Over the past couple of years, Service Dealer has covered developments in AI extensively, always with an eye not to just explore what it's capable of, but how it might actually be useful to dealers in their day-to-day businesses.
With this in mind, our clever technical experts have now added a new, free digital Dealer Toolkit to our website, looking specifically at the emerging idea of AI agents in dealerships.
The module follows on from the popular sessions presented by Neil Wilkins at our last two Service Dealer Conferences, but takes the subject a step further. Rather than simply looking at how dealers can use AI tools, it considers what a more fully developed AI agent, capable of operating autonomously and continuously, might bring to a dealership in practical terms.
Now, if you’re anything like me when hearing ideas like this and your brain immediately goes to a Terminator-in-the-police-station-style clearout of all humans in the dealership, let me reassure you that isn’t the case.
Instead, what struck me as I worked my way through the new module is that there’s an interesting parallel with the way robotic mowing has been discussed in the professional turfcare sector.
When robotic mowers first began to gain traction in commercial applications, it was understandable that some practitioners might have looked at the technology and worried for the security of their job.
But the argument put forward by manufacturers, and one that seems to have become widely accepted amongst turf professionals, is that robots can take care of the repetitive, time-consuming and relatively mundane work, allowing skilled individuals to concentrate on the jobs where their expertise really matters.
And I feel there’s a similar argument here for AI agents in dealerships.
Rather than replacing the people who make a dealership such a successful and unique proposition, might an AI agent take care of some of the more run-of-the-mill, labour-intensive tasks that consume valuable time? And, by doing so, could they allow the people in the business to spend more time doing what they do best? Focusing on those age-old specialist dealership USPs of supporting customers, solving problems, selling, servicing and using their expert knowledge?
That’s the notion that this new toolkit introduces.
The module starts by explaining what an AI agent actually is, and how it differs from simply using another AI tool. It then looks at the concept of an agent-based dealership, and what that kind of setup could potentially look like in practice.
From there, it explores AI automation and the types of tasks that could potentially be delegated, before considering the wider business value. One of the interesting propositions here is whether dealers could use smart, data-driven responsiveness to strengthen the very thing that differentiates them from large online retailers: personal, human service.
There’s also practical guidance on prompting best practice, looking at how prompts can become an ongoing dialogue in which you refine, challenge and instruct AI much as you would a member of your team. The final section explores smart prompting, recognising that, just like briefing a good member of staff, getting the best from AI is something that improves with practice.
So, even if you’re not sure what AI can hold for your dealership why not take a look? As I believe many of our dealer delegates found who attended our Conference sessions, you may discover a nugget that sparks an interest, or an idea that could be adapted to suit your own circumstances.
And, as an added bonus, you’ll get to watch a video of Duncan having a chat with a CGI dude!
Surely that’s worth a few minutes of your day?
