lntelligent Virtual Assistant provider Conversica said on Wednesday that General Motors has approved its Automotive Sales AI Assistant and Automotive Service AI Assistant as in-market retail, or iMR, turnkey products.

Conversica said that with the certification, GM dealers who purchase a Conversica Intelligent Virtual Assistant can receive co-op reimbursement from GM for their investment.

Through the certification, dealerships can augment their workforce to scale their sales and service business. It can also empower dealerships’ teams to produce a strong customer experience, according to Conversica.

The company says that by engaging immediately to determine interest, dealerships adopting digital-first products can improve their customer acquisition strategies and retention rates.

The company says its Automotive Sales AI Assistant “ensures that no lead goes untouched.”

It also helps determine which leads are ready to buy and assists sales teams in setting more appointments.

Initiating contact, interpreting replies intelligently and responding with a tailored message: That’s how Conversica says its Automotive Sales AI Assistant engages leads.

The company says it recognizes current economic anxieties but notes that service advisers can take the lead in driving revenue. They can do that by proactively reaching out to customers through digital platforms to maintain their vehicles to ensure business continuity.

Conversica also says its Automotive Service AI Assistants help dealers “grow customer lifetime value.”

They do that by autonomously engaging with every client in a dealer’s DMS and CRM system in a personalized and persistent manner until they respond, even over the long-term.

Whether they are setting sales meetings or service appointments, or intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs), help elevate interested customers.

“Customers value the immediate and personal touch that IVAs provide when they initiate contact,” Conversica said in a news release.

Organizations can augment their workforce through use of IVAs to attract, acquire and grow customers at scale.

They can do that while also allowing people to focus on relationship building and problem solving, the company said, adding that dealerships using Conversica IVAs see an average engagement rate of 25% to 35%.

“We are very excited to have completed the vetting process with General Motors and to announce that we are now an approved iMR turnkey vendor,” said John Ruble, vice president, strategic partners — retail for Conversica.

Ruble continued, “Our goal is to help augment the dealer workforce to increase efficiency and manage the customer lifecycle to increase satisfaction and retention. We received incredible feedback during the approval process and believe that Conversica’s Intelligent Virtual Assistants will help capitalize on the dollars dealers are already spending on marketing.”