Two dealership service providers in the news recently now are working together, leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI).

ProMax — which said it plans to nearly double its employee base in the coming year — and SpinCar — which was chosen to be a part of General Motors’ omnichannel used-car sales platform — announced a strategic partnership on Wednesday.

The companies said the combination of ProMax’s award-winning CRM and SpinCar’s Sales AI can enable their joint dealer customers to deliver instant personalized engagement automatically as well as follow-ups to every incoming lead.

It’s all being done in an attempt to increase appointments and conversion rates.

“We are very excited to partner with the automotive leader in AI & machine learning,” ProMax chief operating officer Shane Born said in a news release. “SpinCar’s Sales AI engages shoppers by providing conversational dialogue via email and text, which intelligently answers even VIN-specific questions. This integration enables real-time flagging of leads to be turned over to the dealership staff, or to set the appointment directly in ProMax.

“As a longtime provider of BDC services we understand the challenges of both staffing and handling leads that come in after-hours,” Born continued. “Sales AI is an excellent solution to augment our efforts not only with its quick, consistent, and professional initial contact, but also by enabling dealers to focus on engaged shoppers versus chasing leads that have gone dark for weeks.”

With much of the vehicle-buying process now online, ProMax and SpinCar insisted that dealers need solutions that can effectively engage and nurture the growing influx of digital leads.

Using natural language processing, machine learning and automated communication protocols, Sales AI’s conversational solution automatically can engage every incoming lead with human-like conversational dialogue via SMS/text and email.

By integrating seamlessly with ProMax’s CRM platform, Sales AI automatically can schedule appointments, send calendar reminders and update lead details in real time for dealers with no need for human intervention.

“Continued labor shortages and inventory constraints in a high-demand market mean auto retailers must maximize efficiency while enhancing their omnichannel buying experience. But many dealers still struggle to effectively manage the many inbound leads and inquiries they receive. Delayed response times, incomplete replies and inconsistent follow-up create lost opportunities dealers can’t afford,” SpinCar chief executive officer and co-founder Devin Daly said in the news release.

“Sales AI augments dealership productivity and results by delivering exceptional always-on engagement and a true conversational experience that moves shoppers efficiently through the sales process,” Daly continued. “We’re thrilled to partner with ProMax, a leading automotive software provider, to bring the industry’s best conversational AI to dealerships across the nation.”

Born and Daly will be hosting a joint webinar titled, “A.I. and the Future of Your Dealership” highlighting the synergy of the two platforms. The session is set for 11 a.m. (ET) on Feb. 3. Dealers can register for the webinar via this website.