secured this title more times than any other breakdown provider.

The survey of almost 2,800 UK motorists showed that RAC was highly commended in all three factors driving customer satisfaction:

• Timing - the time taken for help to arrive and time taken at the scene
• Operator/dispatcher - including the time taken to answer the phone and the friendliness and reassurance offered
• Mechanic/vehicle driver - including the appearance of and courtesy, knowledge and expertise levels of patrols.

The study reveals that high levels of customer satisfaction with roadside assistance services have a particularly strong impact on both customer advocacy and repurchase decisions. RAC has implemented a number of customer service initiatives throughout 2009 to improve the service it offers to customers. In particular, RAC has invested in new tools and equipment to help improve repair rates at the roadside to help keep motorists on the road.

Neil Thompson, director of service delivery, said: "It’s been a challenging year in the current economic climate, but this award is testament to RAC’s ongoing commitment to ensuring our customers are at the heart of everything we do.

“This is the seventh time RAC has secured the top spot since the survey began in 1998. It shows that the initiatives that we put in place are valued by our customers, who clearly expect, and indeed, deserve the highest standards of service from us.

“RAC is passionate about delivering exceptional levels of service to our customers at the roadside, and we will continue to do so throughout 2010 and beyond.”

Brian Walters, European automotive director at J.D. Power and Associates, said: “The fact that RAC has been the top ranked provider in our study four times in a row now is testament to their strong commitment to customer satisfaction and motoring safety”.

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