From Legacy to Lead Gen: Automotive Digital Transformation with AI Chatbot and Mobile App

Client Profile

The client is a family-owned automotive dealership based in North America, operating multiple franchise locations under a leading car brand. Alongside new and used vehicle sales, they offer a full range of services including maintenance, repairs, and in-house financing. Known for their personalized customer service and regional reputation, the client sought to expand their business by embracing digital transformation — aiming to compete with emerging online automotive platforms and enhance their reach through a modern, tech-driven experience.

Business Challenge

As digital disruption reshaped the automotive industry, the client—a well-established car dealership—faced growing pressure from online car buying and selling platforms dominating the US, UK, and Canadian markets. Traditional methods were no longer enough to attract today’s digitally driven consumers.

To stay competitive, the client needed to evolve from a brick-and-mortar dealership into a fully integrated digital automotive marketplace.

Key challenges included:

• Losing leads to tech-savvy competitors with modern automotive eCommerce portals
• No centralized platform for car listings, service requests, financing, or customer engagement
• Inability to capture mobile-first users without a dedicated, responsive app
• Lack of real-time features like smart search, featured listings, Google Maps integration, and push notifications
• Growing need to serve both private sellers and dealerships through a scalable, self-service platform

With a vision to become a top one-stop automotive portal, the client partnered with Suretek to build a feature-rich, AI-powered B2C car marketplace, followed by a mobile app to meet the demands of a growing digital audience. Suretek Infosoft was selected for its reputation in custom software development and mobile app development.

Suretek Solution

B2C Web Portal & Mobile App

Suretek built a fully responsive web portal and cross-platform mobile application that empowered users to buy, sell, or rent vehicles online with ease. The platform ensured seamless user experience across both desktop and mobile devices, with key functionalities:

• Advanced Search Filters:
  Users could filter vehicles by price, brand, model, mileage, fuel type, transmission, year of manufacture, and more — improving discovery.
• Vehicle Comparison & Price Alerts:
  Enabled users to compare multiple cars side by side based on technical specs, prices, and features. Price alerts notified users of drops in listed vehicle prices.
• Frontend Submission Forms:
  Car dealers and private sellers could directly list their vehicles through structured forms — including car details, images, and pricing — reducing backend dependency.
• Google Maps Integration:
  Location-based listing view using Google Maps API allowed users to find nearby available vehicles, improving convenience.
• Media Galleries:
  Rich image and video galleries showcased vehicles with high-definition visuals, enhancing buyer confidence.
• Real-time Comment & Rating System:
  Buyers and sellers could rate and review each other, fostering a trustworthy marketplace ecosystem.
• Notifications System:
  Integrated in-app push notifications and automated emails ensured users stayed informed about listing updates, offers, and responses.

Conversational AI Chatbot – Powered by LUIS & NLP

To boost customer support and engagement, a conversational AI chatbot was developed, leveraging Microsoft LUIS (Language Understanding Intelligent Service) and custom NLP models. The bot mimicked human-like conversations and addressed customer needs proactively.

• 24/7 Query Handling:
  Instant responses to user questions regarding product availability, technical specs, or pricing – both pre-sale and post-sale.
• Order and Shipment Management:
  Users could track their orders, request delivery upgrades, or get status updates without waiting for human assistance.
• In-app Product Recommendations:
  AI-driven upselling by analyzing user behavior, search history, and preferences, helping boost conversions.
• Real-time Feedback & Sentiment Analysis:
  The bot collected feedback on user experience and used sentiment detection to flag negative interactions for escalation.
• Human Escalation Logic:
  When the bot couldn’t resolve an issue, it automatically routed the conversation to a human support agent, maintaining a seamless experience.

AI-Powered Insights & Admin Panel

The back office included a robust admin dashboard to give the business real-time insights and management capabilities. It combined AI analytics, performance tracking, and personalized communication tools.

• Chatbot Analytics:
  Dashboard tracked user queries, resolution rates, bounce rates, and satisfaction scores.
• Consumer Behavior Insights:
  Monitored user journeys, search patterns, most-viewed listings, and time spent per listing — helping refine marketing and UX.
• Notification Control Panel:
  Admins could schedule or trigger automated notifications for promotions, price drops, or engagement campaigns
• Smart Reporting Tools:
  AI-backed reports helped monitor platform usage trends, identify friction points, and measure chatbot effectiveness.
• AI-Personalized Communication:
  Notifications were optimized using AI algorithms that considered:
  • Browsing history
  • Previous orders
  • Interactions across social media platforms (e.g., liked models on Facebook, shared listings on WhatsApp) enabling deeply personalized user experiences.

Scalability & Integration

Suretek ensured that the solution was future-ready, scalable, and secure, using modern technology stacks. Their team’s expertise in the best custom software development ensured the system was architected for long-term success.

• Backend & Web Tech Stack:
  ASP.NET Core (robust, scalable backend), HTML5 for responsive UI.
• Mobile App Development:
  Used .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) for building native Android and iOS apps from a single codebase. As a leading provider of mobile app development in the USA, Suretek ensured both performance and compliance for the North American market.
• Database:
  Microsoft SQL Server 2019 for secure and structured data storage, with optimized queries for fast performance.
• Secure Payment & Authentication:
  Integrated with leading payment gateways, ensuring encrypted transactions. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and user role-based access were implemented for account safety.

Impact Delivered

• 3X Increase in Lead Generation
  The launch of the AI-powered car portal significantly boosted qualified leads, tripling the client’s online inquiries and buyer interest.
• 50% Reduction in Response Time
  The conversational AI chatbot enabled instant support, cutting average customer query resolution time in half.
• 2.5X Higher Engagement on Mobile
  The cross-platform mobile app enhanced user experience and accessibility, driving a 2.5x surge in mobile user interactions.
• 40% Cost Savings in Customer Support
  By automating post-sale queries and order management, the client reduced their support operation costs by nearly half.

Technologies Used

Web Portal: .NET (C#), ASP.NET core, HTML5, jQuery

Mobile App: MAUI (Cross-platform for Android and iOS)

Chatbot & AI: Microsoft LUIS (Language Understanding Intelligent Service), Natural Language Processing (NLP), SYNC Framework

Admin Panel: .NET MVC, Custom Dashboards

Database: SQL Server 2019

Payments & Notifications: Payment Gateway APIs, Push Notification Systems

Maps & Location:Google Maps API

Why It Matters for the Automotive Industry

In a fast-changing US/UK/Canada automotive market, digital transformation is no longer optional. Our work helped this dealership:

• Deliver instant service, with round-the-clock AI support
• Build a mobile-first experience tailored for today's on-the-go users
• Establish a competitive digital identity that attracts and retains customers

Conclusion

Suretek Infosoft’s solution helped a traditional dealership:

• Embrace digital channels
• Increase operational efficiency
• Drive more revenue

If you're an automotive business in North America aiming to modernize operations, boost conversions, and create delightful digital experiences, partner with Suretek Infosoft — a leader in best custom software development and mobile app development.