Panasonic ranks highest among copier brands in satisfying business customers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Business Copier Customer Satisfaction Study released today. Following Panasonic in the rankings are Kyocera, and Lanier and Konica Minolta in a tie.

The study measures the satisfaction of key business decision-makers with single and multifunction copiers based on three factors: product (46%), sales (34%) and service (20%). Panasonic receives the highest ratings for both the product and sales factors.

Product reliability continues to play a key role in the customer’s experience with a copier brand. When asked to disclose key reasons to consider a different copier brand for their next purchase, one-half of respondents — twice the incidence rate observed in 2005 — state reliability.

Sixty-five percent of respondents report requiring some type of service call for their copier, ranging from scheduled maintenance to repairs needed to return the copier to working order. The study finds that among business customers who make an equipment maintenance or service call of some type, the importance of the service factor doubles, replacing the product factor as the most critical contributor to customer satisfaction. Consequently, service capabilities can be a significant advantage to a dealer, regardless of whether they are single or multiple brands.

Overall Copier Ownership Index / (Based on a 1,000-point scale)

Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size are: Copystar, Gestetner, Oce Imagistics and Savin.

For more detailed ratings of copier brands, please visit the J.D. Power and Associates Consumer Center.

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