Business Communications for Auto Dealerships

Modern dealerships typically benefit from cloud-based communication platforms that integrate with CRM and DMS systems, support voice and text messaging, and provide reporting on call activity and customer interactions. These systems help teams respond faster, coordinate across departments, and capture more sales and service opportunities.

Missed calls can be reduced through automated call routing, overflow handling, call queues, and after-hours answering. Advanced systems can also route calls based on department availability, time of day, or customer needs to ensure inquiries are handled promptly.

Many modern solutions can integrate with dealership CRM and DMS platforms to bring customer context into the call flow and reduce manual follow-up work. For example, an inbound call can trigger a screen pop, and call activity can be captured back to your systems depending on the platforms you use and how you configure matching, routing, and logging. The key is making sure Sales and Service workflows (and multi-rooftop structures) are supported so interactions are attributed correctly.

Service departments can reduce call volume and scheduling friction through automated reminders, call routing, appointment confirmations, and self-service options. These tools help advisors focus on in-person customers while ensuring inbound requests are still handled efficiently.

Implementation timelines vary based on dealership size and complexity, but many cloud-based systems can be deployed quickly without significant downtime. Planning typically includes number porting, configuration, and staff training to ensure a smooth transition.

Yes. Archiving can retain communications so your team can search and retrieve records for oversight, coaching, and issue resolution—without relying on individual devices, inboxes, or manual tracking.

We currently integrate with Reynolds & Reynolds, CDK, DealerSocket, and VinSolutions with more being added. Learn more about our integrations. Additionally, our Contact Center solution can integrate with many more systems depending on the API availability you are looking to connect and the workflows you are trying to support.

Intermedia Unite helps dealerships deliver responsive, personalized experiences across the entire customer journey-from initial sales calls to service reminders and lease renewals. As a modern automotive phone system, it keeps sales and service teams connected, reducing missed opportunities and enabling seamless communication.

Key features include:

• Smart call handling with call queues and ring groups to reduce missed calls.
• CRM/DMS integration for instant customer and vehicle context.
• SMS texting for confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups.
• Mobile app so reps stay connected on the go using their dealership number.
• Internal and external messaging for fast collaboration and updates.
• Archiving of calls and messages to maintain continuity during staff changes.
• AI tools like call summaries and sentiment analysis for better follow-up.

For more complex needs, Intermedia Contact Center adds:

• Omnichannel support (voice, SMS, chat, email) from a unified platform.
• Intelligent routing and CRM/DMS syncing for faster, more personalized service.
• Advanced reporting and AI-powered insights to optimize performance.
• Call recording and archiving for quality assurance, dispute resolution, or continuity if staff turnover occurs.

With Contact Center, large or multi-rooftop dealerships can centralize engagement, improve efficiency, and elevate the experience customers receive across sales, finance, service, and parts.

It’s one of the most powerful dealership communication tools for optimizing automotive sales solutions and managing customer interactions across every touchpoint. Whether you’re implementing a new automotive phone system or enhancing your service model, Intermedia offers unmatched flexibility and value.

Intermedia applies a comprehensive, multi-layered security framework—called Triple Shield Security—to protect sensitive data such as customer contact details, vehicle records, service histories, and payment information. This approach is particularly valuable for automotive dealerships that handle high volumes of personal and financial data across sales and service interactions.

Key security protections include:

1. Infrastructure & Network Security

• Secure data centers: Intermedia’s services are hosted in ISO 27001-certified or SOC-audited Tier III data centers with 24/7 monitoring, man-trap entry points, and controlled access systems.
• Layered protections: Systems are safeguarded through firewalls, secure VPNs, two-factor authentication (2FA), endpoint detection and response (EDR), vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing to detect and prevent intrusion.

2. Data Protection & Privacy

• Encryption at all stages: All data is encrypted in transit using TLS and at rest using AES 256-bit encryption. This includes call recordings, voicemails, meeting data, messages, and shared files.
• Regional storage: Data is typically stored in a geographically appropriate region (e.g., U.S., Canada, UK, etc.) based on the customer’s location to support compliance and performance.
• Privacy compliance: Intermedia complies with major data privacy regulations, including GDPR, CCPA, and PCI-DSS, ensuring that auto dealerships can operate confidently and within regulatory standards.

3. Device and App Security

• Provisioned endpoints: SIP phones are securely provisioned using HTTPS with mutual authentication. Strong password policies and optional 2FA help prevent unauthorized device access.
• Secure apps: Intermedia’s desktop and mobile apps use hardened Chromium-based architecture to resist malware, keyloggers, and file theft. This helps provide secure mobility for automotive phone environments.

4. Admin Controls & Monitoring

• Role-based access controls: Administrators can enforce password policies, restrict access based on user roles, and monitor login attempts via dynamic blocking features.
• Spam caller protection: All accounts include automated protections that flag suspicious activity and help prevent fraudulent calls before they affect operations. These protections are essential parts of any trusted cloud phone system for car dealerships.

For dealerships, these security capabilities mean that customer data remains protected throughout the entire ownership lifecycle — from initial inquiry to financing, service scheduling, and trade-in. Dealerships also benefit from built-in compliance and continuity protections, especially useful in maintaining trust and regulatory alignment across sales and service departments.

Intermedia Contact Center is designed to help larger automotive dealerships (like multi-rooftop auto groups) who often have a Business Development Center (BDC) deliver a seamless, high-quality customer experience across the full customer lifecycle—from initial interest through purchase, service, and retention. It enhances how sales and service teams manage inbound and outbound interactions and provides supervisors with tools to coach, monitor, and optimize performance.

Before the Interaction

• For Customers: Prospective car buyers are routed quickly to the right department or individual based on why they’re calling—whether it’s to check inventory, confirm a service appointment, or follow up on financing. They may also receive dynamic notifications via SMS or email—like service reminders, appointment confirmations, or status updates—prompting timely engagement and reducing inbound call volume.
• For Agents: Intelligent call routing and CRM or DMS integrations give reps immediate visibility into who the caller is, what they last inquired about, and their vehicle history—so they can jump in with context and confidence.
• For Supervisors: Real-time dashboards show call volume, agent availability, and queue status—allowing them to adjust staffing or re-route calls as needed to reduce wait times.

During the Interaction

• For Customers: They get faster service, fewer transfers, and more personalized conversations—whether they’re interacting via voice, SMS, or chat.
• For Agents: Features like screen pops, call scripts, and access to previous interactions help reps stay focused and on message. Optional AI tools like Agent Assist offer real-time guidance, objection handling tips, or knowledge base suggestions.
• For Supervisors: They can listen in live, whisper feedback to agents mid-call, or step in directly if needed. Tools like live sentiment analysis help spot issues before they escalate.

After the Interaction

• For Customers: They benefit from continuity—whether they call back later or get a follow-up message or survey. Everything feels connected from the beginning to the end of the buying experience.
• For Agents: Automatic call logging, wrap-up codes, and call recordings reduce busywork and ensure records are accurate. That makes it easier for another rep to step in if needed.
• For Supervisors: They can review dealership performance through historical reporting, quality monitoring, and call recordings. Trends in call reasons, agent performance, or customer satisfaction help guide coaching and training.

Intermedia Contact Center enables dealerships to deliver consistent, personalized service throughout the entire ownership journey:

• Sales: Quickly connect with prospects via voice or SMS, follow up with interested leads, and engage them with the right message at the right time.
• Financing & F&I: Route sensitive or complex calls to the appropriate team with minimal friction.
• Service: Remind customers of upcoming maintenance, coordinate pick-up/drop-off via SMS, and follow up with repair status updates.
• Retention & Renewals: Use outbound calling or SMS to remind customers about lease renewals, trade-in offers, or warranty extensions.

By making every touchpoint more efficient and connected regardless of whether it’s over the phone, chat, or messaging, Intermedia helps dealerships create a better experience for customers and a more productive environment for staff.

Intermedia Unite helps dealerships solve some of their most common communication challenges—missed calls, scattered conversations, disconnected systems, and staff on the move—by bringing calling, messaging, meetings, and integrations into one platform.

Missed calls = missed revenue
Whether it’s a new sales lead or a customer needing service, unanswered calls hurt your bottom line.

• Call queues and ring groups route calls to the right person or department—so customers reach someone live.
• Voicemail-to-email ensures follow-up if a call is missed.
• Unite mobile app lets sales and service reps answer calls from anywhere using their dealership number—keeping them responsive even when away from their desk or moving between rooftops.
• Paging/intercom compatibility ensures urgent messages can be broadcast across the lot or service bays without delay.

Lack of visibility into who’s calling and what’s already happened
When staff don’t know who’s on the line or what the last interaction was, it leads to frustration—for customers and employees.

• DMS and CRM integrations surface customer details the moment a call comes in—vehicle, service history, past quotes—so reps can personalize the interaction.
• Call logging helps document interactions for future reference, ensuring continuity across departments and staff.

Disconnected conversations across phone, text, chat, and email
Customers expect quick answers, whether they text, call, or email.

• Company messaging gives staff a central way to coordinate internally and engage customers externally—for things like sharing pre-authorization photos, confirming pickup times, or following up on quotes.
• 1:1 SMS capabilities help meet customers on their preferred channel while keeping all communications accessible from the same platform.
• Microsoft Teams integration allows staff to make and receive calls within Teams while still using Unite’s robust phone system features—helpful for dealerships already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Inefficient collaboration across departments
Sales, service, finance, and management need to stay aligned without constantly running around the building.

• Built-in video conferencing enables fast virtual check-ins to keep deals, deliveries, or repairs moving.
• AI Meeting Recap automatically summarizes meetings and action items, reducing missed details and saving time after internal huddles or customer calls.

Disputes or rep turnover disrupt customer experience
When something goes wrong—or a staff member leaves—teams need to quickly pick up where things left off.

• Unite Archiving captures calls, messages, voicemails, and chat threads for easy access during customer disputes, compliance checks, or rep transitions.
• This ensures consistent follow-through and helps protect the dealership’s reputation.

Employee productivity hindered by low-value work

• Unite AI Assistant supports staff by helping track tasks, flag follow-ups, or surface relevant insights—so conversations stay focused and actionable.

Intermedia helps dealerships cut costs by streamlining communications, consolidating tools, and reducing manual work—without sacrificing the customer experience. Here’s how:

1. Fewer missed opportunities = more efficient sales and service cycles
With features like call queues, mobile access, and intelligent routing, fewer calls go unanswered—and staff spend less time chasing missed leads or follow-ups. That leads to more closed deals, faster service coordination, and less time wasted.

2. Consolidated tech stack saves on vendor and IT costs
Instead of paying for separate providers for voice, video, messaging, SMS, and archiving, Intermedia’s Unite and Contact Center solutions bring everything under one roof—simplifying billing and reducing vendor sprawl.

• Built-in Microsoft Teams integration means you don’t need a separate voice provider for Teams users.
• Archiving, AI tools, meetings, and chat are all included—so there’s less need for bolt-on tools or third-party services.

3. Reduced downtime and support overhead
With enterprise-grade reliability, 24/7 support, and tools that are easy to manage, IT teams spend less time troubleshooting phone systems or juggling outdated hardware.

• Cloud-based phone systems reduce maintenance costs and eliminate the need for expensive on-prem PBX systems or updates.
• Remote device provisioning and admin controls make it easy to manage users without on-site visits or technician costs.

4. More productive teams
Sales and service reps are more efficient when they can:

• Access calls, voicemails, and texts from their mobile device—even while moving between the lot and the office.
• Use DMS integrations for screen pops, auto-logging, and faster call handling.
• Rely on AI Meeting Recap and Unite AI Assistant to save time on follow-up and manual notetaking.

This adds up to more customer interactions per rep—and fewer resources spent on admin work.

5. Improved customer retention = lower churn costs
By making it easier to respond quickly, follow up with context, and maintain continuity even if a sales rep leaves, Intermedia helps dealerships deliver a more consistent experience. That reduces lost customers, rebuild costs, and missed repeat business.

Automotive dealerships regularly collect and store sensitive customer data—including personal contact details, driver’s license info, trade-in valuations, and financing applications. Intermedia’s certifications and security practices help protect this data at every touchpoint—voice, SMS, email, meetings, and file sharing—so dealerships can meet regulatory expectations and customer trust.

Intermedia meets rigorous security and compliance standards that give automotive dealerships confidence when handling sensitive customer, financial, and payment data—whether it's collected during a sale, financing discussion, or service interaction.

Key certifications and compliance standards include:

• ISO 27001 – A globally recognized certification for information security management. Intermedia’s ISO 27001 certification confirms that our systems, policies, and procedures follow strict controls for protecting data across cloud communications services.
• SOC 2 – Intermedia undergoes independent audits for SOC 2, validating that our internal controls effectively safeguard customer data in the cloud. A SOC 3 summary report is also publicly available.
• PCI-DSS Compliance – Intermedia’s payment processing systems comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, helping ensure secure handling of our customers’ credit card and payment data.
• GDPR & CCPA – For dealerships that operate in or serve customers in regions governed by strict data privacy laws, Intermedia complies with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act.
• Telecommunications Regulatory Compliance – In the U.S., Intermedia complies with FCC rules governing Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI), ensuring strict protections around subscriber communications and account data.

Intermedia enables dealership employees—sales reps, service advisors, finance staff, and managers—to work securely from anywhere without compromising customer experience or data protection. Whether it's answering calls offsite, reviewing quotes from home, or coordinating across rooftops, Intermedia’s tools are built for flexibility and security.

Key capabilities that support secure remote work:

1. Mobile and desktop apps with enterprise-grade security

• Staff can access calls, voicemail, SMS, meetings, and internal messaging from anywhere using Intermedia’s mobile or desktop apps.
• Apps support two-factor authentication (2FA), strong passwords, and encrypted connections using TLS and SRTP, ensuring conversations and data stay private—even on personal devices.

2. Data encryption at every step

• Intermedia encrypts data in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256), including call recordings, voicemails, chats, meeting content, and shared files.
• This means whether a sales rep is texting a customer from home or a manager is reviewing a service call recording remotely, sensitive information remains protected.

3. Admin controls for IT and operations leaders

• Dealership admins can enforce password policies, monitor logins, revoke access instantly, and apply dynamic blocking to limit unauthorized attempts.
• Access can be scoped by role, device, or department—ensuring that remote users only see what they’re authorized to.

4. Archiving for compliance and continuity

• All communications—calls, messages, meetings—can be securely archived for auditing, training, or dispute resolution. This ensures continuity even when employees are working offsite or if someone transitions out of the organization.

5. Microsoft Teams integration

• For dealerships using Microsoft 365, Unite and Contact Center both integrate with Microsoft Teams—enabling secure calling and collaboration within the familiar Teams interface, no matter where staff are located.