About this episode
What happens when a dealer stops accepting service department inefficiency as part of the job and starts building tools to fix it? In this episode of the Car Dealership Podcast, Maarten Bekkers talks with Alex Gaspar, founder of AutoDialog, about his journey from rescuing his family’s dealership to helping dealers across Europe automate after-sales. For car dealers and dealer-group managers, the conversation connects a hands-on turnaround story with practical questions about productivity, AI-powered communication, and scaling without adding staff.
From Saving a Family Dealership to Building AutoDialog
Alex Gaspar’s route into automotive technology began with an urgent dealership challenge, not a software business plan. Pulled out of school to save his family’s dealership, he took the business from red to black in under three years and went on to build one of Belgium’s most respected automotive groups. Maarten explores the efficiency levers behind that turnaround and why Alex eventually moved from dealership ownership to becoming a full-time software founder. For dealer-group managers, the story puts operational improvement at the centre of the conversation: AutoDialog grew out of problems Alex encountered in his own service department, with other dealers subsequently wanting access to the tools he had built.
Closing the After-Sales Gaps Left by Traditional DMS Tools
AutoDialog started with Alex’s frustration at inefficiencies in his service department and his decision to build custom tools to address them. The episode explores why traditional dealer management system (DMS) tools were not meeting his needs and how software developed from the workshop floor became a platform for other dealerships. Rather than treating digitalisation as an abstract technology project, the discussion grounds it in the realities of after-sales operations: clunky processes, siloed data, and customers left on hold. Dealers and group managers will hear how AutoDialog is helping dealerships across Europe digitise, automate, and scale their after-sales departments without hiring more people.
Scaling Dealership Productivity and Preparing for the EV Future
How can a dealership handle more work without growing its team at the same rate? Maarten and Alex explore automation as a way to increase after-sales capacity, including preparing for an EV future with triple the throughput without tripling staff. The conversation also looks beyond the workshop to the surprising power of letting salespeople focus on selling and stripping away other responsibilities. These themes share a clear operational focus: giving people room to do their core jobs rather than surrounding them with more tasks. For dealer leaders reviewing productivity across sales and service, the episode offers a perspective rooted in Alex’s experience running dealerships and building tools to tackle inefficiency.
AI-Powered Assistants and Better Service Department Communication
The episode also explores the launch of AI-powered assistants such as NOVA and how they are reshaping communication between service advisors, mechanics, and customers. This brings the discussion of automotive AI back to the people who need to work together in after-sales, rather than technology for its own sake. Alex’s message, “Give your team superpowers, not more tasks”, captures the approach running through the conversation. For car dealers navigating disconnected information and customers stuck on hold, the discussion places communication alongside automation and capacity as a central after-sales concern. Maarten and Alex connect these developments to the wider challenge of future-proofing dealership operations without simply adding more people.
Key takeaways for dealers
- Start after-sales digitalisation with the inefficiencies your service team encounters every day.
- Examine where traditional DMS tools leave gaps in dealership processes and communication.
- Explore automation as a way to scale after-sales capacity without proportional staff growth.
- Review which responsibilities keep salespeople from focusing on selling.
- Consider how AI-powered assistants such as NOVA can support communication between service advisors, mechanics, and customers.
Frequently asked questions
What is AutoDialog, and how does it help car dealerships?
AutoDialog is a technology platform founded by Alex Gaspar that helps dealerships digitise, automate, and scale their after-sales departments. It grew out of custom tools Alex built to address inefficiencies in his own service department and now helps dealers across Europe.
Why did Alex Gaspar build software alongside traditional DMS tools?
Traditional DMS tools were not meeting the needs Alex encountered in his service department. He built custom tools to fill those gaps, and other dealers wanted access to them.
Can after-sales automation help dealers prepare for the EV future?
The episode explores how automation is helping dealers prepare for the EV future, including the prospect of triple the throughput without tripling staff. The discussion focuses on increasing capacity rather than relying solely on additional hiring.
What is NOVA’s role in dealership after-sales?
NOVA is an AI-powered assistant discussed in the episode. Maarten and Alex explore how assistants like NOVA are reshaping communication between service advisors, mechanics, and customers.
