Why email is no longer enough: AI for dealerships

The future of customer communication

For years, businesses relied on email as their primary way to reach customers. But today, email simply isn’t effective. Customers rarely check their inboxes, and when they do, responses take far too long to make a difference. For dealerships and other service-driven businesses, slow or missed communication means lost opportunities.

It’s time to face reality: email is no longer enough. Texting, and more importantly, AI for dealerships—has become the new standard for customer engagement.

The decline of email in customer communication

The data makes it clear:

• The average email open rate is just 20%‍
• Nearly 90% of emails are never opened‍
• When responses come, they often take days

In a fast-moving industry like automotive or specialty dealerships, that’s too slow. Customers expect quick answers, reminders, and updates. Email simply doesn’t deliver.

Why texting became the go-to channel

Now compare those numbers to texting:

• 98% of text messages are opened
• 95% are read within three minutes‍
• Responses are up to 7x faster than email or voicemail

Texting cuts through the clutter of crowded inboxes. A quick text asking for a review, sending a service reminder, or confirming an appointment gets seen and acted on almost instantly. For dealerships, this level of speed and convenience translates directly into more reviews, higher customer satisfaction, and stronger revenue.

Reviews and engagement drive growth

Reviews are the lifeblood of modern dealerships. They build trust, improve search rankings, and influence buying decisions. Unfortunately, email requests for reviews often go ignored.

Texting, on the other hand, makes engagement easy. A short message after a service visit gets opened and encourages customers to leave feedback right away. Beyond reviews, texting also improves engagement with promotions, recalls, service updates, and follow-ups—making it the most reliable way to stay connected.

The limits of manual texting

But while texting is more effective than email, it comes with challenges. Staff can only send so many messages in a day. Manual outreach leaves gaps, some review requests don’t go out, follow-ups get missed, and customers slip through the cracks.

Those missed opportunities can mean:

• Fewer online reviews
• Lower visibility in search
• Weaker engagement
• Lost revenue

Dealerships need more than just a better channel—they need a smarter way to manage communication.

How AI for dealerships transforms engagement

This is where AI for dealerships makes all the difference. Customer Engagement AI takes the power of texting and makes it scalable, reliable, and personalized.

Kenect’s AI acts like a digital assistant for your team:

• Sends review requests automatically after service
• Follows up if customers don’t respond
• Personalizes messages based on customer history and behavior
• Keeps conversations going to build trust and long-term satisfaction

Instead of employees juggling every message, AI ensures no opportunity is missed. The result is more reviews, higher visibility, stronger reputations, and happier customers—without adding more work for your staff.

The future of dealership communication

Email has fallen behind. Texting is the channel customers actually read and respond to. But texting combined with AI is what takes dealership communication to the next level.

Dealerships that embrace AI now will:

• Build stronger reputations through consistent reviews
• Create deeper customer relationships with personalized outreach
• Save time and resources while driving more revenue

Customer engagement isn’t optional anymore—it’s the heartbeat of dealership growth. The businesses that adopt AI for dealerships will be the ones customers trust and choose in the future.

Ready to see it in action?

Discover how Kenect’s Customer Engagement AI can help your dealership increase reviews, improve communication, and win more business.

_{Updated 9/1/2025}