Podium review

Podium now presents itself as an AI workforce for dealerships. Its AI employee, Jerry, works sales and service leads, with Podium stating that Jerry responds in 36 seconds and that 72% of appointments book with no human touch. Every conversation, whatever the channel, lands in one inbox so Jerry follows up with full context, and replies can include current OEM offers, video messages, iPacket links and live inventory. A Voice AI answers service calls, which matters for stores where many service calls go unanswered. Operator, the newer agent for general managers, reviews conversations, calls and uploaded CRM or DMS lists, then drafts outreach and waits for approval before acting. Podium says more than 6,000 dealerships use it and that it connects to systems you already run. The drawbacks are the usual ones for dealer platforms: there are no public prices, setup starts with a demo, and a small lot that only wants a chat box may pay for more than it uses.

Who it is for

Franchise dealers and groups that want one AI to follow up on every sales and service lead across text, chat and calls.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Jerry, an AI employee that works every sales and service lead
• Voice AI that answers service calls
• Single inbox for every customer conversation across channels
• OEM offers, video messaging, iPacket links and live inventory in replies
• Operator, an AI agent that reviews conversations, calls and CRM or DMS lists for GMs

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Built specifically for dealership sales and service teams
• Strength: Podium says Jerry responds in 36 seconds
• Strength: No-code customization from your feedback
• Weakness: No public prices
• Weakness: Sales-led onboarding through a demo
• Weakness: Wider platform than a dealer needs if it only wants website chat

Key facts

• Dealerships: 6,000+, per the vendor
• Departments: Sales AI and Service AI
• Pricing: By demo

Where it ranks

Podium is No. 1 in our Best Chatbots for Automotive Dealers verdict.