How artificial intelligence can help guide dealership operations today

More than ever, dealerships need to implement the best technology into their businesses to stay competitive, which is why managers should always stay up to date on revolutionary platforms such as SKAI Vision, a tech-focused automotive solutions company. Mark Queen is the organization’s founder and works closely with his colleague Bill Wittenmyer, an expert strategist for the company. Today they join host Jim Fitzpatrick on Inside Automotive to discuss their product, and how it could change the game for dealerships in 2023.

Queen explains that SKAI Vision is a software platform that uses dealership surveillance video to obtain critical insights into customer behavior and business operations. It uses artificial intelligence, pattern tracking, silhouette recognition, and facial recognition to get a bird’s eye view of a business’s day-to-day traffic. Although the technology has existed for years and is a fixture in many major retail brands, a product tailored to the needs of dealerships has yet to arrive, until now.

SKAI Vision’s software can provide data on customer experience by measuring the length of a client’s stay in the dealership, in addition to where their time is spent. The time consumers spend waiting for service heavily factors into their impression of the company, but without the appropriate technology, it is difficult to track when exactly they arrive or leave. With SKAI Vision’s new service, dealerships can now track how long it takes for a guest to be taken care of by the staff, allowing them to intervene if they notice something is taking too long.

SKAI Vision can be set up to send alerts to team members or managers if a customer is waiting a considerable time to be acknowledged or if their vehicle is taking too long to be serviced. Queen notes that most businesses aim to greet their guests within five minutes of their arrival, but it can be challenging to track how well the staff meets this goal. The software’s alerts can be tailored to suit the needs of the dealership, to make sure employees are focused on their clients.

SKAI Vision also tracks where consumers are spending their time in the dealership, which can shed light on various problems. For example, Queen mentions that one auto retailer had hired a valet to assist clients with their vehicles, thinking it would cut down wait times. Using SKAI Vision, however, the dealer discovered that customers were spending more time interacting with or waiting on the driver, meaning the service was actually prolonging their stay.

Another benefit to using SKAI Vision’s data is that it provides an objective account of what the cameras see. Many business owners are only able to see the problems that happen in their presence, meaning they often lack the context needed to create a viable solution. Information written in employee reports can also be biased, misguiding dealers on what actions they should take. Since the platform simply records information obtained from video surveillance, managers can make objective decisions based on the trends and patterns reported by the software, rather than their personal impressions.

Affordability is an essential quality for auto retailers, especially those who may be strapped for cash after the last two years of economic hardship. SKAI Vision works with most camera systems on the market, which means dealerships won’t have to buy a new security system to take advantage of the services the software offers. Additionally, with pattern recognition features that shed light on a dealer’s problem areas, business owners have the information they need to develop solutions that could save money or bring in more revenue down the road.

For those concerned about privacy, SKAI Vision allows dealers to avoid data collection methods they might disagree with. Buyers can opt into using the facial recognition features, but if they don’t, the platform will instead only use silhouette recognition, meaning information on customer faces will never be stored. Additionally, the software avoids storing names, allowing customer identities to remain anonymous. With more clients than ever reporting a need for transparency and honesty from their dealerships, SKAI Vision’s intentional limitations are actually one of its most significant benefits.

Although auto-retail has often been overlooked by technology firms, Queen and Wittenmyer hope their product will help storefronts across the country catch up to their peers. Dealerships now have the option to use the same tools used by big-name retailers to track patterns and make changes. SKAI Vision is an excellent product that can help take your business to the next level in 2023.

Heading out to the 2023 NADA Show? Learn more about SKAI Vision by booking a demo here or visiting their booth #6417.

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