Burnout and a lack of work-life balance are two factors hindering employee retention at dealerships. In the 2025 CDK Dealership Workplace Study, 21% of employees said work-life balance was one of the top sources of stress in the workplace, while 25% cited time management. This lack of balance is especially evident during the holidays. Dealers traditionally have to choose between denying staff leave or accepting the lost revenue that results from missed calls and long hold times.
Conversational AI has emerged as a better option that allows you to keep setting appointments and generating business even while staff have some time off. Implementing AI also has the added benefit of improving the dealership customer journey permanently.
Why you need AI in your dealership
When you run a skeleton crew during the holidays, hold times can skyrocket, and too many calls are missed. This is not acceptable given that dealerships already miss an estimated 33% of calls. There’s a better way to handle call overflow in a service drive, especially during spikes like on the Monday morning after Christmas. With STELLA AI, there’s no overflow. STELLA has infinite capacity. Whether five people call or 50, everyone gets answered instantly. This effectively reduces hold times at a dealership to zero.
How AI impacts the service drive
The holiday season is peak time for service, with customers preparing for travel, installing winter tires, and seeking year-end maintenance. To maximize efficiency and service bay usage, AI is a must to book more service appointments.
For example, a customer calls at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve because their check engine light came on. Instead of a voicemail, STELLA answers, accesses the scheduling tool, and books the appointment for the 26th. The result is that revenue is captured while the dealership is closed for the holiday.
Capturing sales leads with AI
Buyers often shop on their phones before physically taking action on their purchases. They want instant gratification, not a form. When considering BDC outsourcing vs. an AI BDC-type service, the clear winner is the option that follows the script perfectly every time and knows the vehicle and customer information to provide personalized information.
STELLA can answer questions about inventory, hours, and trade-ins, keeping the lead warm and qualified until your sales team returns. This is a critical component of automotive digital retailing solutions.
Additionally, with STELLA Catalyst, dealers have an outbound engine that drives business even as they are off for a holiday. It is the AI-powered engagement tool that delivers proactive outreach across voice, SMS and email, allowing dealers to stay connected with customers before opportunities are lost. Catalyst enables dealerships to:
- Re-engage lapsed customers with personalized messaging
- Automate service reminders that drive retention
- Activate recall campaigns efficiently
- Drive targeted sales outreach
- Accelerate follow-ups without increasing payroll or headcount
How dealer AI protects your team from burnout
Technology for modern car dealerships is about supporting employees and not replacing them.
When your advisors return from a holiday, they shouldn’t walk into a chaos of 50 voicemail messages. AI tools for BDC and service managers allow the staff to return to a clean slate: appointments booked, questions answered, and a calendar full of revenue opportunities. This improves retention and morale.
Building a sustainable business
The holidays are just a stress test. If your dealership struggles in December, your process is broken in July. Don’t just patch the holes this holiday season. Invest in STELLA AI and build a system that works 24/7/365, regardless of the calendar.
