Numa, an AI-driven platform reshaping the future of auto dealerships, has released its 2024 insights, shedding light on significant missed opportunities linked to high inbound call volumes. The data, derived from over 600 franchise dealership service departments, exposes key service gaps during peak demand times, offering actionable solutions for Owners, General Managers (GMs), Service Department leaders, and OEMs to improve customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Numa is leading the transformation of dealerships into AI-native operations. Its platform revolutionizes core processes, from missed call recovery and service appointment scheduling to team communication and customer expectation management. The company’s platform leverages AI to streamline dealership workflows and ensure no customer interaction is overlooked.
The insights reveal some startling numbers about the impact of missed calls and unaddressed service opportunities:
- Revenue at Risk: Service departments could lose an average of $853,000 annually due to missed customer calls and unbooked appointments. On average, dealerships miss 158 monthly calls related to service appointments, with dealerships in the 75th percentile missing as many as 216 calls. At an average of $450 per Repair Order (RO), these missed appointments could equate to $1.17 million in lost revenue per dealership each year.
- Peak Call Times: The highest volume of missed calls occurs during the morning hours (8–11:30 a.m.), accounting for half of all appointment-related calls. This period poses a challenge for dealerships, which struggle to manage call volumes effectively during peak demand.
- Busy Days for Bookings: Mondays and Tuesdays see the most appointment scheduling activity, with over 52% of weekly service calls happening by the end of Tuesday. This trend shows that customers are eager to address their car issues early in the week.
- AI Adoption Gains Momentum: Dealerships have experienced a steady rise in the volume of calls handled by AI agents, with AI handling an average of 16,500 calls annually per dealer. AI-driven call durations have increased by 16% from 2022 to 2024, indicating growing customer comfort with AI and improved agent performance.
Actionable Strategies for Dealerships
Numa’s findings provide a clear path for dealerships to capture lost revenue and improve customer experience:
- Optimize Staffing: Adjust staffing levels during peak appointment scheduling times (8–11:30 a.m.) and early in the week (Mondays and Tuesdays) to reduce wait times and improve operational efficiency. Consider reassigning receptionists or BDC staff to assist with appointment scheduling during these high-traffic periods.
- Shift Appointment Demand: Dealerships can proactively offer alternative scheduling options, such as later afternoon or late-week appointments, to reduce congestion during peak booking hours and maximize shop utilization.
- Leverage AI for Seamless Service: Integrating AI like Numa into the dealership tech stack can ensure every call is answered promptly, minimizing customer wait times and recapturing significant lost revenue from missed appointments. With AI agents improving performance year over year, dealerships are better equipped to meet growing customer expectations for fast, efficient service.
“Numa partners with over 600 franchise dealerships to implement AI solutions that handle everything from simple tasks like appointment bookings to more complex issues like rescuing dissatisfied customers and securing trade-ins,” said Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO and co-founder of Numa. “Our goal is to help dealerships become AI-native, enabling them to operate efficiently and deliver exceptional customer service.”
The company’s latest data underscores the urgency of dealerships embracing technology and streamlining their operations to address inefficiencies in the auto service industry. While many dealers may recognize these opportunities intuitively, the hard data now available provides greater confidence in making data-driven decisions.
These insights come from Numa’s impressive $32M Series B funding and the company’s inclusion in the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies, where it ranked fourth in the AI industry category, with a remarkable 2,248% three-year revenue growth rate.
