‘Dealerships should move beyond appointment volume and measure the complete journey from customer connection to sale,' according to insights shared at Spyne’s webinar, The Future of Dealership BDC: The 2026 Playbook.

As U.S. auto dealerships continue to invest in lead generation, greater attention to missed calls, response times, and follow-up consistency could help convert more existing customer demand into sales.

At Spyne’s webinar organized on this July 2026, titled ‘The Future of Dealership BDC: The 2026 Playbook,’ Dave Purgason, Head of U.S. Business at Spyne, led a conversation with David Long, automotive retail veteran and President of David J. Long Consulting, on the operational priorities shaping dealership BDCs. The discussion explored the process that occurs after a customer enters the sales funnel, covering aspects such as the initial response, ongoing engagement, long-term CRM follow-up, and the final conversion.

Long estimated that nearly 90% of the dealers he encounters do not know their customer connectivity rate, making it difficult to understand how many inquiries result in actual conversations. He said connectivity should be measured alongside appointment volume, show rate, and closing rate.

The discussion also questioned the effectiveness of using speed-to-lead as a standalone performance metric. A prompt initial response may hold limited commercial value if the dealership is slow to address additional customer inquiries, provide pricing information, or follow up after the customer compares alternatives. “Speed to the reply, I would argue, is more important. If we have a good response time but a poor response to the response, I see that as being one of the absolute killers,” David Long, President of David J. Long Consulting, said.

Another priority is the monitoring of days since last contact and total outreach attempts. Rather than assuming that an unanswered inquiry is no longer active, dealerships should maintain structured follow-up for longer. Long suggests that an internet lead may require as many as 21 contact attempts before the opportunity is considered exhausted.

The webinar further highlighted the importance of after-hours engagement. Customers continue researching vehicles, checking availability, and submitting inquiries outside traditional dealership hours, making response continuity increasingly important during evenings, weekends, and periods when dealership teams are occupied.

“Our digital showroom is open all the time,” Dave Purgason, Head of U.S. Business at Spyne, said. He emphasized that conversational AI can support dealerships through immediate responses, after-hours coverage, and consistent CRM follow-up. Meanwhile, dealership professionals can continue to provide the judgment, empathy, and relationship-building required to convert customer interest into sales.

Additionally, the customer experience should also be assessed directly rather than through internal reporting alone. “There are two dealerships operating under the same roof: the one you think is operating and the one that is actually operating,” David Long said, pointing to regular mystery shopping as a way to identify gaps between dealership processes and the experience customers receive.

The discussion concluded that BDC modernization should begin with visibility, clear operating standards, and management accountability. Once those foundations are established, AI can help maintain response coverage, execute approved follow-up workflows, update CRM records, and prevent qualified opportunities from disappearing between customer inquiry and dealership action.

The growth opportunity for dealerships is therefore not limited to generating more leads. It also lies in converting a greater share of the customer demand already entering the business through faster engagement, stronger follow-up discipline, and a clearer view of the complete journey from first contact to sale.

About David Long

David Long, President of David J Long Consulting and Chief Operating Officer of Vehicle Acquisition Network. He has held dealership leadership and operational roles across sales, used vehicles, service, finance and vehicle acquisition. Long is also the founder of All Things Used Cars Plus and the author of the forthcoming book, Step Zero.

About Spyne

Spyne is an AI-native automotive retail technology company founded by Sanjay Varnwal and Deepti Prasad. Spyne empowers automotive dealers with end-to-end digital solutions that eliminate inefficiencies, unlock more opportunities from their CRM, and accelerate vehicle sales. Today, Spyne supports over 3,000 dealerships worldwide in building AI-powered digital storefronts with premium merchandising and conversational agents that drive appointments through seamless lead handling and customer engagement. Serving dealerships and OEMs across the United States, Europe, EMEA, and APAC, Spyne is shaping the future of automotive retail with cutting-edge AI solutions. The company has raised over $25 million in funding from investors, including Vertex Ventures SEA and India, Accel, Storm Ventures, and Alteria Capital.

Visit: https://www.spyne.ai

Tagged: Sales Funnel

Industry Leaders Estimate: ‘90% of the Dealers in the U.S. Do Not Know Their Customer Connectivity Rate’