The many variations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can lead to hesitance from dealers about introducing this technology into daily operations. While AI is all the “hype” right now, not every tool is going to be beneficial for dealers, but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided. 

According to Lauren Guderyon, product specialist for Analytics and Service 360 at Dealer Information Systems, approximately 28% of dealers have adopted some form of AI. While the percentage may seem low, Guderyon notes that 100% of these dealers using AI report significant savings in time or money. 

Successful AI adoption isn’t about using the newest technology. Rather, it’s about finding tools that integrate into your existing workflow to solve specific measurable problems. 

Getting to Know AI

AI is complex. There are many tools that provide different solutions, and it can often be hard knowing where to start. If you have little to no experience with AI, it is important to get familiar with it before implementing it into the workplace, Guderyon says. 

She suggests using AI for personal use first, allowing yourself time to get a feel of what AI entrails and how it works. Using AI can look like anything, such as creating a coloring page for a child or drafting basic emails. Any work will help build up “AI literacy”. With personal use, leaders can better understand the tool’s capabilities and limitations, because AI can not actually do everything.

Once comfortable with using AI personally, the integration in the workplace will be more seamless. Guderyon suggests finding specific repetitive tasks in the workplace that AI can help with. These often are tasks that include searching, summarizing, writing or data analysis. 

“If I can’t tell you what problem it solves, what work it eliminates or what outcome it should provide, I’m probably not ready to buy it,” she says. 

Vetting Vendors

There are many vendors out there that promise efficiency, reduced costs and transforming how employees work. It is important to properly research vendors, as not everyone will work for the dealership. 

The first question Guderyon suggests asking is: “Does it solve a real problem?” Different AI tools can solve a wide variety of  problems, so asking a vendor this question will help figure out if their tool will work well with your dealership. 

Another question Guderyon mentions to ask is: "Does it integrate with my existing systems?” Bringing AI into the workplace does not mean the whole system needs to be changed. There are certain AI tools which will be compatible with existing systems, while there are others that won’t, so it is important to discuss this with vendors. 

It is also important to find out if it actually relieves an employee’s workload says Guderyon. The main focus of AI implementation is to minimize repetitive tasks to ease work flow on employees. It is meant to make lives easier, not harder.     

Finally, Guderyon says it is imperative to ask: “Is my data secure?” This is extremely important when working with AI, specifically with data about customers and finances. Since AI is a tool that is relatively new to most people, it can be easy to overlook security risks that may come with it. Guderyon cautions to be careful when sharing confidential information, as certain AI tools may not protect data compared to other tools, . 

“We don’t always know where all of this data is going to end up, and having a vendor that you’re sure that secures your data properly is important,” she says.  

Guderyon shares that it is not as important to know the model behind the tool compared to these questions. Every vendor should be able to answer all of these questions. 

“If they can’t answer them, I think that would be your answer on if you should move forward with that vendor,” she says. 

Introducing AI

With how fast AI has advanced, many people are often wary about it. That’s why it is crucial to be cautious in introducing AI to employees. There is a lot of speculation about AI replacing jobs, so giving employees reassurance that their jobs are not at stake will help. Rather, employees should be told that this is meant to make their lives easier and get work done faster. 

“If people think it’s coming for their jobs, you’re going to get resistance,” she says. “If they understand it’s there to make them faster and not replace them, you’re going to get way more adoption.” 

A great way to view or speak of AI is that it is like an intern, Guderyon says. When the company has an intern, their work is being reviewed and any information checked for accuracy. An intern cannot find something and change the trajectory of the business without a superior also confirming. However, interns do help with taking off the workload and providing help to employees. AI should be viewed in a similar way. These tools aren’t meant to take over anything, but rather just help. 

As using AI personally helps with the decision to implement it in the workplace, it is also important to suggest to employees to use it personally. That way they can see how much it makes them more efficient at home. 

Guderyon also suggests to “use the honey, not the stick first.” This is an incentive way to get employees interested in using AI. 

“There’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘Hey, this is the AI tool we’re using. As long as your sales orders go through here, that is the only way you’re going to get bonuses,” she says. 

Although AI is advancing, the goal is not just to check a box to feel up to date with technology. It is important to start small with the integration. It’s not necessary to have a company-wide AI rollout all of the sudden to get value, Guderyon says. 

“It’s the old saying, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” she says. 

AI is not going anywhere, it’s not slowing down. Rather it is constantly changing and adapting at a fast pace. It is important to start building a habit of trying out AI now, as it's only going to get more advanced with time. Fearing AI is only going to cause setbacks for the company. Guderyon suggests starting with a pilot project, measuring the results and then growing from there. 

Watch the full AI in the Dealership: What's Real, What's Hype, and What to Do About It webinar here.