Car Dealership Guy Podcast

Why Most Service Departments Leak Calls – And What Actually Stops It | Pre-NADA AI #5

Jan 24, 2026
Guest
Ari Polakof
Guest
Luke Sontag
Ari Polakof, CEO of Flai, builds AI voice and messaging that books appointments and deeply integrates with dealer systems. Luke Sontag, Marketing & IT lead at Kissee Ford, runs ops at a multigenerational Ford store. They discuss why service calls get missed, how targeted after-hours and overflow AI can capture rollover calls, the importance of deep DMS integration, and winning staff trust for automation.
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ANECDOTE

Family Store Wears Many Hats

  • Luke describes Kissee Ford as a family-owned, community-focused dealership that averages 80 car sales per month.
  • He wears multiple hats (marketing, IT, sales manager) and helps run a 50-person operation with 700 ROs monthly.
INSIGHT

Missed Calls Drive Lost Service Revenue

  • Missed service calls and long hold times send business to competitors and erode retention.
  • Voicemail stacks that go unreturned by day's end create lost revenue and CSI issues.
ADVICE

Start Small With One Clear Use Case

  • Start AI projects by solving one high-impact problem like after-hours and rollover calls.
  • Avoid feature overload; prove value on a narrow use case before expanding.
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