Ted (ActivEngage): Turning Millions of Dealer Conversations into Better Car-Buying Experiences
Who he is: Ted, Executive Chairman and founder of ActivEngage, has nearly three decades in automotive—starting from washing cars to leading e-commerce at AutoNation—and has built one of the industry’s most trusted managed messaging platforms. His team powers chat, text, social messaging (and even calls in some cases) for dealerships, OEMs, and marketplaces—running 24/7 and training agents on millions of real conversations to deliver faster, more empathetic customer experiences.
Why he matters: ActivEngage effectively defined the modern “managed chat for dealers” space. By combining purpose-built software with a trained human team, Ted helps dealerships of every size increase response speed, cut staffing complexity, and guide shoppers with empathy through high-stakes decisions like service appointments and vehicle purchases.
5 Key Takeaways from this Episode:
Managed service first, software second: ActivEngage launched as a managed service to guarantee quality, training, and oversight—then productized the software for broader use.
Humans > chatbots (for now): Bots assist internally, but consumers “absolutely prefer” real people for nuanced, high-value conversations; response time in seconds keeps shoppers engaged.
Economies of scale for dealers: 24/7 coverage in-house requires multiple hires and constant training; sharing a specialized team delivers better coverage at lower cost.
Data-driven improvement: Millions of chats are analyzed daily for topics, satisfaction, and consistency—insights that refine training and (carefully) power AI assistance behind the scenes.
Omnichannel, end-to-end support: From dealership and OEM sites to marketplaces like AutoTrader, ActivEngage helps shoppers compare vehicles, check availability, and even navigate digital retailing tools (e.g., Roadster, Darwin, Cox Accelerate).
Watch the full interview now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVMT7239fAA
Memorable Quote:
People absolutely prefer, you know, live communication with a real person.”