OEMs are investing in demand generation like never before — high-intent leads, strong brand presence, and digital funnels are at record highs. Yet conversions still break down at the dealership end, where response times, inventory realities, and execution discipline vary widely. The result: OEMs lose visibility at the most crucial stage of the journey.
To understand how OEMs can keep their customer journey smooth and seamless right from click to delivery, we had a word with Akash Jaiswal from Spyne. He heads strategic partnerships and helps automotive brands unify their workflows, increase conversions, and build predictable sales pipelines. His perspective showcases why dealer visibility is now a real challenge.
Keep reading to explore his insights.
Q1. OEMs often invest heavily in lead generation and brand visibility, but conversions slow down at the dealership end. From your perspective, what are the biggest reasons OEMs lose visibility after a lead is forwarded to dealers?
Once a lead is handed over, tracking often breaks. Dealer systems are not always updated in real time, follow-ups vary by person and region, and OEM dashboards don’t always reflect actual progress. Without visibility into what’s happening after the handoff, OEMs cannot guide the sale or fix early gaps.
Q2. Dealer follow-up quality and sales velocity vary widely across regions. What changes should the OEMs implement to create a consistent customer journey throughout their network?
Consistency has to be designed into a process. OEMs are supposed to adhere to clear follow-up standards, streamline workflows, provide regular team training, and provide tools that will help dealers stay focused and disciplined. The overall goal is quite simple: no matter where a customer shows up, they should be able to experience the same level of service and brand promise.
–Akash Jaiswal, Partnerships, Spyne
Q3. When OEMs lack real-time insights into dealer pipelines, early opportunities are missed. How can centralized visibility help OEMs identify interventions faster?
Centralized monitoring helps OEMs see where movement has slowed — whether it’s a follow-up gap, a training need, or a stock mismatch. Early detection allows early support. If OEMs can spot a pattern today instead of next month, they can act before the opportunity disappears.
Q4. Today’s buyers expect faster responses and instant clarity. What role can connected OEM–dealer workflows play in reducing drop-offs and improving booking-to-delivery conversion?
Connected workflows create speed. When systems are synced — inventory, CRM, communication — customers get answers immediately instead of waiting hours or days. Conversational AI also plays a strong role here by handling first contact, qualifying interest, and getting the customer into the dealer’s hands faster. The more consistent the journey, the fewer drop-offs.
Q5. Going forward, which strengths should OEMs focus on growing their networks in 2026?
OEMs that seamlessly connect dealer data, streamline follow-ups, and utilise predictive insights will scale faster. Unified CRM-DMS pipelines show where the real opportunities are. Automation keeps every lead nurtured. Predictive analytics will help in sharpening targets, combine consistent and faster workflows, and enable the network to close more sales.
Wrapping Up
Strong brand visibility alone no longer guarantees sales success. OEMs must extend operational visibility all the way to the retail floor — where buyers decide. As Akash Jaiswal notes, growth in 2026 will depend on networks that communicate in real time, respond quickly, and treat every lead as a shared responsibility. Unifying systems and workflows is how OEMs move from generating demand to converting demand — consistently, at a scale.