UCDP Ep #78 - AI, Live Agents & the Future of Dealership Engagement w/ Aaron Kleinhandler

In this episode of the Used Car Dealer Podcast, Zach sits down with Aaron Kleinhandler, CEO of Better Car People, to discuss how AI-powered technology and live agents are transforming dealership engagement.

Aaron shares lessons from his private-equity journey leading Spectrio, insights from scaling Better Car People through acquisitions like Proactive Dealer Solutions, and his philosophy on balancing automation with human touch in the BDC.

The conversation covers omnichannel customer expectations, loyalty challenges, dealership adoption hurdles, and what the future of AI-driven customer experience looks like in automotive retail.

Whether you’re wrestling with reconditioning times, service retention, or scaling lead response, Aaron’s perspective offers practical takeaways for independent and franchise dealers alike.

⏱️ Key Questions & Timestamps

00:35 – What lessons from leading Spectrio through multiple acquisitions shaped how you now lead Better Car People?
 05:27 – When you took the CEO role at Better Car People, what vision did you have, and what has surprised you about automotive?
 07:43 – How do you balance AI automation with human interaction to maintain personalization while scaling responsiveness?
 09:50 – Since acquiring Proactive Dealer Solutions in 2024, how have you expanded Better Car People’s capabilities and value for dealerships?
 13:10 – What does onboarding look like for Brooke.ai and other AI tools—how do you get from “B+” to “A+” performance?
 17:44 – How do you see omnichannel, human-assist AI evolving for dealerships in the next few years?
 22:09 – With reconditioning, service retention, and inventory challenges, how is Better Car People supporting dealers with loyalty and follow-ups?
 25:09 – What can you share about the upcoming new product release from Better Car People?
 26:55 – How do you see dealership customer experience changing over the next 3–5 years, and what role will AI play?

Rapid Fire (29:36):

• What excites you most about your work at Better Car People today?
• One tech tool you can’t run your business without?
• In one word, what’s the biggest opportunity for dealers today?
  
  

🎧 Listen to more episodes: sellyautomotive.com/podcast

📄 Read the full transcription: 🎙️ UCDP #78 – AI, Human Touch & Dealer Loyalty w/ Aaron Kleinhandler of Better Car People