"Stop Missing Calls!" The 90% Service Scheduling Secret Most Dealers Are Ignoring | Industry Spotlight
About this episode
Kia of Kennesaw General Manager Mike Martucci and Matador AI Chief Product Officer Kevin Esmezian join the show to discuss how dealerships can double their close rates and boost service retention. Martucci shares his experience managing a high-volume Kia store, tackling the challenge of customer retention, and transitioning to synthetic oil education. Esmezian explains how Matador AI automates repetitive customer queries—like vehicle availability and trade-in valuations—allowing sales teams to focus on high-value interactions. It is a fascinating look at the practical, trust-building applications of AI in modern automotive retail.
CRM
"It's getting salespeople to actually increase outreach when they're already buried in CRM data entry, follow up calls and scheduling."
A computer program that car dealerships use to keep track of everyone who wants to buy a car or get their car fixed, helping salespeople remember to call or email them back.
In the automotive industry, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a specialized software platform used by dealerships to track customer interactions, manage sales leads, and automate follow-up tasks. It serves as the central database for both sales and service departments to coordinate outreach.
Kevin Esmezian
"joining me today are Mike Martucci, general manager of Kia of Kenesaw and Kevin Esmezian, chief product officer at Matador AI."
A technology executive who designs artificial intelligence tools specifically to help car dealerships communicate better and faster with customers.
Kevin Esmezian is the Chief Product Officer at Matador AI, an automotive conversational AI platform. He specializes in developing AI tools that integrate with dealership workflows to automate repetitive tasks, improve customer experience, and boost lead conversion rates.
Mike Martucci
"joining me today are Mike Martucci, general manager of Kia of Kenesaw and Kevin Esmezian, chief product officer at Matador AI."
The General Manager of a busy Kia dealership in Georgia who successfully used AI technology to double his store's car sales close rate.
Mike Martucci is the General Manager of Jim Ellis Kia of Kennesaw, a high-volume dealership in Georgia. In this episode, he shares how implementing conversational AI helped his store double its lead close rate and significantly improve service department retention.
AMC Matador
"...esaw and Kevin Esmezian, chief product officer at Matador AI. Props to Matador AI for supporting today's co..."
The AMC Matador is an older American car made in the 1970s by a company called American Motors Corporation. It was sold as a sedan, station wagon, and two-door coupe, and was commonly used as a police car during that era.
The AMC Matador is a mid-to-full-size car produced by American Motors Corporation from 1971 to 1978. It is well-known for its prominent role as a popular police fleet vehicle of the 1970s and its distinctive, aerodynamic coupe design introduced in 1974. The Matador also gained pop-culture fame as a flying car in the James Bond film 'The Man with the Golden Gun'.
Matador AI
"Props to Matador AI for supporting today's content, let's get into it."
A technology company that makes artificial intelligence assistants for car dealerships to help them text and email customers, answer questions, and book appointments automatically.
Matador AI is an automotive technology company that provides conversational AI software designed to automate customer engagement for car dealerships. The platform integrates with dealership CRMs to handle lead follow-up, answer customer questions, and book sales and service appointments.
Kia Sephia
"$54.95, you could buy a Kia Sphere, no air, steel wheels, manual steering and whatnot."
A very cheap compact car that was one of the first models Kia ever sold in America back in the 1990s. It was built to be basic, affordable transportation.
The Kia Sephia was a compact sedan that marked Kia's entry into the US market in 1993. It was known for its rock-bottom pricing, offering basic transportation with minimal features like manual steering and steel wheels in its base trim.
customer retention
"But when you say not as customer friendly to the brand, is that retention? Is that engagement? What does that look like, Mike?"
The ability of a car dealership to keep its customers coming back to them for oil changes, repairs, and future car purchases instead of going to a local independent mechanic.
Customer retention in automotive retail refers to a dealership's ability to keep car buyers coming back to their service department for maintenance, or returning to purchase their next vehicle. High service retention is critical for dealership profitability, as service departments typically generate higher profit margins than new car sales.
Repair Order
"Cox recently came out with some data and talking about the defection from franchise dealer service departments to independence grosses up, RO count is down, and that's something the entire industry is focusing on."
The official paperwork a dealership service department writes up when you bring your car in for service, listing what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost.
A Repair Order (RO) is an official document generated by a dealership's service department that details the work to be performed on a vehicle, the parts required, and the labor costs. 'RO count' is a key performance metric tracking the total volume of service jobs processed by the dealership.
Multi-Point Inspection
"When they get their video MPI, when we tell them they do not need this now, that builds trust in the process long term. And that's what's in that game."
A thorough check-up of your car's main parts (like tires, brakes, and fluids) done by a mechanic during an oil change to see if anything else needs fixing.
A Multi-Point Inspection (MPI) is a comprehensive safety and maintenance check performed by dealership technicians, often accompanied by a video sent to the customer. It categorizes vehicle components (like brakes, tires, and fluids) using a green/yellow/red system to indicate urgency of repair.
out-the-door pricing
"Someone is discussing outdoor pricing or wants a better price for their trade-in."
The total, final price you pay to buy a car, including all taxes, registration fees, and dealer charges, so there are no hidden surprises.
The out-the-door (OTD) price is the total, final cost a buyer pays to purchase a vehicle, including the vehicle price, dealer fees, sales tax, registration, and title fees. It represents the actual amount on the check the buyer must write to drive the car off the lot.
Bernie Moreno
"Bernie Moreno has been on the show. He said, hey, this is a cleanup aisle 95 percent of the bad actors and automotive."
A former successful car dealership owner who is now a politician, known in the car business for his opinions on dealership regulations and customer trust.
Bernie Moreno is an American politician and former high-profile car dealership owner who built one of the largest dealer groups in Ohio. He is frequently cited in the automotive industry regarding dealership regulations, consumer trust, and market trends.
Dealer Management System
"We've all bought an automotive, a DMS. We've bought a CRM. We've bought an inventory management tool."
The main computer system that runs a car dealership, handling everything from tracking which cars are in stock to processing the paperwork when you buy a car.
A Dealer Management System (DMS) is the core software platform that runs a dealership's daily business operations. It integrates inventory management, sales processing, finance and insurance (F&I), service scheduling, parts inventory, and accounting into a single database.
Business Development Center
"So Mike, do you have a BDC or do your salespeople directly engage? Do you have a BDC department?"
A dedicated team of callers at a dealership whose main job is to answer internet questions, make phone calls, and schedule appointments for customers to come in.
A Business Development Center (BDC) is a specialized department within a dealership dedicated to handling inbound and outbound phone calls, internet leads, and service scheduling. Its primary goal is to set appointments for the sales floor or service drive.
fixed operations
"So just thinking about your increased retention in service, Mike, back into fixed ops, Kevin, you you threw out a stat in the green room about AI's ability to engage with service customers..."
The parts and service departments of a car dealership. They are called 'fixed' because they provide steady, reliable income that keeps the dealership running even when car sales are slow.
Fixed operations (often called 'fixed ops') refers to the parts, service, and body shop departments of an auto dealership. It is called 'fixed' because these departments generate steady, recurring revenue that helps cover the dealership's fixed overhead costs, acting as a financial hedge against volatile vehicle sales.
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