About this episode
What does AI actually mean for your dealership’s sales, costs and customer service? In this episode of the Car Dealership Podcast, “How AI is Revolutionising Car Dealerships”, host Maarten Bekkers sits down with Miguel Michiels, COO of AutoChat, to explore practical opportunities for automotive retail. Drawing on more than a decade of industry experience, Miguel discusses lead generation, faster customer responses and automation that supports a more efficient, customer-friendly dealership.
AI for Dealership Lead Generation and Faster Customer Responses
For car dealers and dealer-group managers, the value of AI starts with a practical question: can it help turn more customer interest into sales? Maarten and Miguel explore how dealerships are using AI to generate more leads and close more deals, with particular attention to the importance of response speed. The conversation examines why responding to customers faster matters for sales, connecting automotive AI with the everyday priorities of dealership teams. Rather than treating innovation as an end in itself, this part of the episode focuses on its role in helping dealers serve customers and sell cars.
Dealership Automation Without Losing the Personal Touch
Reducing non-billable hours and cutting costs are central themes in the discussion, but efficiency is only part of the picture. Miguel and Maarten also explore how dealership automation can work without losing the personal touch that matters in customer service. For managers considering AI-powered solutions, the episode brings operational priorities together with questions about employees and the future of their roles. Is AI replacing jobs, and what does automation mean for dealership teams? These questions sit alongside the broader discussion of making dealerships more efficient, more profitable and more customer-friendly, rather than viewing cost reduction in isolation.
From Automotive Retail Experience to AutoChat’s Nova AI
Miguel brings more than a decade of automotive retail experience to the conversation, including helping dealerships and leasing companies rethink their strategies. His background spans running pricing at LeasePlan and leading the omnichannel revolution at Carnext. Now, as COO of AutoChat, he is building AI-powered solutions for dealerships. That experience provides context for the episode’s look at where automotive AI is heading, including a behind-the-scenes discussion of AutoChat’s Nova AI. For dealer-group managers, this section connects the future of AI with the commercial and customer-service challenges already shaping how cars are sold in today’s digital world.
Key takeaways for dealers
- Explore AI’s role in generating more dealership leads and closing more deals.
- Treat faster customer responses as a sales priority.
- Consider automation opportunities that reduce non-billable hours and costs.
- Keep the personal touch central to AI-enabled customer service.
- Include employee roles in discussions about dealership automation.
- Hear how AutoChat’s Nova AI fits into the conversation about automotive retail’s future.
Frequently asked questions
How can AI help car dealerships sell more cars?
The episode explores how dealerships are using AI to generate more leads and close more deals. Maarten and Miguel also discuss how faster customer responses can lead to more sales.
Can dealership automation reduce costs without losing personal service?
The discussion covers reducing non-billable hours and cutting costs without losing the personal touch. It considers efficiency and customer-friendly service together.
Is AI replacing jobs in car dealerships?
The episode addresses this question through a discussion of automation, dealership employees and the future of customer service. The show notes do not specify a conclusion about which jobs may change or be replaced.
Does the episode cover AutoChat’s Nova AI?
Yes. Miguel Michiels, COO of AutoChat, offers a behind-the-scenes look at Nova AI as part of the discussion about what is next for automotive AI.
