Automotive CRM With True AI Agents

“I’ve posted about this a couple times, but I wanted to give you a real demo of what’s coming and show just how big this upcoming feature is.

We just released what we’re calling background agents in the Space app. This is one of the coolest implementations of AI that I’ve seen across any vertical and any platform. I know there are lots of different tools out there that claim to be assistants and auto responders, but this feels like the vision we’ve been talking about for a long time. It is coming to life in this upcoming release.

We have some other follow-up features that we’re going to be working on, such as a copilot, so this is not the end of it. But I wanted to celebrate what feels like a huge milestone and an important moment of true innovation on our team.”

Nick Askew, CEO

Introducing Background AI Agents in the Space App

Space Auto is excited to unveil Background Agents – our new AI-powered assistants that work behind the scenes in the Space App. In a nutshell, these are autonomous “digital sales reps” that read customer messages and act on them without manual input. When a lead or customer texts or calls, the agents can immediately engage, schedule follow-ups, adjust appointments, and log everything in your CRM automatically. This means you never miss a callback, every inquiry gets a timely response, and your sales team stays focused on closing deals instead of chasing mundane tasks.

What Are Background Agents?

Background Agents are specialized AI helpers built into the Space Auto CRM (the Space App). Each agent handles a specific part of the customer follow-up process. For example, our Task Agent spots phrases like “call me in two days” and auto-creates a callback task at the right time. The Appointment Agent automatically reschedules visits when customers change plans.

We also have a Monitoring Agent that watches conversation quality, plus our smart DAISI Assistant that can do anything you ask via an @DAISI tag. Together, they act like a 24/7 virtual BDC team: “They act as virtual sales assistants”, engaging leads on any channel and logging every detail in the CRM. Because these agents run in the background, your CRM stays fresh and your team can focus on the people who need human attention.

How Background Agents Work

• Instant Engagement: When a lead comes in or a customer texts, an AI agent replies immediately, any hour of the day. Studies show customers are eight times more likely to buy if the dealer responds first. These agents never sleep or forget, so no lead grows cold.
  
• Automated Scheduling: During a conversation, the Appointment Agent can book a test drive or service visit on the spot. It finds an open slot, sends confirmations via text or email, and writes the details into the CRM – all on its own. In one example, an agent turned a casual “swing by tomorrow” into a booked appointment without a single human click.
  
• Smart Follow-Ups: The Task Agent remembers each conversation and creates follow-up tasks (like returning a call or sending documents) on schedule. It will ping customers with personalized reminders or thank-you messages as needed. If the agent isn’t sure a response is needed (for example, the customer just said “thanks”), it can stay silent instead of spamming.
  
• Clear CRM Notes: After each interaction, an agent logs concise, standardized notes in the CRM. This replaces messy hand-written summaries and ensures managers see consistent, up-to-date information every time.
  
• Data-Driven Insights: Over time, agents analyze which messages and timing work best and automatically refine their behavior for better results. You get the benefit of AI learning, without having to tweak scripts manually.

These agents integrate via API with your existing systems, so every booked appointment or new task instantly appears in your calendar and CRM. The result: a smoother workflow where “every customer inquiry gets a response, every visit gets booked, and every manager gets a clear report”.

Real-World Example

Imagine a customer texts: “Can you call me in two days when I’m back from Colorado?” The Task Agent reads this and automatically creates a “return call” task for two days later. If the customer later clarifies, “Actually, sorry, I meant Saturday,” the Appointment Agent steps in – it shifts the appointment to Saturday and texts the customer “Got it – we’ll see you Saturday at 9am.” All of this happens instantly and behind the scenes, so your team doesn’t have to manually adjust the schedule. In testing, our agents even learned when not to reply: after a customer simply says “thanks,” the AI wisely stayed silent to avoid clutter. This multi-agent teamwork keeps every customer profile clean and current without constant human oversight.

Customization per Dealership

Every dealership runs differently, so Space Auto lets you tailor the agents to your needs. In the Launch Portal, you can configure each agent’s behavior for each store. For example, if a dealer prefers fewer follow-up tasks, you can adjust the Task Agent’s settings; if you want more aggressive outreach, you can ramp it up. You can even turn off an agent (say, pause the Appointment Agent during slow periods) or tweak its prompt templates. These controls are at the dealer level – meaning each store gets the AI style they want. Right now we provide smart presets so teams can just “hit the AI button,” but you have the power to fine-tune things like tone, frequency, and task duration over time.

Safety & Monitoring

We built robust safety checks into Background Agents. Each new customer record can be set to one of three modes:
– Agent Mode (full customer-facing actions)
– Admin Mode (internal notes/tasks only)
– AI Off (no AI actions)

Dealers can choose the default mode per lead or customer. For extra oversight, a dedicated Monitoring Agent constantly scans conversations. If it detects any irritation or spammy behavior, it can downgrade the AI – for example, switching from Agent Mode to Admin Mode, or turning it off entirely.

In other words, the system can automatically dial back or pause AI outreach if something seems off. Behind the scenes, all AI actions still follow strict security and privacy rules: connections use enterprise-grade encryption and compliance standards, so your customer data remains protected just as it is today.

The @DAISI Tag – Your Personal AI Co-Pilot

We’ve also unlocked an on-demand assistant in the app. Whenever you leave an internal note and @mention “@DAISI,” you can give the AI explicit instructions. For example: “@DAISI, please clean up the tasks for this customer and move the appointment to 4pm.” As soon as you save that note, the DAISI Assistant kicks in: it reads the context, then does exactly what you asked (rescheduling the appointment and consolidating tasks, in this case). It’s like having an AI admin help you – if you need a batch of reminders sent or a quick data pull, just ask @DAISI and it will handle it asynchronously. This new feature is still evolving (we’re optimizing its speed), but it already turns a simple note into automated action.

Pricing & Access

Background Agents will be an opt-in feature for Space Auto customers. We’re building usage reporting so you can see how many “tokens” each interaction consumes. In practice, this means you’ll pay only for what you use: the more you let the AI help (more texts sent, more tasks created, etc.), the higher the usage, and that will be billed accordingly. Dealers can decide how proactive they want these AI to be based on that model. From a budget perspective, it’s flexible – start with basic responses and turn up the dial as you see the value, knowing you’re only paying for actual AI work.

Looking Ahead

This launch of Background Agents is just one step for Space Auto. Next, we plan to add a dedicated DAISI assistant – imagine a chat interface for your dealership’s AI – and macro-level tools. For instance, you might tell DAISI, “Text all customers with appointments this week to confirm,” or ask it to list your most active prospects. We’re pushing the envelope on AI in automotive retail. We’ve done things on the back end that no one else is doing today, so your dealership gets bleeding-edge automation. As always, we’ll keep innovating so our platform can do more of the heavy lifting for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do these AI agents improve lead response times?

A: They reply instantly to every message, 24/7. In fact, dealers that respond fastest close far more deals – consumers are ~8× more likely to buy from a dealer that responds first. Our Background Agents ensure there’s no delay: as soon as a lead contacts you, the AI is already working on it.

Q: Will the AI replace my salespeople?

A: Not at all. Our goal is to handle repetitive chores so your team can focus on people. These agents take care of routine replies, scheduling, and note-taking, allowing your staff to spend time building relationships and closing deals. As one dealer said, after turning on AI they could focus on “the hottest leads” while the AI handled the rest.

Q: Can I train the AI to match my dealership’s style?

A: Yes. Initially we provide smart default prompts, but you can customize each agent’s instructions in the portal. If you want the Appointment Agent to use a certain tone, or prefer the Task Agent to wait longer before creating tasks, those settings are editable at the dealership level. Over time the AI will also learn what works best for you based on results.

Q: How do we prevent the AI from spamming customers?

A: We built in common-sense safeguards. The Monitoring Agent will step in if it sees any issue, and each agent uses natural prompts rather than rigid templates. Plus, the agents know to bundle quick message bursts into one reply, so a flurry of texts from the customer doesn’t cause ten separate AI responses. In practice, our testing showed the agents only reply when there’s something useful to say. And if a customer’s response suggests irritation (for example, they seem to be on repeated bots), the system can automatically slow down or stop texting that contact.

Q: Can Background Agents work with my existing CRM/DMS?

A: Absolutely. They integrate via secure APIs. Our agents plug into your DMS data so that any booked appointment or new task syncs in real time – no switching platforms needed. If you’re already a Space App customer, this is a native feature; if you’re using another CRM, we can connect through the same integrations we use today.

Q: What kind of results have other dealers seen?

A: Based on early deployments, dealers see measurable lifts. One client saw 18% higher lead-to-sale conversions after using these AI outreach tools, another went from setting on average of 4 appointments per day, to 17 appointments per day using agents only. In general, when every inquiry gets a quick, personalized follow-up, sales go up. Over time, as the AI fine-tunes its timing and messages, you should see steady improvements in engagement, show rates, and ultimately closed deals.

@DAISI… can you help me sell more cars?

Ready to see Background Agents in action? Contact Space Auto to schedule a demo. We’ll show you how this new AI feature can transform your dealership’s workflow and drive more sales with less effort.