The influence of customers´ quality perception of commercial vehicles on their maintenance behavior

The relationship was examined between commercial vehicle customers´ quality perception of their vehicle brands and their subsequent maintenance of the vehicles. In an increasingly competitive commercial vehicle market, it is important to know what influences the customer decisions that drive revenue - specifically, the customer´s maintenance choices. Qualitative (interview) data was obtained on the maintenance approach of fleet managers and the perceived industry norms and perspectives of industry experts, together with quantitative (survey) data on the quality perceptions and maintenance behavior of fleet and maintenance managers. This information was drawn from the case of a large South African subsidiary of a leading multinational commercial vehicle manufacturer. Associations were found between quality perception and maintenance behavior, especially with regard to the constructs of product quality and warranty support quality. The results on the constructs of service support and parts support quality led to them begin interpreted as hygiene factors, i.e. essential to secure the initial product sale. Practical use of the findings may be made by manufacturers to evaluate and tailor their after-sales support offering. The findings also reaffirm the importance to a commercial vehicle manufacturer of its brand´s quality reputation.