Artificial intelligence is moving from experimentation to execution inside dealership operations, with a growing focus on making employees more effective while improving customer outcomes. On today’s episode of Driving Solutions, Greg Uland, vice president of marketing at Reynolds & Reynolds, outlines how dealerships are using unified data and AI-driven tools to address operational silos, streamline workflows, and create intelligence at every customer touch point.
Dealers face mounting pressure to do more with the same or fewer resources. Across sales, service, parts, BDCs, and used vehicle operations, responsibilities have expanded while customer expectations continue to rise. Employees are often juggling multiple interactions at once, leading to stress, delays, and missed opportunities. The core challenge centers on enabling staff to manage higher volumes of customer interactions with greater accuracy and less friction.
Over time, dealerships have adopted specialized software to solve department-specific problems. While these tools address targeted needs, they frequently operate in isolation, each with its own data set. Employees are left moving between systems to verify accuracy, eliminate duplication, or manually re-enter information. Instead of increasing efficiency, fragmented software environments slow down operations and introduce risk.
This fragmentation becomes more problematic as AI enters the dealership. AI systems operate at speed and depend entirely on the quality of the data they receive. When data is incomplete, duplicated, or inconsistent, AI does not pause to verify accuracy. It acts on what it has, which can result in incorrect customer communications, flawed deal structures, or operational errors with real financial consequences.
“We’re really focused on delivering intelligence at every touch point.”
Reynolds & Reynolds addresses this issue by focusing on the data layer before deploying AI tools. The company developed a unified AI data layer, Spark AI, designed to consolidate dealership data into a single, trusted source. This foundation supports AI-driven decision-making across the dealership and ensures automation is based on accurate, consistent information.
Built on this unified data layer, Reynolds is introducing Rey, an AI assistant designed to operate across the entire dealership ecosystem. Ray provides support ranging from in-system guidance and training resources to advanced reporting that can be completed in seconds rather than hours. The assistant also identifies operational opportunities and margin improvement areas by analyzing dealership data in real time. The goal is to reduce manual effort while improving speed, consistency, and insight across departments.
In addition to AI-driven software, Reynolds continues to expand automation in physical dealership operations. RELO, the company’s parts delivery robot, is now in broader market use after its initial introduction. The system improves service department efficiency by automating parts movement, reducing technician downtime, and accelerating repair workflows. Dealers have responded positively, with many highlighting measurable gains in productivity and throughput.
Across software, AI, and robotics, the company’s strategy centers on embedding intelligence throughout the dealership rather than deploying isolated tools. By connecting data, workflows, and automation, dealerships gain the ability to respond faster, operate more efficiently, and support employees tasked with delivering consistent, high-quality customer experiences. As competitive pressures increase and margins tighten, this unified approach positions dealerships to capture more value from every interaction while reducing operational strain.
Reynolds & Reynolds will showcase its integrated solutions ecosystem at the 2026 NADA Show. Experience the AI-powered solutions firsthand by reserving a demo here, and stop by their booths located in the West Hall.
