As we have discovered during the past two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to positively infiltrate our processes and workflows and provide substantial time savings in areas where personnel would be better spent engaging internal partners and external clients. In other words, AI can carry in the proverbial groceries or sweep the floor.
Even in situations where dealers are not actively incorporating AI into their workflow and maybe haven’t even developed any policies around its usage, chances are one of the newer tools you employ—or the latest iteration of older ones—has AI goodness baked into it. So as we cross the finish line for November’s State of the Industry report on coaching and training, we’ve asked out dealer panel to reflect on the ways AI is helping to augment learning and retention for team members.
The analytical side of AI is being leveraged by DEX Imaging to ensure its training curriculum isn’t leaving any team members behind. The Tampa, Florida-based dealer is capitalizing on AI within its learning management system in order to track progress, identify knowledge gaps and suggest refresher modules, notes Chris Kanehl, service training director.
“For employees, this means targeted learning across all departments and a smarter rollout of new classes aligned with business needs,” he said.
It’s important to cultivate a team-based approach to how and when AI is incorporated into processes and workflows. Pulse Technology devised classes internally that demonstrate the effective use of AI and the possibilities it offers sales and admin staff, underscoring the value of eradicating time-consuming daily operations. In other words, the “grunt work,” notes Vince Miceli, vice president of technology for the Schaumburg, Illinois, dealer.
Miceli is bullish on the impact AI is making now, and how it will join robotics in playing a pivotal role in the future. “Within our IT stack we are building automations, so that if all people are busy, AI picks up the call, walks clients through their issues and creates a ticket,” he said. “The ticket is automatically uploaded into the ticket dashboard so that engineers can begin working on it quickly. We may do the same for the copier/MFP side of the business. We do think that AI and robotics will play an increasingly important role in our industry in the future.
Taking Shape
Some dealers, such as Rhyme of Wisconsin, are in the early stages of adoption. Kendall Steinhoff, director of sales and marketing, points out that one area where it’s being used is AI-driven assessment tools for post-training retention via tests and quizzes.
During an off-site MPS security training session hosted by Xerox, Steinhoff noted the Surge9 tool—a micro learning, reinforcement and coaching platform—was used to assess test answers in real time to provide an overall grade. “Using AI to improve the efficiency of training and measuring its success will play an important role. But I don’t see AI replacing our trainers themselves,” she stressed.
Prosource is currently evaluating AI utilization on a number of fronts, including team training and increasing prospecting touchpoints and meetings. Tom Hemmelgarn, senior vice president of sales at the Blue Ash, Ohio, dealer, notes the company’s continued progress is rooted in streamlining sales and marketing initiatives to thrive in an AI-driven world.
“AI is constantly changing and evolving, and so are we,” Hemmelgarn said. “We are currently using AI for creating tailored content, chat assistance and messaging, service analytics, and reducing manual efforts. As we move forward, we will continue to find new ways to leverage this technology to improve our processes and support our teams.”
Various Applications
Fraser Advanced Information Systems of West Reading, Pennsylvania, is using various forms of AI to bolster training for the sales, administrative and service teams. AI records live sales training sessions and generates follow-up tasks while standardizing content. Michael Macri, vice president of sales, notes the dealership is launching a Sales GPT to help reps with call tracks, prospect research, objection handling and real-time support.
“We expect AI to play a growing role in delivering interactive, scalable and consistent training across the sales team,” Macri said.
On the admin end, Fraser implemented an AI-infused recruiting hub, with an eye toward expanding it into a broader team hub. This enables managers to tap into the technology for development programs, action plans and role-specific training, according to Lauren Christman, HR director.
“The goal is to create smarter, more personalized training support that evolves with employees’ needs,” she added.
In the field, Fraser service techs are using manufacturer chatbots to access documentation and troubleshooting steps, which reduces resolution times for both new and experienced staff. These tools make training more accessible and support continuous learning in real time.
