How Toma's AI Voice Agents Revolutionize Car Dealerships

When Monik Pamecha and Anthony Krivonos co-founded Toma in early 2024, their initial focus was on banking and healthcare sectors. However, an unexpected surge of interest from car dealerships shifted their trajectory dramatically. Dealers overwhelmed by incoming calls sought Toma’s AI voice technology to manage customer interactions more efficiently.

The founders conducted a nationwide test, calling nearly every dealership multiple times, and discovered calls were answered only 45% of the time. This insight prompted them to hit the road, touring dealerships across Oklahoma and Mississippi to gain firsthand understanding of dealership operations and culture.

This immersive approach paid off. Beyond winning customers, Pamecha and Krivonos built genuine relationships, sharing meals and experiences with dealers. Such deep engagement allowed them to tailor their AI voice agent to meet the unique needs of dealerships, from scheduling service appointments to handling parts orders and sales inquiries.

Seema Amble, a16z partner and lead investor in Toma’s $17 million funding round, highlighted how the founders’ dedication to living and breathing dealership life set them apart. This hands-on customer empathy is a hallmark of successful vertical AI startups, enabling solutions that truly resonate with end users.

Toma’s AI voice agent is now deployed in over 100 dealerships nationwide. It undergoes an onboarding process where it trains on a dealer’s specific customer calls for one to two weeks, adapting to variations such as diesel engine servicing or unique promotions. The AI handles calls autonomously but intelligently hands off complex queries to human staff, learning continuously from these interactions.

Yossi Levi, known as the Car Dealership Guy and an investor in Toma, explains that dealerships face unpredictable call volumes, making staffing and training challenging. Toma’s AI provides a standardized, scalable solution that delivers consistent and enhanced customer experiences regardless of demand fluctuations.

Operating on a subscription model, Toma charges dealerships based on the AI’s capabilities and the extent of operations it manages. This flexible pricing aligns with the growing value the AI delivers as it takes on more complex tasks.

Reflecting on their journey, Pamecha credits the hands-on dealership experience as pivotal to Toma’s success, calling it one of the best experiences of his life. This story underscores the power of deep customer empathy combined with AI innovation to unlock new market opportunities.