For dealerships, having more data doesn’t automatically mean having better insights. Joining this edition of CBT Live is Leigh Ann Conver, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Data & Intelligence at CDK, to explain how connected data, AI and predictive analytics can help dealers make smarter decisions without adding another layer of complexity.
According to Conver, the first step toward turning data into insight is creating a trusted, unified customer profile. Customer information often sits scattered across multiple dealership systems, which creates duplicate or incomplete records and makes it difficult to see the full picture. By consolidating that information, Conver says that dealers can get a clearer view of each customer and identify opportunities across sales and service. From there, CDK’s built-in CDP can provide insights such as which customers service with the dealership but have never purchased a vehicle, or which buyers have never returned for service. She also highlights that AI extends that analysis, allowing dealers to predict a customer’s future lifetime value rather than simply reviewing past spending.
However, that unified view only creates value if dealers can put it to work in ways that fit their operations. Conver also emphasized that dealers need choice and flexibility in how they access and use their data. Through CDK’s Data Your Way initiative, dealers can export data into their own warehouses, build analytics tools or use APIs to create applications tailored to their operations. Conver said some dealers are even developing their own apps and sharing them with other dealerships. The technology, she said, should give dealers options based on how they want to operate rather than forcing their data into a single workflow.
For Conver, AI only creates value when it solves a real dealership problem. She described CDK’s approach as “hybrid intelligence,” combining AI and technical expertise with automotive retail knowledge. One example, she highlights, is predictive service, where dealership data can help identify what a customer may need next. Additionally, Conver stressed that AI should be embedded into existing workflows rather than becoming another platform employees have to learn. Dealers can gauge whether their data strategy is working by looking for measurable results, such as AI-powered revenue forecasting delivering greater accuracy than traditional pace models, as in CDK’s example. The goal, Conver said, is to stop simply storing data and start using it to make better decisions.
