Digital speech analytics expert Tony Colan has joined the Proactive Dealer Solutions team as Director of Enterprise Sales.
Proactive Dealer Solutions (PDS), The BDC Experts, based in Charlotte, N.C. is an international firm that has worked with more than 3,000 automotive retailers across North America and is credited with developing the BDC concept for retailers more than 25 years ago.
Colan comes to PDS from VoiceBase, Inc., an information and technology services firm, where he served as Enterprise Sales Director and specialized in speech analytics and API integration.
PDS uses deep machine learning (artificial intelligence) and predictive analytics that can discover patterns using voice recognition to communicate more effectively with automotive consumers and learn from the vast amounts of data collected to set more appointments and sell more vehicles.
PDS has pioneered the use of AI to listen to incoming and outgoing auto dealership calls to better understand dealership-consumer communications and act more efficiently. For instance, if a sales representative fails to set an appointment or gather crucial information, within minutes an email is sent directly to a manager who can then act to rectify the situation.
“Opportunities abound in this marketplace,” Colan said. “The possibilities for using AI to listen to and act on data gathered from voice communication are endless. I look forward to sharing the power of these technical systems with vendors in this space.”
Lawson Owen, PDS managing partner, said Colan will be marketing PDS’ speech analytics platform to the major automotive search directories, marketing agencies, phone vendors, and CRM providers, who can benefit tremendously from the proof metrics the platform offers. Lead providers can verify what transpired from the calls they generated, and marketing agencies can assist with marketing optimization for their dealer clients.
“Tony is a fantastic addition to our team,” said Lawson Owen, PDS managing partner. “He has more than a decade of experience in this field, and will be able to jump start our platform sales.”
“Even with all the costs dealers put into infrastructure, personnel, marketing, and technology, still 20 percent of calls to the dealership are lost, dropped, or abandoned,” Colan said. “PDS has positioned itself to help dealers solve this problem and maximize performance."
Colan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in English from John Carroll University in Cleveland.
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