Austin, Texas — SATISFYD released its 2026 Customer & Employee Experience Benchmark Report, offering new insights into how shifting market conditions are influencing customer loyalty, workforce engagement and online reputation across the equipment industry.
The annual report analyzes customer and employee feedback trends across agriculture and construction equipment organizations to help dealer leaders understand emerging experience signals that may impact retention, operational performance and long-term growth.
This year’s data shows overall Net Promoter Score (NPS) declined from 80 to 77, following several years of relative stability. The report also found modest declines across key customer experience interactions, including service, parts, sales and rental. According to the analysis, the shift reflects changing expectations and tighter operating conditions rather than declining dealer performance. The findings suggest that customers are evaluating dealership interactions more critically as economic pressure increases and operational systems remain under strain.
The data points to growing operational pressure in the aftermarket, where service responsiveness, communication and predictability increasingly shape customer loyalty. With technician shortages, aging equipment fleets, and uptime-critical demands placing strain on dealership operations, customers are evaluating experiences more critically than in prior years.
At the same time, the report highlights a positive signal within the workforce. Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) improved year-over-year, suggesting many dealer organizations are investing more intentionally in employee engagement, communication, and workplace alignment.
According to the report, these trends reinforce the growing importance of customer and employee experience visibility for dealership leaders.
“Dealership leaders have always relied on strong relationships and operational intuition,” said Ryan Condon, CEO and founder of SATISFYD. “What’s changing now is the speed at which experience signals emerge. In tighter markets, small service delays or communication gaps can influence loyalty much faster. Organizations that can see those signals early are better positioned to protect retention and revenue.”
The report also highlights the increasing role of online reputation and digital visibility in how customers discover and evaluate equipment dealers. With search engines and AI-driven discovery tools prioritizing businesses with recent, credible customer feedback, maintaining consistent review activity has become an important factor in attracting service and parts inquiries.
Key signals from the 2026 Benchmark Report include:
- Overall Net Promoter Score declined from 80 to 77, marking the first step-down after several years of stability
- Customer experience scores softened modestly across service, parts, sales and rental interactions
- Aftermarket operations show the greatest sensitivity to operational pressure
- Employee engagement improved, signaling stronger workforce alignment across many dealerships
- Online reputation continues to influence visibility and inbound service demand
Together, these insights reinforce the role of experience management as a strategic capability rather than a marketing initiative.
“In strong markets, customers reward effort,” Condon added. “In tighter markets, they reward excellence. Dealers who understand where experience friction is emerging inside their operations have a significant advantage.”
The 2026 CX + EX Benchmark Report is now available, and is designed to help dealer leaders benchmark their organization’s performance and identify areas where customer and employee experience improvements can protect long-term loyalty. Report now available here.
