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According to Ross Tinkham, Vice President of Automotive at Podium, dealerships face increasing pressure to respond more quickly and consistently to customer inquiries as lead volumes and market conditions continue to change. Tinkham joins us on today’s Solutions Central series to discuss how dealerships are increasingly adopting AI to improve speed-to-lead response, appointment setting, and service drive efficiency.
Today’s conversation centers on how AI is moving from “hype” to practical usage within dealerships, as stores are being positioned to “do more with less” while ensuring every opportunity is captured.
“On the sales side, where I think folks have had challenges, and just considering some of the larger market headwinds, [is] trying to do more with less, and… get the most out of every lead.”
In today’s selling environment, Tinkham says the core challenge for dealers remains the need for speed and consistency in responding to leads, especially when customers expect near-immediate engagement after submitting an inquiry. He points to industry-wide gaps in response times, noting that some stores still take hours to respond to leads, resulting in lost opportunities.
AI expands from sales floor to service drive
Notably, Tinkham confirms that Podium’s focus is on helping dealers deploy AI across both sales and service operations, particularly through voice AI and automated customer engagement tools. He notes that voice AI adoption is still in its early stages but growing, especially in service environments where high volumes of repetitive customer requests can be automated.
According to Tinkham, AI tools are being used to handle after-hours inquiries, missed calls, and routine service scheduling while routing more complex interactions to human staff.
He also emphasizes that inconsistent human availability can create gaps in customer experience that AI can help reduce.
‘Digital employee’ model drives performance
Tinkham believes that dealers should evaluate AI systems as they would a new employee. This means to heavily focus on training, customization, and integration into dealership workflows.
He says effective AI must be able to follow dealership-specific processes and adapt over time, similar to a trained team member.
“[It’s like] you’re hiring an employee. That employee just happens to be not a human.”
Additionally, Tinkham cautions dealerships to be diligent when evaluating vendor claims about integration, as the term’s definition often differs across providers. To minimize operational friction, he recommends that stores ensure AI tools are properly synchronized with their current workflows, including incentive structures and BDC frameworks.
Tinkham also notes that Podium’s AI systems are designed to improve the speed and consistency of engagement, which directly impacts appointment setting.
The company’s AI converts leads “40% better than the average BDC rep,” attributing the performance gap to faster response times, consistent messaging, and structured follow-up based on dealership playbooks. Tinkahm adds that AI systems do not forget instructions, which helps standardize customer interactions across shifts, staff availability, and time of day.
Moreover, Tinkham advises dealers to evaluate multiple AI providers before committing and to focus on long-term operational fit rather than surface-level demonstrations. He says that many dealerships rush into contracts without fully understanding integration requirements or support structures, leading to dissatisfaction after deployment.
Regarding deployment, Tinkham notes that some dealerships opt for a phased rollout starting with select locations, whereas others implement group-wide initiatives to maintain brand uniformity. He observes that the success of either strategy depends on the dealership’s organizational model, specifically whether it uses centralized management or operates with more autonomous, store-level workflows.
Industry outlook
Tinkham says AI adoption is shifting from an optional technology to a competitive necessity in retail automotive.
He says dealerships that fail to adopt or properly implement AI risk falling behind competitors using automation to improve response times and customer engagement. Adding that AI is increasingly handling routine interactions such as service scheduling and status updates, allowing dealership staff to focus on higher-value customer interactions.
