A new Mileage Estimator predictive model to the Outsell AI-driven marketing automation platform for the auto industry helps dealers better predict consumers’ needs so the dealers can provide timely automotive service, offers, and a better customer experience, according to Outsell.

Model enhancement and implementation of the Mileage Estimator has had a strong impact on the platform, Outsell vice president of product and program management Litded Davis said in a news release.

“We’re able to fill in missing information for dealers and consumers to better predict their service and vehicle needs,” Davis said. “This helps the dealer drives sales zeroing in on the right consumer, which results in higher engagement for a happier and more loyal customer.”

For helping dealers pinpoint where consumers are in their automotive lifecycle, vehicle mileage is an important data point, according to Outsell. But the company adds that most dealerships don’t have access to the data for vehicles they don’t service. Or, the company says, the dealerships don’t regularly collect mileage when they do service the vehicles. Also, they may not have the expertise to analyze the data they have.

Because of those factors, dealerships experience a data gap, according to Outsell. But the company says its Mileage Estimator model fills that gap.

For every make and model, the model establishes mileage patterns and combines them with unique data it has for each consumer. That allows more accurate current mileage calculations for a vehicle identification number, according to the company.

Before most dealers add Outsell’s Mileage Estimator, they see between 60% and 70% of their database records unassigned to a consumer lifecycle stage, according to Davis. But that typically drops, to 30% to 35%, after dealers add Mileage Estimator, Davis said. That means hundreds or thousands of additional consumers can now communicate across channels relevant to their individual lifecycle stage, and the channels are personalized for them.

Single Sign On, or SSO, for security and a better user experience is another new Outsell enhancement. Another is a lapsed servicer preset filter that the company says can help dealers quickly identify consumer and vehicle information such as number of visits and VINs. Then the dealers can download a call list that staff members can use to bring visits to their service departments.