NMMA Customer Satisfaction Awards Include Industry Staples & Rising Stars

By: Scott Way

The 2020 NMMA Customer Service Index (CSI) awards have been announced and 58 recipients across the industry have been recognized for their outstanding customer satisfaction.

The CSI awards are given annually to companies with the highest levels of customer satisfaction. The Consumer Satisfaction Index (CSI) is measured via a survey distributed to every customer who purchases a boat or applicable product by a company within the NMMA. This includes boat manufacturers, engine builders, and personal watercraft. The survey measures customer satisfaction with the boat, the engine, and the dealer where the purchase was made. Over 175,000 new customers filled out a survey in 2020.

Awards are given to companies who achieve an independently-measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction. According to Robert Newsome, senior vice president of operations for NMMA, “Consumer expectations of products and services are dramatically increasing across all industries. In recreational boating, we collectively continue to enhance our brand, product and dealer experiences to provide exceptional customer service and quality products. Today, we honor those boat and engine brands who deliver on these values and are examples of excellence in customer satisfaction.”

There are several recipients one might expect to see, including the likes of Regal, Boston Whaler, Tiara, Formula, Nautique, and Volvo Penta. There are also some notable up-and-comers that are beginning to gain traction in the marketplace, including relatively new brands like Tige and ATX Surf Boats. ATX, which is manufactured under the Tige umbrella, is in the midst of a major expansion and recently announced a third new model for 2021.

Industry staples like Regal maintained their status thanks in part to a continued willingness to evolve. The company capped off 2020 with the announcement of a new flagship 42 FXO Flybridge.

Boston Whaler were anything but idle in 2020 as they expanded the Dauntless series by introducing new 220 and 250 models. The company also unveiled the all-new 240 Vantage, and found time to release new iterations of the 325 and 405 Conquest models.

Tiara enjoyed a strong year as well, capped off with their CSI Award. The dependable yacht builder made its mark with the all-new Sport 43 LE and an unveiling tour across the US. The company also consolidated their Tiara and Tiara Sport monikers into simply Tiara Yachts, which they will use going forward.

Other indomitable brands like Formula had a big year, both literally and figuratively. The company launched their largest model ever, the 500 Super Sport Crossover (SSC) in in December 2020, and followed that with the announcement they partnered with Mercury as part of the V12 Verado outboard launch.

You can see the full list of CSI award winners below:

Aluminum Outboard Boats