Outsell, which provides a virtual auto customer engagement platform, has launched its new Dealer Group OmniHub, saying that it helps dealer groups approach customer retention and loyalty as a unified brand.

The hub helps dealer groups use the combined brand and selection power of the whole group, rather than just individual stores, Outsell said. 

Using Outsell’s artificial intelligence and data, the product helps dealer groups connect with customers personally, continually and automatically.

Outsell combines store databases into a group customer database, which it says provides groups customer insights across their whole enterprise. With unique and proprietary business rules, dealer groups that partner with Outsell can now unwind what Outsell said are frustrating and often conflicting messages and offers that customers see in multiple databases.

Also with Outsell’s new group content, dealer groups can communicate directly with consumers and unlock brand and inventory choices that today’s customers are seeking.

“Customers have more choices than ever and different ways to buy — and dealers need to adapt,” Outsell vice president of marketing Valerie Vallancourt said in a news release.

Vallancourt also said, “Countless customers are moving through the marketplace aimlessly, without loyalty to a brand or dealership.”

Outsell mentioned research showing that half of repurchasers change OEM brands.

But those brand defectors, unfortunately, do not always choose the same dealer group for their next purchase, the company said. Store or OEM-only communications, siloed data and siloed stores limit retention and loyalty opportunities. They can result in irrelevant communications to customers who could otherwise be retained.

Using the power of the whole dealer group, Outsell’s Dealership Group OmniHub provides an improved customer experience. It also helps increase staff productivity, choice and sales and profits, the company said.

With Dealer Group OmniHub, dealer groups can tell their story directly to customers, which Outsell says offers tangible reasons to stay within the group brand.

Outsell AI is validated by third parties RXA and Experian, and brands that use Outsell AI to manage their lifecycle customer marketing experience see results such as:

— 31% increase in service visits

— 23% higher repurchase rates

— $427 in greater customer value

“We put our money where our mouth is and provide transparent reporting, so dealers understand exactly where virtual customer engagement impacts the business,” said Gary Marcotte, Outsell senior vice president of customer engagement innovation “Dealer Group OmniHub includes tiered reporting that shows results centrally, across stores, within stores and even shows the movement between stores.”

Marcotte also said, “We listened to 30-plus dealer groups and solved their common pain points. Our solution liberates dealer groups from being trapped in store silos.”