{"id":65409,"date":"2025-06-26T11:50:50","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=65409"},"modified":"2025-06-26T11:50:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:50:51","slug":"whats-next-dealers-share-plans-wish-list-for-future-ai-innovations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2025\/06\/whats-next-dealers-share-plans-wish-list-for-future-ai-innovations\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Next? Dealers Share Plans, Wish List for Future AI Innovations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dealers and end-users alike, it\u2019s safe to say, are in various stages of engagement when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Some are leveraging it to enhance sales talk tracks or generate marketing content. Others have heard of AI and think it sounds neat, but that\u2019s about as far as they have progressed. Then there\u2019s the meaty middle of the population that has played with Microsoft Copilot or another platform and sees the potential for various applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time the feet-draggers and lookie-lous earnestly investigate ways it can either help their own business or that of their clients, there will be even more AI-driven solutions and software hitting the market. That will create a greater chasm between early adopters and laggards that could well have dire consequences from a competitive standpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a challenge for another day. We\u2019re wrapping up this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on AI to gauge what\u2019s next for our panelists in terms of new applications they will be investigating. The bigger question is which area(s) dealers would like to see enhanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Erica Huentelman, DME<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One area of interest for Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises (DME) of Cincinnati is what the future holds for AI-powered security systems that could benefit their clients. Erica Huentelman, executive assistant for DME, is curious to see how facial recognition technology evolves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis could be a great fit for schools, health care and business offices that need stronger access control and safer environments,\u201d she said. \u201cAs AI continues to advance, we see a lot of potential in helping our customers enhance their physical security with smarter, more automated solutions. It\u2019s an area we\u2019re excited to explore further.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech Voyage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Chris Gallagher, GOP<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Vertical-driven applications have enabled Green Office Partner (GOP) to drill deeper for clients. Its educational customers are using the Xerox Translate and Print app. Now, co-owner Chris Gallagher is excited about his Chicago dealership offering the OEM\u2019s CareAR augmented reality tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur technicians can have eyeballs on a situation in minutes via sending the customer a link to their email or text,\u201d he noted. \u201cThis will revolutionize our service department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lauren Hanna, Blue Technologies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

With the continued growth in AI adoption, dealers like Blue Technologies of Cleveland envision the opportunity to expand upon the advisory role they play for clients. Lauren Hanna, division president, notes the end-users are seeking guidance on how to thoughtfully integrate AI in areas ranging from streamlining workflows to bolstering security. The dealer, in turn, sees digital transformation and compliance as conversational table setters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From an internal standpoint, Blue Technologies is evaluating how AI can assist with predictive support and long-term infrastructure planning. But the priority is centered on maintaining a role as trusted advisor for clients as they go more downstream in their AI adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUltimately, we see AI as an ongoing journey\u2014not a one-and-done initiative,\u201d Hanna noted. \u201cWe\u2019ve put together a team that\u2019s continually evaluating how AI is working across our business and where it can bring more value, both for us and our clients. Our goal is to thoughtfully expand its use without losing what makes us different\u2014our people, our responsiveness, and the relationships we\u2019ve built. AI is a great tool, but it\u2019s just that\u2014a tool. The human element will always be at the core of how we serve our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secret Agents?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Chris Williams, All Copy Products<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some observers feel the alpha and omega of the technology lies in AI agents, a system or program that can autonomously perform tasks on behalf of a user or another system by designing its workflow and utilizing available tools. This is the juncture where AI is arguably the most sexy, with the capacity for problem-solving, decision-making, and interacting with external environments. They can execute tasks on their own and essentially think, learn and adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Williams, vice president of marketing for All Copy Products in Denver, sees AI agents as the bold new frontier. \u201cYou can build out really extensive workflows and give them triggers so that they have the ability to do different things on their own,\u201d he said. \u201cWe almost have our part of our SEO process fully automated through an AI agent to have all the triggers, and all the instructions. It has different tasks that it will do and then refine it back into a final end point and a result. I think that\u2019s going to continue to scale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Justin Drabouski, Fraser<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some dealers are of the opinion that industry manufacturers can and will integrate machine learning capabilities into their data. This allows companies such as Fraser Advanced Information Systems of West Reading, Pennsylvania, to bring data analysis to the service and inventory side of the house, according to Justin Drabouski, vice president of technology and security. Fraser collects data related to parts and supplies usage, but Drabouski would like to see OEMs push that capability into their hardware to provide real value. Rather than simply reporting error codes, he\u2019d like to see issue identification and self-healing, which catapults service to another level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for adoption on the dealer side, he views AI today in much the same way that dealers chose to (or not to) embrace managed services back in the early 2000s. While Drabouski feels dealers don\u2019t have to fully commit to an aspect of AI, they need to start down the road of incorporating it into their overall strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Familiar Territory<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don’t have to pick a path today, per se, but if you aren’t investing in the learning side of this now, if you aren’t putting real dollars into your people to play with the tools, developing the skills and understand how these things get together, you won’t be in a position to take advantage,\u201d he said. \u201cI’ll immediately have a market advantage over you as soon as the OEM capability comes to the dealer. So at a minimum, put a number to it, assign some value, invest some real dollars into your company, and at least be in a position to make use of it when it all starts to hit the market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Clay Ostlund, Marco<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Clay Ostlund, president of the IT division at Marco of St. Cloud, Minnesota, believes there is a fundamental technology gap between the OEMs and the multitude of data collection agent solutions on the market. There\u2019s a chasm between the legacy way of capturing data, he notes, and the newer methods. Like Drabouski, he sees a considerable opportunity for OEMs to simplify the ability to garner insights from customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDealers should tell their OEM partners that this is an area where you can make our customers\u2019 lives better by making your partners\u2019 lives better,\u201d he said. \u201cHow do we create an AI agent that can just crawl a MIB and provide me every piece of information in a much more efficient fashion? How do I then use that information to create better analytics about the usage of those devices so we can optimize them from a service standpoint? I think there’s a big opportunity there on the IT side of the house. We’re just starting to see the beginnings of what’s going to be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Scott Anderson, Kelley Create<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For many dealers, the excitement surrounding AI is certainly palpable from a client standpoint. Scott Anderson, senior vice president of IT for Kelley Create, notes customers understand and appreciate how it can transform their business, and in turn the dealer is investing in helping them use tech to drive their business forward. And the choice platforms such as Copilot are fairly ubiquitous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working with each of our client partners on preparing their environment to enable AI to utilize it best,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cFor example, if all their files are sitting on an old school file server, AI cannot access them. But if you have them in Microsoft 365, SharePoint or Google, where they can be accessed, that\u2019s where you start to see the real impact. So for us, it\u2019s enabling and training our partners, but also helping them transform their environment and be AI ready.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dealers and end-users alike, it\u2019s safe to say, are in various stages of engagement when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Some are leveraging it to enhance sales talk tracks or generate marketing content. Others have heard of AI and think it sounds neat, but that\u2019s about as far as they have progressed. Then there\u2019s the meaty middle of the population that has played with Microsoft Copilot or another platform and sees the potential for various applications. By the time the feet-draggers and lookie-lous earnestly investigate ways it can either help their own business or that of their clients, there will be even more AI-driven solutions and software hitting the market. That will create a greater chasm between early adopters and laggards that could well have dire consequences from a competitive standpoint. That\u2019s a challenge for another day. We\u2019re wrapping up this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on AI to gauge what\u2019s next for our panelists in terms of new applications they will be investigating. The bigger question is which area(s) dealers would like to see enhanced. One area of interest for Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises (DME) of Cincinnati is what the future holds for AI-powered security systems that could benefit their clients. Erica Huentelman, executive assistant for DME, is curious to see how facial recognition technology evolves. \u201cThis could be a great fit for schools, health care and business offices that need stronger access control and safer environments,\u201d she said. \u201cAs AI continues to advance, we see a lot of potential in helping our customers enhance their physical security with smarter, more automated solutions. It\u2019s an area we\u2019re excited to explore further.\u201d Tech Voyage Vertical-driven applications have enabled Green Office Partner (GOP) to drill deeper for clients. Its educational customers are using the Xerox Translate and Print app. Now, co-owner Chris Gallagher is excited about his Chicago dealership offering the OEM\u2019s CareAR augmented reality tool. \u201cOur technicians can have eyeballs on a situation in minutes via sending the customer a link to their email or text,\u201d he noted. \u201cThis will revolutionize our service department.\u201d With the continued growth in AI adoption, dealers like Blue Technologies of Cleveland envision the opportunity to expand upon the advisory role they play for clients. Lauren Hanna, division president, notes the end-users are seeking guidance on how to thoughtfully integrate AI in areas ranging from streamlining workflows to bolstering security. The dealer, in turn, sees digital transformation and compliance as conversational table setters. From an internal standpoint, Blue Technologies is evaluating how AI can assist with predictive support and long-term infrastructure planning. But the priority is centered on maintaining a role as trusted advisor for clients as they go more downstream in their AI adoption. \u201cUltimately, we see AI as an ongoing journey\u2014not a one-and-done initiative,\u201d Hanna noted. \u201cWe\u2019ve put together a team that\u2019s continually evaluating how AI is working across our business and where it can bring more value, both for us and our clients. Our goal is to thoughtfully expand its use without losing what makes us different\u2014our people, our responsiveness, and the relationships we\u2019ve built. AI is a great tool, but it\u2019s just that\u2014a tool. The human element will always be at the core of how we serve our customers.\u201d Secret Agents? Some observers feel the alpha and omega of the technology lies in AI agents, a system or program that can autonomously perform tasks on behalf of a user or another system by designing its workflow and utilizing available tools. This is the juncture where AI is arguably the most sexy, with the capacity for problem-solving, decision-making, and interacting with external environments. They can execute tasks on their own and essentially think, learn and adapt. Chris Williams, vice president of marketing for All Copy Products in Denver, sees AI agents as the bold new frontier. \u201cYou can build out really extensive workflows and give them triggers so that they have the ability to do different things on their own,\u201d he said. \u201cWe almost have our part of our SEO process fully automated through an AI agent to have all the triggers, and all the instructions. It has different tasks that it will do and then refine it back into a final end point and a result. I think that\u2019s going to continue to scale.\u201d Some dealers are of the opinion that industry manufacturers can and will integrate machine learning capabilities into their data. This allows companies such as Fraser Advanced Information Systems of West Reading, Pennsylvania, to bring data analysis to the service and inventory side of the house, according to Justin Drabouski, vice president of technology and security. Fraser collects data related to parts and supplies usage, but Drabouski would like to see OEMs push that capability into their hardware to provide real value. Rather than simply reporting error codes, he\u2019d like to see issue identification and self-healing, which catapults service to another level. As for adoption on the dealer side, he views AI today in much the same way that dealers chose to (or not to) embrace managed services back in the early 2000s. While Drabouski feels dealers don\u2019t have to fully commit to an aspect of AI, they need to start down the road of incorporating it into their overall strategy. Familiar Territory \u201cYou don’t have to pick a path today, per se, but if you aren’t investing in the learning side of this now, if you aren’t putting real dollars into your people to play with the tools, developing the skills and understand how these things get together, you won’t be in a position to take advantage,\u201d he said. \u201cI’ll immediately have a market advantage over you as soon as the OEM capability comes to the dealer. So at a minimum, put a number to it, assign some value, invest some real dollars into your company, and at least be in a position to make use of it when it all starts to hit the market.\u201d Clay Ostlund, president of the IT division at Marco […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":65410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1650,82,87,1638],"tags":[1637,798,3221,2738,4403,4417,545],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65409"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65409"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65412,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65409\/revisions\/65412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}