Why phone handling is broken

In part 3 of our Pre NADA AI Spotlight series we break down why call handling is still broken, and how a new generation of agentic AI is changing the equation.

Today, Sam sits down with Chris Murphy, General Manager of Volkswagen of Oakland and Monik Pamecha, CEO of Toma. We explore how forward-thinking dealers are reallocating human talent away from low-value phone work and back into high-impact, in-store customer interactions.

The conversation also tackles a harder truth: as AI becomes a true operational layer, GMs are now managing AI agents the same way they manage people—training them, auditing performance, and holding them accountable.

This episode is brought to you by:

Toma - Toma builds AI agents that protect dealership revenue, retention, and reputation by automating communications and workflows with safeguards that protect the customer experience. If you’re evaluating AI at NADA, see what thoughtful deployment actually looks like by pre-booking your demo at: http://toma.com/nada-2026

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Topics:

02:41 What is the biggest challenge in call handling?

04:54 Why transition service advisors to AI?

08:17 How to implement Toma AI?

14:03 How does AI enhance the customer experience?

24:34 How does voice AI improve customer interaction?

27:11 What was the biggest AI integration challenge?

36:59 How can dealerships use AI for outbound communication?

41:11 What is the future of AI in dealerships?

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