In the automotive retail sector, your dealership phone system is more than just a communication tool, it’s a critical touchpoint and a strategic asset. According to Olly Harrison, COO of telecoms specialist Green IP, many organisations are sitting on a goldmine of data within their current phone platforms. By optimising your dealership phone system, you can transform customer interactions, boost efficiency across every department, and unlock new revenue streams.
This article explores strategic insights from Olly’s recent appearance on the Drivetime podcast, serving as a guide for automotive leaders looking to elevate performance with a smarter dealership phone system strategy.
Key insights for a future-ready dealership phone system
Your Dealership Phone System: The Most Untapped Data Source
Every inbound call to your dealership brings far more than a sales or service inquiry, it delivers critical intelligence about customer intent, sentiment, and history.
Olly points out that many dealers neglect the full capabilities of their dealership phone system, thereby missing opportunities to deepen customer understanding and drive more informed decision-making.
By treating your phone system as a rich source of business intelligence, you can optimise the entire customer journey and gain a unique advantage.
Integrate your DMS and your phone system for a 360° Customer View
The real power of a dealership phone system emerges when it’s integrated with your Dealer Management System (DMS). Combining your Keyloop DMS with your phone system provides instant context for every conversation.
Imagine a service advisor greeting a caller by name, already briefed on their vehicle’s service history, before the second “hello.” Integrating your phone system with your DMS eliminates workflow friction, transforming every call into a seamless, personalised experience.
Use analytics within your dealership phone system to refine operations
Do you know how many calls you missed last Saturday, or peak hours in your service department? Your dealership phone system should give you the answers.
Olly emphasises that analytics embedded in your phone system can reveal call patterns, missed opportunities, and staff resourcing gaps. Leveraging this data empowers you to optimise staffing, capture every lead, and continually refine your customer experience strategy.
Harness AI for advanced call intelligence
Today’s advanced dealership phone systems use AI-driven tools to transcribe, analyse, and tag recorded calls for sentiment and intent.
AI can automatically highlight customer dissatisfaction, giving managers the chance to follow up immediately and recover relationships. It can also flag potential sales opportunities, like a customer mentioning a second car, so you never miss a lead. This technology transforms your phone system into a digital assistant, data mining each call to deliver actionable insights to your team.
Elevate employee experience to maximise customer satisfaction
A fragmented dealership phone system doesn’t just frustrate customers, it hampers your team’s ability to deliver.
Olly’s advice: “Start with your employees to transform the customer experience.” When your team has unified, integrated tools, they feel empowered. A dealership VoIP phone that streamlines workflows and connects with business-critical platforms frees staff to focus on building relationships and delivering measurable value.
Lessons from hospitality: Personalisation with your integrated phone solution
The hospitality industry leverages centralised data to create tailored experiences, hotels track every preference, loyalty status, and request across their systems. Automotive retailers can replicate this model with a fully integrated phone system.
By drawing on call data, Wi-Fi tracking, and DMS insights, you can anticipate customer needs and curate highly relevant touches, establishing loyalty and driving repeat business.
Dealership phone system checklist: Optimise your platform
Ready to transform your telephony into a true business differentiator? Here’s how to start:
- Audit your current phone system: Does it enable integrations, analytics, and seamless customer service, or is it holding your dealership back?
- Integrate your DMS: Merge phone and DMS systems for a comprehensive, real-time customer view.
- Implement call analytics: Track call volume, answer times, and missed leads. Identify process gaps with accurate data.
- Leverage AI-driven features: Use AI to analyse recordings for compliance, customer sentiment, and new sales opportunities.
- Develop a unified AI and telephony strategy: Ensure your dealership’s phone’s capabilities align with your broader business goals.
- Train your team: Make sure staff know how to use every aspect of your phone system, and understand how it supports their role in building customer relationships.
The future of dealership telephony: Cloud and AI at the core
The automotive industry faces an imminent shift as traditional PSTN and ISDN lines are phased out, with a final switch-off deadline approaching in January 2027. For forward-thinking dealerships, transitioning to a modern, cloud-based phone system is both a necessity and an opportunity for strategic advantage.
AI will increasingly define what’s possible with your phone system, from automating routine tasks to delivering predictive customer insights. By acting now, you position your business for success as automotive retail evolves.
At Keyloop we’re committed to delivering technology that empowers dealerships to adapt faster and deliver outstanding results. By uniting your dealership telephony with Fusion, the Automotive Retail Platform, we connect every process and touchpoint, amplifying both customer and vehicle lifetime value.
Your dealership telephony is a vital part of this ecosystem. By optimising it, you maintain the essential human connection customers value, while leveraging next-gen technology to deliver sustained success.
Discover the impact of an advanced VoIP system by exploring our partnership with Green IP and our suite of DMS and telephony integrations.
