Impact Analysis of Continued Visits to Service Centers: Focus on Prepayment Usage and Warranty Period

Automotive brands operate service centers not merely for profit generation but with the primary aim of maintaining a positive relationship with consumers through post-sale care. Service centers should be understood as critical tools for strengthening long-term bonds between consumers and brands, with a focus on customer relationship management. These centers operate from the perspective of relationship marketing, striving to develop long-term and collaborative relationships with customers rather than one-off transactions. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of customer satisfaction and loyalty in maintaining relationships between customers and companies. According to one study, a 5% reduction in dissatisfied customers leaving an automotive repair service could lead to a 30% increase in net profit. Positive relationships with customers are directly linked to revenue, making various marketing strategies essential. Notably, automotive service centers often involve higher costs compared to general services, leading customers to alleviate financial burdens through coupons or prepaid service plans offered at the time of vehicle purchase. In this context, the present study analyzed the moderating effect of prepaid service usage on service center utilization and empirically examined how prepaid services impact customer loyalty and revisit intentions. The data used for this study was sourced from the service center records of Company A, which offers sales and maintenance services for overseas car brands. By analyzing the factors influencing customer loyalty and revisits based on prepaid service usage, this study identified customer patterns and developed a revisit prediction model using a random forest algorithm, achieving 89% and 91% prediction accuracy.