ABM Q4 - Flipbook - Page 45
OPINION
RE TA I L
Delivering
convenience
→ Tim Smith is chief strategy officer at Keyloop
T
he introduction of new
technology in the motor retail
sector typically follows a
familiar pattern. Retailers
either dismiss it as novelty
and scramble to catch up
once their peers demonstrate
success, or they rush to
introduce a point solution,
which inevitably joins a series of other
point solutions, at the expense of
connectivity and efficiency.
AI-driven chat is a key example. The
decision must be made quickly, because
car buyers have stopped waiting for
retailers to catch up, they’ve favouring
retailers who were prepared. We expect
consumer expectations to continue
ramping up with new, digital-native
generations.
Neighbours, decades apart
The way retailers handle inbound
requests varies radically, especially
outside normal working hours. Many will
process an overnight request by filing it
and waiting for a sales assistant to clock
in and respond, whereas others are using
automation to answer within seconds,
searching live stock, quoting for finance,
valuing part-exchanges and offering
slots for test drives – all before staff
clock in the next day.
Motors research highlights that 55% of
buyers expect a response within three
hours, with 35% of those contacting
competitors if retailers are slower. The
argument that customers would prefer to
speak to a real person is valid, until that
wait becomes the barrier to progress.
Information provided needs to
reflect a real-time stock situation, so
retailers need a unified inventory status
across their systems, matching online
vehicle listings to true stock levels.
This will support efforts to better align
demand with supply, while avoiding
double reservations and the associated
customer disappointment.
Meanwhile. a valuation curve, a
finance agreement drifting toward parity,
a service record, three cars of the right
body style landing on the forecourt: all
data traditionally isolated across systems
can be brought together to support a
360-degree view of both the customer
and the vehicle.
Reducing workload not workforce
Research from McKinsey indicates that
sales teams using digital retailing tools
reduce average sales processes by
62.5%, from over four hours to under
90 minutes. This gives sales teams 2.5
hours that can be reallocated to highervalue tasks, improving team productivity
without affecting headcount.
One of our pilot customers puts it
best. Eric Vant Spyker from Trillium
Ford Lincoln, said: “Where I see the
biggest gains is simply time. Being able
to cut through some of the tasks that
our current processes require because
of the tools that we're currently using
and gain that back. And that's across
the board. That's not just me, that's my
managers, that's the salespeople, that's
the detailer's time. And then it will come
to efficiencies which gives us more time.”
Sascha Cutura, a leading AI and
Automation Expert, attended Keyloop’s
recent Fusion Live London event, and
highlighted that simply adding AI to a
problem is not transformative enough to
reach the intended outcome.
Lost momentum is rarely found with
the tasks themselves, but instead is
typically found between the tasks.
Double keying and switching systems
are examples of momentum drain.
Businesses must focus on improving
entire systems and workflows rather than
individual solutions.
This is only possible if you have true
interoperability of your key solutions –
across sales, inventory, finance, CRM,
etcetera – and that the underlying data is
accurate and unified.
Q4 2026
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
45
