5 Things AI Can Do That Your Dealership Salespeople Can’t

Two things are true: 1. AI will never be able to replace the human touch in the automotive industry and 2. AI-powered dealership technologies have revolutionized the industry and made automotive staff so much more efficient and productive so dealers can stay strong and resilient in today’s competitive landscape. 

While salespeople remain critical to the sales process and to building lasting relationships with customers, there are certain functions and capabilities where AI shines that can bolster and enhance this process at your dealership. Let’s take a look at just some of the different ways AI can support your team when it comes to creating excellent customer experiences and optimizing dealership operations. 

1. AI Creates Extended Customer Journeys 

Building personal customer-dealer relationships is a deeply human process and it is a critical component in creating customers for life. AI can strengthen these efforts on part of the dealership by automatically keeping customers engaged with valuable content at every touch point of their customer journey.

AI-powered technologies work to automate the process of maintaining contact with shoppers and customers so your dealership always remains top of mind. This is typically done through automated follow-up emails, lead nurture campaigns, service reminders, automated appointment reminders, upgrade or trade-in offers, equity based offers and more. This consistent engagement ensures that customers receive valuable, relevant information and offers over time, encouraging positive sentiment throughout their entire relationship with your dealership.

2. AI Offers 24/7 Customer Support

AI offers dealerships the ability to provide round the clock customer service through AI-powered chatbots. Unlike your human staff, these tools do not need rest or down time and can perform with no interruption. AI-powered chatbots can naturally and seamlessly engage with website shoppers and provide detailed, personalized answers to incoming inquiries. Additionally, AI-powered chatbots are capable of handling massive amounts of incoming inquiries at any given moment, reducing wait time and improving your customer experience. 

As an added bonus, AI-powered chatbots can help improve the efficiency of your staff by automating repetitive tasks such as providing information on store hours or services and booking appointments through your dealership website. This can free up your team to perform more complicated tasks all while increasing the chances of converting leads into sales during and outside of regular business hours.

3. AI Provides Data-Driven Personalized Recommendations

AI can analyze extensive data quickly and efficiently. AI can offer highly personalized vehicle recommendations, taking into consideration a customer’s preferences, budget, and previous interactions with your dealership. 

This data can be leveraged by your marketing team to optimize your marketing by creating highly personalized marketing campaigns including ads, emails and SMS campaigns, in order to increase engagement. Your sales team can also leverage this technology to seamlessly match customers to specific makes and models based on customer needs and preferences, increasing the likelihood of a sale. 

4. AI Leverages Predictive Analytics

AI leverages dealership first and third party historical data and real-time insights to predict customer behavior and market trends. With this data in hand, your dealership can make informed, data-driven decisions about what inventory to bring on to the lot, best pricing opportunities, and which marketing strategies to focus on. 

There are also AI-powered tools on the market that use predictive analytics to provide website shoppers with specific offers and opportunities based on their previous engagements with your dealership, increasing the likelihood of conversion and allowing your sales team to customize their sales pitch effectively.

5. AI Optimizes Dealership Inventory Management

Efficient dealership inventory management is crucial when it comes to optimizing your operations. AI works to analyze market trends and demand patterns to optimize your inventory by providing recommendations on which vehicles to purchase. This can help ensure your dealership always has the right cars on the lot to meet customer demands while also avoiding wastage.

AI can also help you identify at-risk or lagging inventory, inventory that is not performing as well on your website or that has been on your lot for more time than expected. This can help your sales and marketing teams focus their efforts to get these vehicles seen and sold to help free up frozen capital and avoid sending those vehicles to auction.  

In short, AI-powered dealership solutions are powerful tools designed to help forward-thinking dealers stay ahead of the curve by providing improved customer experiences, increasing efficiency, and ultimately, driving more revenues. AI is designed to automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks and provide data-driven insights, enabling your marketing team and salespeople to concentrate on optimizing their processes, building relationships, offering personalized service, and closing deals. By combining AI’s capabilities with your team’s expertise, you create an environment where technology and human interaction work together to drive success. 

Fullpath’s AI powered solutions are designed to help dealerships create exceptional customer experiences. From AI-powered data management tools to AI-powered email and digital advertising campaigns, Fullpath can help your dealership transform your marketing strategy, ensuring every customer receives value at every touch point on their customer journey. To learn more about Fullpath and to receive a personalized demo, please click here or email us at get.started@fullpath.com