Ten years ago, responding to a customer inquiry in under 15 minutes was considered quick when compared to the industry average.
But over time, customer expectations have evolved dramatically. And now, most car shoppers want instant answers to their questions—even at 2 a.m. And with the help of AI, that's finally possible.
What they’re saying: "AI really gives us the ammo to follow up with the customer and be prepared for that conversation," Brittney Dean, sales business development manager at Van Horn Automotive Group told Daily Dealer Live hosts Sam D'Arc and Uli de' Martino. "We don't have to do the research independently ourselves. We have a connection, we are prepared."
The opportunity: Human business development center (BDC) representatives are no longer weighed down by tedious, low-level tasks. Now, they are specialized customer relationship building teams.
The challenge: Building the infrastructure to guide them there.
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Here’s how it works at Van Horn…
Four-week training program: Week one is policies, procedures, systems. Week two covers AI emails—how to review them, when to step in, what the AI's handling. Weeks three and four cover phone training.
After that, three team leads meet with the BDC representatives daily and weekly.
And the department also has monthly group training sessions where new sales consultants are brought up to speed on CRM, call systems, and other tools. Not the other way around.
"You have to have a strong training program in place," Dean said. "If you don't have that, it's going to be very difficult for that employee to learn and adapt to everything we have going on."
Sales integration: This is where most BDCs break down, according to Dean. So, her team leads “Save-A-Deal” meetings every morning to review the day's appointments.
"Read the lead before you proceed. It's one of the golden rules. Log your notes and touch base with your BDC," she explained.
Heavy outbound focus: AI handles instant inbound response so Dean's reps spend more time on proactive outreach.
See, most BDCs became reactive call centers post-COVID. But Dean is focused on unlocking hidden revenue opportunities instead of just answering phones.
Each rep has a daily quota of outbound connections they need to make.
And they are required to use every available tool to “mine” for previous customers who have not visited the dealership in over five years.
On top of that, Dean has further segmented the BDC with off-shoots focused entirely on working with lower credit-tier consumers, as well as post-sale follow-up.
The results: Lead response times are now under one minute, reps are better prepared for their communications, and almost nothing falls through the cracks.
Big picture: BDC roles are evolving, not disappearing. And for Van Horn, specialized teams with clear training and processes are delivering results that AI alone can't touch.
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