AI-powered CRM for car dealerships

Your reps answer every lead, even when they can't.

BKD is the complete dealership CRM — leads, calls, texts, email, appraisals, inventory and deals in one login. What makes it different: every rep gets a Sidekick that works their leads in their own name and writing style, then hands the thread back the second they want it.

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Built for independent and franchise dealerships · Works with your DMS

Mike Torres
Mike's Sidekick
Working your leads while you sell
Active
34
worked today
12
replies sent
3
booked
Working now
Sarah Mitchell
Texting Sarah — white RAV4
Booking a Saturday test drive
Following up Derek · day 2 of 7
Worked 8 leads overnight
Needs you
2
Sarah asked for a manager
Luis wants $2k off · beyond your rule

Built on a real sales floor. Running live at real rooftops every day.

One login. The whole store.

Not an AI add-on. The system you run the store on.

Leads, contacts, calls, texts, email, appraisals, live inventory, deals and delivery — every module in one login, so the AI actually knows the car, the customer and the deal. This is the whole app, not a screenshot of a chat widget.

Contacts
Mike Torres
Your DayContactsInboxCallsDealsInventoryAppraisalsCalendarFollow-upWorkflowsReportingScorecards
Jordan Taylor
Jordan Taylor
Vehicle of interest
$32,480
2023 Mazda CX‑5 GT
Trade‑in
No trade added
Get photos + value
Send capture link
Appointment
Sat 10:00a
Test drive
Stage
Appt set3 of 5
Conversation
Live
Is the white CX‑5 GT still available? Saw it on AutoTrader.
Jordan · 2:41pm
It is, Jordan! Still on the lot. Want to come see it Saturday? I've got 10am open.
DeliveredSidekick · sent in 3s
Saturday 10 works. What would payments look like?
Jordan · 2:44pm
Around $540/mo on 72 months — I'll have the numbers ready when you're in.
DeliveredMike · just now
Message Jordan…
The CRM they use

Six logins became one screen.

Reps don't dodge the CRM because they're lazy — they dodge it because the real work is scattered across a texting app, a desk phone, an inbox, a credit portal and three spreadsheets. BKD puts the whole deal on one fast screen. When the tool beats the workaround, reps just use it.

One thread per customer

Every text, email and call in one place.

SMS, email and calls land in a single timeline, and reps answer from a browser softphone without ever leaving the screen — no tab-hopping, no leads stuck in someone's personal phone.

  • Two-way SMS and email (Gmail / Outlook sync) in the same thread
  • Browser calling with bridged calls, warm transfer and whisper coaching
  • Every call recorded, transcribed and logged automatically
Sarah Mitchell
Sarah Mitchell
2019 Civic trade · lead from AutoTrader
Open
Is the white RAV4 still available?
SMS · 9:02 AM
Email · sent from Mike's mailbox

Hi Sarah — attaching the RAV4 window sticker and a quick payment breakdown. 👇

Outbound call · 4:12
Recorded · transcribed · summarized
Logged
Perfect. Can I come by Saturday at 10?
SMS · just now
SMSEmailCall
Power Dial
42 calls due today
On call
Derek Chan
Derek ChanDue

Day 2 follow-up · 2021 F-150

0:38
Auto-advancing to next call
Up next
Tanya Roy
Tanya RoyHot

Credit app started · not finished

Luis Moreno
Luis MorenoQueued

Left voicemail yesterday

Marcus Lee
Marcus LeeNew

Web lead · 8 min ago

A power dialer that never stalls

Load a call list, hit start, and the next number rings the second the last call ends.

Cold leads · 30–90 days
128 contacts in this saved view
128
Team template
“Weekend event — first pick”

Hey {first_name} 👋 We're pulling forward our best deals this weekend. Want me to hold something for you before it hits the floor?

Delivering124 / 128 delivered
Derek ChanDerek Delivered
Tanya RoyTanya Delivered
Luis MorenoLuis Delivered
Jordan TaylorJordan Delivered
Sent to 128 in one click

Handle 200 leads like 20

Fire your best rep's saved template at a whole segment — tracked per recipient.

Luis Moreno
Luis Moreno
Prefers Spanish · set once
ES ⇄ EN
Mike types
Your approval came through — want to come test drive it this week?
Tu aprobación ya llegó — ¿quieres venir a probarlo esta semana?
Delivered in Spanish
Luis sends
Sí, el sábado por la mañana me queda perfecto.
Yes, Saturday morning works perfectly for me.
Shown to Mike in English

Sell in their language, type in yours

Set a customer's language once; every text lands translated, both directions.

And everything else the deal touches
Deal pipeline — Kanban + tableLead distribution — round-robin, weighted, shotgunCredit & approval portalInventory & vehicle matchingCalendar & public bookingTasks & remindersSales scorecardsReporting & dashboardsWorkflow automationDMS inventory feed
See the full platform
Prompt vs. person

Most AI is a prompt. A Sidekick is your rep.

Same lead, same question. A chat widget runs one generic prompt and gets clocked in a single message. Mike's Sidekick runs Mike, his rapport, his objection handling, his close.

The typical AI widget
Lot Assistant
Chat widget · one prompt, every store
Bot
Hey, is the 2021 Tacoma still available?
Hello! Thank you for your interest. 😊 A representative will contact you within 24–48 business hours to assist with your vehicle inquiry.
Instant · same reply for every lead
nvm, I’ll just call another dealer
Clocked as a bot in one message. Lead gone.
What’s underneath
You are a helpful assistant for a car dealership. Be polite and professional. Answer customer questions.

The whole playbook, one generic prompt.

Mike’s Sidekick
Mike Torres
Mike Torres
Sidekick · texts as Mike
AI active
Hey, is the 2021 Tacoma still available?
Hey, it’s Mike, yeah the Tacoma’s still on the lot. I’ve had two calls on it this week though. Want to come take it for a spin tomorrow?
Sent as Mike · his words, his number
Maybe. Is the price negotiable?
Fair question, come drive it first. If it’s the right truck, we’ll make the numbers work. I’ve got 5:30 tonight or Saturday at 10.
Delivered
Test drive booked, Saturday, 10:00 am
What’s underneath
Rapport building
Openers from 1,200 of Mike's real texts
Objection handling
His actual comebacks, not canned scripts
Closing style
How Mike asks for the appointment
Voice & tone
Learned from his calls in the Training Ground

Trained on Mike, his rapport, his comebacks, his close.

Mike Torres
Mike's style profile
Learned from Mike, not a template
Texts Mike actually sends
“Hey! 👋 Still thinking about the RAV4?”
“No rush at all, just here whenever you're ready.”
Tone, learned from his calls
WarmConciseFirst-name basisA little emoji
Mike's Sidekick writes
Hey Sarah 👋 Still thinking about that RAV4? No rush, I'm just here whenever you're ready.
DeliveredMike's Sidekick · sent in 4s
Why it's really them

It doesn't sound like AI. It sounds like Mike.

Every Sidekick is cloned from the rep it belongs to. It learns from that salesperson's own real messages and the tone of their calls, not a generic “friendly / professional” dropdown. So the follow-up reads like the person your customer already trusts.

That's the whole point. Customers go cold the second a message feels like a bot. This one doesn't, because it learned from a human.

  • Built from the rep's own texts, tuned in the Training Ground
  • Tone learned from their real calls, not picked from a menu
  • Every rep's Sidekick sounds like them, never like each other
How it works

From first click to booked appointment, on autopilot.

Seller, Inventory and Finance Agents come built in. Your rep's Sidekick runs the right one for each lead type, texting as the rep. Watch each one work its lane.

Seller Agent“Sell my car” leads · built in

One mission: book the appraisal.

Every “sell my car” lead gets the Seller Agent. It won't quote a number it can't know, it works the conversation toward one thing, a booked appraisal visit, and feeds the Buy Centre pipeline.

What it can do mid-conversation
  • Book the appraisal visit
  • Hand off to a human
  • Alert the rep

Ava TremblayRuns inside Ava's Sidekick. To Jordan, this is just Ava.

Jordan Taylor
Jordan TaylorSeller Agent
Website · 2019 Honda Civic LX
Hi Jordan! It's Ava at Maple Auto, got your note about selling your 2019 Civic LX. We're buying this week. Want to bring it in for a quick 20-minute appraisal?
DeliveredAva's Sidekick · 9:05 AM
Maybe, what would you give me for it?
9:38 AM
Fair question! A real number needs real eyes on the car. I have Tuesday 5:30 or Wednesday 10:15 open, either work for you?
Delivered
Tuesday 5:30 works.
Appraisal booked · Tue 5:30 PM
The busywork

The parts reps skip — handled for them.

Two things every rep means to do and doesn't: follow up enough times, and write down what happened. BKD does both, on every lead, automatically.

Relentless follow-up

One text is never enough.

“80% of sales need 5+ follow-ups. Most reps stop after one.”

Widely cited sales benchmark

A lead that doesn't reply right away isn't dead, it's un-worked. Each rep's Sidekick runs the full cadence, day 0 through day 7 and beyond, and stands down the instant they reply.

Follow-up cadence · new buyer lead
Business hours only · stops on reply or rep takeover
Day 0
Instant opener
Day 1
Nudge + photos
Day 3
AI-personalized
Day 7
Check-in

Sarah replied on Day 3. Remaining touches cancelled automatically.

Never lose the thread

Every call, written up for you.

Reps mean to log the call. They don't. BKD transcribes and summarizes every conversation across call, text and email, with the sentiment and the next step, so the context is always there for the rep, the manager and the handoff.

Sarah Mitchell
Call with Sarah Mitchell
Inbound · 4:12 · just now
Summarized
Summary
Wants the RAV4 in white, not black
Trade-in: 2019 Civic, ~80k km
Budget around $550/mo, 72 months
Sentiment
Positive
Next step
Book Sat 10am test drive
Auto-generated from the call · review in 10 seconds
You're always in control

“What if the AI says something stupid?”

The safety rails are the product. Three handoff protections are always on and can't be switched off, an agent can only use the tools its goal grants it, and nothing goes live before you've talked to it yourself.

  • Always-on handoffs: a manager request, a hostile customer or a legal topic goes straight to a human
  • Your rules, in plain dealer language: pricing negotiation, financing beyond basics, trade-in pushback
  • Test Drive before launch, and every edit versioned with one-click rollback
app.bkd.ai · Agent Builder
5. Hand off to a person when…
Customer asks for a managerAlways on
Customer is hostileAlways on
Legal or compliance topicsAlways on
Pricing or discount negotiation
Financing beyond basics
Trade-in value pushback
Technical vehicle questions
Also hand off when… “they mention an open service dispute”
Tools · granted by the goal
Book service appointmentHand off to a personSend credit applicationBook sales appointment
Test-driven before launchEvery edit versioned
Live demo

Watch the handoff that isn't one.

One conversation, one person: the Sidekick meets a pricing objection and books the appraisal as Mike, then the real Mike picks up the same thread. No new number, no “let me transfer you.” The reasoning streams live beside it.

Mike Torres

Mike

Sales · Bayfield Toyota

Sidekick AI
By design

Every lead worked in seconds, not the next business day.

<0s
First reply to a new lead, any hour
0/7
Coverage, nights, weekends and holidays
0%
Of leads get an instant first response
0
Name and number, first text to handoff

Never lose another lead.

A buyer texts at 2:07 a.m. and gets an answer at 2:07 a.m. A trade-in values itself before the customer ever walks in. A missed call becomes a contact before anyone is back at their desk. This is what your store looks like on BKD.

Test drive booked · Sat 10:00 AM
11:48 PM
Sarah Mitchell
Sidekick answered in 4 seconds
2:07 AM
Derek Chan
Condition report in · 12 photos
9:41 PM
Jordan Taylor
Credit app submitted
10:12 PM
Tanya Roy
After-hours lead · first text queued for 9:00 AM
1:33 AM
Missed call became a contact
6:15 AM
Test drive booked · Sat 10:00 AM
11:48 PM
Sarah Mitchell
Sidekick answered in 4 seconds
2:07 AM
Derek Chan
Condition report in · 12 photos
9:41 PM
Jordan Taylor
Credit app submitted
10:12 PM
Tanya Roy
After-hours lead · first text queued for 9:00 AM
1:33 AM
Missed call became a contact
6:15 AM
Reply detected · cadence stood down
6:40 PM
Sarah Mitchell
Power Dial queued 8 due calls
8:45 AM
Ava Tremblay
Reprice suggested · 84 days in stock
7:30 AM
Tagged spring-svc · workflow enrolled
8:05 AM
Marcus Lee
Email opened twice · financing options
2:47 PM
Luis Moreno
Handed off to a human on request
4:22 PM
Mike Torres
Reply detected · cadence stood down
6:40 PM
Sarah Mitchell
Power Dial queued 8 due calls
8:45 AM
Ava Tremblay
Reprice suggested · 84 days in stock
7:30 AM
Tagged spring-svc · workflow enrolled
8:05 AM
Marcus Lee
Email opened twice · financing options
2:47 PM
Luis Moreno
Handed off to a human on request
4:22 PM
Mike Torres

Under 60 seconds to first text · three built-in agents on every lead · every text, call and email in one thread

The cost of waiting

How much is slow follow-up costing you?

Leads that never get a first response, or get one a day late, quietly leave gross on the table every month. Put in your own numbers and see the size of the leak.

Solutions

Built for your kind of store.

Whether you run a showroom floor, a finance-first operation or a buy centre, the pipelines, agents and cadences fit out of the box.

Questions

The things dealers actually ask.

Does it really text as my salesperson, and is that allowed?

Yes. Each Sidekick sends from your rep's own name and number, in their writing style, and every message follows the same consent and opt-out rules your team already texts under. The customer never sees a second, unknown number.

What if the AI says something wrong?

You set the guardrails. Three handoff protections — manager requests, hostile customers and legal topics — are always on and can't be turned off. Each agent can only use the tools its goal grants it, and nothing goes live until you've tested it yourself.

Will it work with my DMS?

BKD sits on top of your existing stack and reads live inventory straight from your DMS, so the AI actually knows the car it's talking about. See the integrations page for the current list.

How long does it take to get running?

Most stores are live in days, not months. Your reps' Sidekicks train on their own past texts and calls in the Training Ground, so they sound like the team from day one.

Is it a full CRM, or just an AI add-on?

A full platform. Lead intake, AI follow-up, workflows, appraisals, live inventory, deals and unified calls, texts and email all live in one login — not a bot bolted onto someone else's CRM.

See every lead answered in seconds.

A 30-minute walkthrough with our team. Bring your toughest lead source.

Book a Demo