**Tampa, Florida – February 23, 2023--** STELLA Automotive AI, provider of high-end conversational AI technology, has named David Kaffenberger as the Engineering Director of Partner Integrations, a newly created role for the company.  

Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, David is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of partner integrations to benefit our diverse portfolio of dealership customers.  

“David brings a unique combination of retail dealership experience and software product engineering skills to this role. He is keenly aware of the importance of seamless software integrations to successful day-to-day dealership operations. His advanced knowledge of software solutions in the Parts & Service marketplace has proven valuable to customers and teams alike,” said Stephen Brown, Chief Technology Officer.

“Car dealerships deserve products that not only work but also work well with others.  I am excited to be a part of the STELLA team.  The product is incredible and adds value to the dealers and our valued partners,” said David.  

In addition to product and engineering roles outside automotive, David has 5 years of in-dealership experience and has been involved in building inventory solutions for two OEMs as well as multiple third party integrations supporting sales, service, and parts. 

David holds a Computer Engineering degree and MBA with a concentration in Information Systems from the University of Michigan.  

For more information about how the STELLA digital voice assistant can empower your dealership, please contact us at [www.stellaautomotive.com](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/) or 727-955-3550. 


**About STELLA Automotive AI**
[STELLA Automotive AI](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/) helps dealers with a major pain point which is answering telephones and engaging with customers.  STELLA is trained to deliver exceptional customer experiences through consistent branding, flawless dialogs, and the delivery and collection of essential data.  With STELLA, dealers free up staff to focus on sales and in-dealership service while STELLA handles inbound calls, answers questions, finds and books appointments and takes messages.  With a U.S. headquarters in Tampa, Florida, STELLA is powered by Telepathy Labs, Inc, a world-class AI technology provider.    For more information, visit our [website](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/), like us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Stella.Automotive), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/stella-automotive-ai), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/StellaforAuto), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftR0XbhcnkHMCKVt5yZIUw) or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stella.automotive/).   


**For Media Inquiries, contact:**
Jennifer Sanford
Vice President of Marketing
Jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com
(757) 537-7004 (cell)


STELLA Automotive AI has named David Kaffenberger as the Engineering Director of Partner Integrations.

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David Kaffenberger appointed as Engineering Director, Partner Integrations

The 2023 AWAs were filled with exciting products, and BPE is so pleased to be able to recognize STELLA AI for their innovation and commitment to improving our industry.

Brian Pasch awards STELLA the Digital Voice Assistant Award at AWA 2023 in Dallas, Texas.

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Digital Voice Assistant  AWA Award 

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**Tampa, Florida – February 9, 2023** – [STELLA Automotive AI](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/), retail automotive’s  fastest-growing and award-winning conversational AI technology provider, is now the recipient of the 2023 AWA Award for Digital Voice Assistant.  

STELLA is answering phones for a wide spectrum of franchise dealer groups, call centers, service desks, and reception.

The AWA Digital Voice Assistant award recognizes STELLA, the premium conversational AI-enabled voice assistant, for its ability to handle all inbound calls for dealerships- regardless of volume.  STELLA ensures a professional customer experience, helps customers quickly get to the right person or department, and schedules customer appointments without any human intervention.  STELLA can answer frequently asked questions, book appointments, transcribe voice mail messages and deliver those same messages via email. STELLA provides customers with a professional experience 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at a lower cost than employees or outsourced BDC operations.

“The technology behind STELLA is mind-blowing when you consider all of the ways the software can deal with accents and communication and then also look up the exact vehicles that the customer owns to book the right vehicle with the right op codes,” says Brian Pasch, author and industry leader in automotive marketing strategies, online dealer education, marketing analytics, and digital retailing.

According to Jennifer Sanford, vice president of marketing for STELLA Automotive AI, “The AWA team does their homework. They research the submissions both with dealers and with industry technology experts to ensure that these products offer real and meaningful benefits: improving the consumer experience and creating operational efficiencies. Dealers – and consumers – benefit from their research and findings.”

To learn more about STELLA, dealers can schedule an appointment by calling 727-955-3550 or visiting [www.stellaautomotive.com](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/).

### About STELLA Automotive AI
[STELLA Automotive AI](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/) helps dealers with a major pain point which is answering telephones.  STELLA is trained to deliver exceptional customer experiences through consistent branding, flawless dialogs, and the collection of essential data.  With STELLA, dealerships free up staff to focus on sales and in-dealership service while STELLA handles inbound calls, answers questions, finds and books appointments and takes messages. With a U.S. headquarters in Tampa, Florida, STELLA is powered by Telepathy Labs, Inc, a world-class AI technology provider.   For more information, visit our [website](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/), like us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Stella.Automotive), [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/company/stella-automotive-ai/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/StellaforAuto), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftR0XbhcnkHMCKVt5yZIUw), or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stella.automotive/). 

### About AWA
The AWAs were created in 2008 to recognize the best vendors in automotive digital marketing, primarily focused on websites. Since then, the AWAs have become a benchmark in the automotive industry for recognizing innovative products, now in 20 categories: digital retailing, marketing automation, sales process, dealer websites, digital marketing, SEO and local search, inventory management and merchandising, HR & training, fixed operations, F&I, website merchandising, conversational commerce, video technology, business intelligence tools, reputation management, and our newest categories, automatic payment platforms, digital voice assistants, enterprise retailing, and CDP/MAP technologies.  Go to [awa.autos](https://awa.autos/) to watch video product reviews and demonstrations in all 20 categories, and hear how these products can solve pain points and make a positive impact on dealer operations.

**For Media Inquiries, contact:**

Jennifer Sanford
Vice President of Marketing
[Jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com](mailto:jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com)



The AWA Digital Voice Assistant award recognizes STELLA, the premium conversational AI-enabled voice assistant, for its ability to handle all inbound calls for dealerships- regardless of volume.  

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STELLA™ wins the 2023 AWA Award for Digital Voice Assistant

Ted Ings hosts the Wild West Panel discussion on conversational AI featuring Josselyn Boudett, Founder and CEO of STELLA Automotive AI, Ed Roberts, COO Bozard Ford Lincoln, Shawn Butler, Fixed Ops Director Umansky Automotive Group and Mike Weldon, Fixed Ops Director at Hansel Automotive Group.

Tune in and learn how STELLA supports your service advisors and BDC teams. STELLA AI is a digital voice assistant that eliminates hold times and answers customer calls with just one ring!

Conversational AI for dealership phone lines. Listen to the Fixed Ops Wild West Panel discussion and learn how STELLA can support your team and customers!

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FIXED OPS Roundtable- Wild West

STELLA Automotive AI Panel with Josselyn Boudett Segment V1.mp4

**Tampa, Florida – January 19, 2023--** STELLA Automotive AI, provider of high-end conversational AI technology, has named Stephen Brown as Chief Technology Officer, a newly created role for the company.  

Stephen joins STELLA Automotive, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer Josselyn Boudett.

“We are thrilled to have Stephen Brown bring his unique expertise leveraging AI in the data-intense dealership environment,” Josselyn said.  “Stephen has worked closely with some of the world’s top manufacturing brands and is uniquely qualified to address the complexity of the automotive market.  His focus on the customer experience consistently yields market-leading AI products.  There is tremendous excitement about this addition to our automotive leadership team.”

“The thing that gets me up in the morning is to see a reasoning engine deliver a perfect answer,” Stephen said.  “I am very optimistic about what can be done in this modern retailing environment, where AI can be properly leveraged to factor in a multitude of rules and interests and arrive at the best and fastest solution for a consumer.”

Stephen previously worked as SVP and Solution Architect at Telepathy Labs, where he worked on large global software projects.  Stephen has led worldwide teams developing enterprise software applications since the early 2000s. 

Stephen holds a Computer Science degree from UCLA and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Embedded Systems) also from UCLA.

“The reception for STELLA in the automotive market is tremendous.  I love using AI to engage with consumers, and we have such a market-leading product even compared to sophisticated call centers. It is my goal to ensure that STELLA delivers accurate results and meets the expectations and needs of our automotive dealers,” says Stephen Brown.

**About STELLA Automotive AI**
[STELLA Automotive AI](https://www.stellaautomotive.com) helps dealers with a major pain point which is answering telephones and engaging with customers. STELLA is trained to deliver exceptional customer experiences through consistent branding, flawless dialogs, and the delivery and collection of essential data. With STELLA, dealers free up staff to focus on sales and in-dealership service while STELLA handles inbound calls, answers questions, finds and books appointments and takes messages. With a U.S. headquarters in Tampa, Florida, STELLA is powered by Telepathy Labs, Inc, a world-class AI technology provider. For more information, visit our [website](https://www.stellaautomotive.com), like us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Stella.Automotive), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/stella-automotive-ai/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/StellaforAuto), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftR0XbhcnkHMCKVt5yZIUw), or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stella.automotive/). 


**For Media Inquiries, contact:**
Jennifer Sanford
Vice President of Marketing
[Jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com](mailto:jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com)





STELLA Automotive AI, provider of high-end conversational AI technology, has named Stephen Brown as Chief Technology Officer, a newly created role for the company.  

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STELLA™ Automotive AI appoints Stephen Brown as Chief Technology Officer

“I’m geeking out with Eric Painter & Brandi Counter on this tech from STELLA Automotive AI that stops callers from waiting on hold when they call your dealership!” – Jennier Suzuki, President of eDealer Solutions. 

Listen in to this episode of DealerTalk with Jennifer Suzuki. Meet Eric Painter and Brandi Counter, both highly experienced working in dealerships and with the tools dealers use to lock-in great client experiences, stay efficient, and improve ROI!

Answering phones while trying to manage customers is a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be!  Tune in to learn how STELLA is helping dealerships answer more phone calls, schedule more appointments and increase CSI scores!

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Dealership Advisors Open Up About Advanced Tech Handling Service & Sales Calls

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Can AI improve the Human to Human Customer Experience? 
Listen to the FIXED OPS- Dare to Dream industry experts panel to hear what they have to say. Josselyn Boudett, CEO and Founder, STELLA Automotive AI; Shaun "Kniff" Kniffin, Germain Motor Company; Ed Roberts, Bozard Ford Lincoln and Ted Ings discuss Conversational AI and how it improves the Human to Human customer experience. 


How Conversational AI improves the Human to Human Customer Experience. 


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FIXED OPS Roundtable- Dare to Dream

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Meet Josselyn Boudett, the Founder and CEO of STELLA. She is an OG of AI and after years of experience with the largest companies developing AI, she custom built AI for car dealerships to solve some of their biggest challenges. Tech is evolving and allowing for efficiencies that save in expenses, assist with consistencies and ensure customers are being served immediately. Is AI right for your dealership? Will it elevate your service and sales experiences, revenue and CSI? 🤔 Listen in and see what you think! The consumer gripes are real and holding or pressing a bunch of buttons is old school now. Integrated with CDK, XTime, Affinitiv, MyKarma, Dealer Socket and Techion…more on the way! Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 800-625-1590 | edealersolutions.com.

Is AI right for your dealership? Will it elevate your service and sales experiences, revenue and CSI?  Listen in and see what you think!

Do Best Service & Sales Experiences Include AI? 

Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki and Josselyn Boudett.mp4

## Michael Vandemark and Patrick Jones both joining as Director of Logistics.  

**Tampa, Florida – November 4, 2022** -- STELLA Automotive AI, provider of high-end conversational AI technology, announced that Michael Vandemark and Patrick Jones have joined the Sales team in Director of Logistics roles.  

Patrick Jones entered the automotive business in 2012 and spent 8 years at an automotive group working his way up through multiple levels of sales, internet, inventory, and management. Patrick moved to the vendor side in 2020 and worked in SaaS sales in the fixed ops area before joining STELLA AI. 

Michael Vandemark has worked in the Automotive industry for 29 years, gaining experience in dealer operations, technology implementation, process changes, and customer-focused market share growth. Michael is passionate about advancing both the customer experience and dealership profits. Mike has worked at Cox Automotive, Ally Financial, CarGurus, and has 14 years of retail experience under his belt. 

“Patrick and Michael are among the most dealer-focused professionals in our industry. Their combined expertise with dealership service management will leap frog our business into the future,” says Sherri Eidenberg.  

For more information about how the STELLA AI digital voice assistant can empower your dealership, please contact us at [STELLA Automotive AI](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/speedoflife) or 727-955-3550. 

**About STELLA Automotive AI**
[STELLA Automotive AI](www.stellaautomotive.com) helps dealers with a major pain point which is answering telephones. STELLA AI is trained to deliver exceptional customer experiences through consistent branding, flawless dialogs, and the collection of essential data. With STELLA AI, dealers free up staff to focus on sales and in-dealership service while STELLA AI handles inbound calls, answers questions, finds and books appointments and takes messages. With a U.S. headquarters in Tampa, Florida, STELLA AI is powered by Telepathy Labs, Inc, a world-class AI technology provider. For more information, visit our [website](www.stellaautomotive.com), like us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Stella.Automotive), [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/company/stella-automotive-ai/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/StellaforAuto), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftR0XbhcnkHMCKVt5yZIUw), or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stella.automotive/). 


**For Media Inquiries, contact:**
Jennifer Sanford
Vice President of Marketing
[Jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com](mailto:jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com)




Michael Vandemark and Patrick Jones both joining as Director of Logistics.  

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STELLA™ Automotive AI account services team grows with customer growth

## Joshua Capps to lead growing team.  Noah Pollack promoted to Technical Support Manager.

**Tampa, Florida – November 2, 2022** -- STELLA Automotive AI, provider of high-end conversational AI technology, announced the expansion of the operations team with the promotion of Joshua Capps as its new Director and Noah Pollack as Technical Support Manager.  

Joshua Capps, originally hired as Director of Logistics, made an immediate impact with his project management and dealership operations skills.  As the need to scale our onboarding and customer management process arose, Josh brought ideas and execution to the forefront. Josh came to STELLA AI from Cox Automotive and LivePerson where he led teams and assisted the Product team in optimizing the dealer experience and customer satisfaction.  
 
Noah Pollack has been promoted from Dealer Enablement Associate to Technical Support Manager.  In this role, he will develop sustainable and scalable support systems for our dealership clients.

“Demand for STELLA AI continues to climb.  As we expand, it is critical to have a capable and experienced leader like Joshua in place to scale our operations.  I am delighted to see Joshua and Noah grow into these roles to assist our customers and internal teams,” says Sherri Eidenberg. 

For more information about how the STELLA AI digital voice assistant can empower your dealership, please contact us at [STELLA Automotive AI](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/speedoflife) or 727-955-3550. 

**About STELLA Automotive AI**
[STELLA Automotive AI](www.stellaautomotive.com) helps dealers with a major pain point which is answering telephones. STELLA AI is trained to deliver exceptional customer experiences through consistent branding, flawless dialogs, and the collection of essential data. With STELLA AI, dealers free up staff to focus on sales and in-dealership service while STELLA AI handles inbound calls, answers questions, finds and books appointments and takes messages. With a U.S. headquarters in Tampa, Florida, STELLA AI is powered by Telepathy Labs, Inc, a world-class AI technology provider. For more information, visit our [website](www.stellaautomotive.com), like us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Stella.Automotive), [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/company/stella-automotive-ai/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/StellaforAuto), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftR0XbhcnkHMCKVt5yZIUw), or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stella.automotive/). 


**For Media Inquiries, contact:**
Jennifer Sanford
Vice President of Marketing
[Jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com](mailto:jennifer.sanford@stellaautomotive.com)




Joshua Capps to lead growing team.  Noah Pollack promoted to Technical Support Manager.

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STELLA™ Automotive AI expands operations team

[Originally seen on Auto Success magazine](https://www.autosuccessonline.com/tackling-the-dilemma-of-automotive-service-scheduling-calls-part-2/)

**By: Jennifer Sanford**
Jennifer Sanford is the vice president of marketing and industry relations at Telepathy Labs for STELLA Automotive.

In [Part 1](https://www.stellaautomotive.com/news/auto-success-september), we reviewed the areas where current auto dealership internet voice response (IVR) phone systems and business development center (BDC) staffing are falling short when compared to vehicle owners’ needs. Complicating things further, dealership employee turnover is about 46%. Turnover costs are roughly $5,000 for each hourly worker. Assuming a dealership has 10 BDC team members earning $15/hour, annual turnover runs $25,000 at a minimum. This doesn’t include training costs for each new employee or the cost of management time for ongoing recruitment needs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 3.5% unemployment rate for July 2022. Individuals are entertaining multiple employment options, making it difficult to maintain smooth, consistent BDC operations.

**Appointment Scheduling Process**
When humans handle inbound calls, there are three potential pitfalls: 

**1. Professionalism-** To guarantee that all inbound calls are handled professionally and accurately, managers must provide training or hire consultants to work with their teams on a regular basis. With high turnover, management focuses on new hires, limiting the opportunity to cultivate and develop higher-performing employees.  

**2. Customer Experience Consistency-** Customers experience a car dealership’s brand in many ways. Marketing and customer support, therefore, must align. This requires that all teams are in sync so that the marketed value proposition mirrors the actual customer experience.

**3. Time Needed to Handle the Call-** The average inbound caller to a car dealership experiences a wait time of two minutes and 15 seconds during the call — usually when being transferred. As each minute passes, callers are more and more likely to hang up — and report a negative review. Handle time is a term used to measure the actual time needed to process a caller’s needs. As with hold times, lengthy handle times create frustrated customers. The typical service scheduler must complete the following steps to confirm a service appointment:
**1. Answer call**
**2. Access service scheduler** 
**3. Ask name** 
**4. Ask vehicle** 
**5. Ask for the service needed**
**6. Negotiate appointment time**
**7. Confirm appointment** 


**What Can Dealerships Do?**
The perfect scenario is for humans to answer calls and route them to service managers to book appointments. Unfortunately, this isn’t consistent. Callers suffer long waits and poor customer service, in addition to leaving voicemails in lieu of setting a service appointment. A backup or replacement to human engagement for inbound calls is optimal. The primary solution is the use of AI-enabled digital voice assistants. 

Current digital voice assistants are limited in their processing ability to hold conversations and reach objectives. When enabled with real, multi-intelligent AI systems, a digital voice assistant can resolve problems and manage routine or repetitious tasks. This enables employees to focus on more complex work assignments, such as business development. Managers can invest in high-performing employees, improving retention while confident that the AI software is managing tedious, repetitive calls. Additionally, AI-enabled conversational assistants work 24/7/365, guaranteeing that calls are answered and handled on nights, weekends and holidays.

A typical service scheduling call for a conversational AI platform takes two minutes, not four, because it simultaneously accesses both the customer’s records and the scheduling calendar. Each call is handled the same, guaranteeing professional and branding consistency. It can be used as an employee back-up or as the first touch with inbound service calls.

Dealership benefits include increased appointments and fewer voicemail messages. Businesses using third-party BDC companies have seen their bills decrease as teams focus on outbound calls. 

In summary, dealerships are facing a multitude of obstacles with managing their customers’ phone experience. Among all of the options available, a smart, multi-intelligent AI platform is finally ready to help dealers optimize both their customers’ time and their staff’s productivity. 



A multi-intelligent AI platform can help dealers optimize both their customers’ time and their staff’s productivity.

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Auto Success September - Tackling The Dilemma of Service Scheduling Calls, Part 2

[Originally seen on Auto Success magazine](https://www.autosuccessonline.com/tackling-the-dilemma-of-automotive-service-scheduling-calls-part-1/)

**By: Jennifer Sanford**
Jennifer Sanford is the vice president of marketing and industry relations at Telepathy Labs for STELLA Automotive.

The current automotive service scheduling experience is failing vehicle owners. Over 80% of service appointments are scheduled by phone, even though most dealerships offer online service schedulers. Unfortunately, appointment scheduling processes are inconsistent, increasing customer frustration. 

I decided to dig into this further to determine where the process is broken and what, if anything, can be done about it. It became clear that the telephone methods currently used to book appointments suffer from numerous challenges. These unique challenges include phone systems, staffing models and appointment scheduling processes. In this article, we’ll examine the issues facing phone systems in automotive dealerships. We’ll dive into the other challenges in subsequent articles.

**Phone Systems**
Most businesses have a basic Internet Voice Response (IVR) phone system. In some dealerships, it is used as a back-up for receptionists, answering every inbound call. An IVR is an efficient and practical solution only if it:

**1.** Contains less than five menu options
**2.** Can transfer to a live human
**3.** Offers an opt-out to reach an actual receptionist if needed


Some IVR systems have as many as nine options, even though most people can’t remember more than four at a time. An IVR system simplifies the process of reaching the right person only if that person is available. IVRs cannot offer other solutions if someone is unavailable or a method to even return to the original menu options. Callers experiencing high-priority issues need the option to speak to an employee fast. Many IVRs prevent callers from reaching a human and do not include an opt-out option. About a third of callers never even accomplish their intended call objectives. Call abandonment can occur at several places throughout the process and, unfortunately, leaving a voicemail does not help. 

**Staffing Models**
Dealership owners know that people prefer to speak with live representatives, so most use some form of person-to-person experience as the initial point of customer contact, including:

**1. Receptionist:** A receptionist is usually the first touchpoint for inbound callers, but they work standard hours and are limited to one call at a time.

**2. Internal BDC:** BDC management models differ based on the dealership or group’s size. Compensation typically includes a base salary and split commission for appointments that show. When BDCs are responsible for handling inbound calls, then up to 80% of the staff’s time is spent handling those calls. Making outbound calls designed to generate new business becomes secondary. Peak times for inbound calls must be staffed accordingly. It’s no wonder that industry averages indicate that only a quarter of BDC calls result in hard appointments when BDC teams don’t have time to make those calls.

**3. Third-party BDC:** Third-party BDCs help generate new business and can also be deployed to handle incoming calls. While rates vary, all external BDCs have variable per-minute fees, which can become incredibly expensive for scheduling oil change appointments.

Many dealerships have IVR systems as back-ups but as noted above, that is a conditionally acceptable option. 

Current IVR phone systems and staffing models fall short of addressing the issue — customers want someone to answer the phone who understands their questions and addresses their needs. Fortunately, a truly conversational AI platform does both! These are just two of the areas of opportunity for automotive dealerships today. In part two of this article series, we’ll discuss employee turnover, appointment setting processes and recommendations for your store.



Most appointment scheduling processes are inconsistent, increasing customer frustration. What can be done about it?

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STELLA in the news

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