# Revolutionizing Car Dealerships with AI: The Toma Journey

**Toma’s AI voice agents have dramatically transformed how car dealerships operate, showcasing the power of innovation to enhance customer experience and streamline operations. The startup’s remarkable journey, culminating in $17 million in funding from a16z, serves as a compelling case study in adaptability and perseverance.**

## The Genesis of Change

When Monik Pamecha and Anthony Krivonos co-founded Toma, an AI voice startup, in early 2024, they aimed to carve a niche in banking and healthcare. However, the real breakthrough happened unexpectedly when car dealerships became their call of duty.

“They just called us up and said, ‘we are drowning in phone calls,’” Pamecha recounted, highlighting the genesis of Toma’s pivotal pivot in a TechCrunch interview.

Faced with inundated phone lines, dealerships presented a unique opportunity. Unlike the heavily regulated spaces of banking and healthcare, the car dealership sector offered an open field ripe for innovation. Realizing this, Pamecha and Krivonos decided to conduct a nationwide test by having their AI agents make multiple calls to dealerships, only to discover that calls were answered just 45% of the time.

## On the Ground Experience

Embodying the spirit of innovation requires more than just technological prowess; it demands empathy and understanding. Pamecha and Krivonos embodied this by venturing into the world of car dealerships, spending a summer amidst the heart of the industry.

Their journey took them across Oklahoma and Mississippi, immersing themselves in the daily grind of car dealerships—a move reminiscent of a modern-day “Tommy Boy.” The real-world insights they gained were invaluable. Pamecha’s description of his grease-stained clothes and awkward yet charming interactions during home-cooked meals paints a picture of dedication and genuine engagement.

Seema Amble, a partner at a16z, which led Toma’s $17 million funding round, remarked on this hands-on approach: “No pun intended,” she noted, “they were effectively living at these dealerships, going to these dealers’ family barbecues, really understanding how they operate.”

### Building Bonds and Business

The insights gathered during this immersive experience were instrumental in refining Toma’s AI voice agents. Pamecha and Krivonos’ commitment didn’t stop at understanding the technical problems; they forged personal connections that influenced their strategic direction.

The result was a solution that could manage scheduling, handle parts orders, and respond to sales inquiries with remarkable efficiency. The proof of their success lies in the fact that Toma’s technology is now employed in over 100 dealerships nationwide.

## The Learning Curve

The journey to transforming car dealership operations with AI offers several critical lessons in innovation and entrepreneurship:

1. **Identifying Opportunities in Challenges:**
– The shift from banking and healthcare to car dealerships highlights the importance of flexibility in business strategy.
– Toma’s approach allowed the company to pivot when they recognized an open opportunity in a sector desperate for change.

2. **Empathy Drives Innovation:**
– Pamecha and Krivonos’ decision to delve deep into the car dealership environment provided them with a real-world understanding that no data set could capture.
– Building true empathy with clients led to a dedicated product offering that addressed their critical pain points.

3. **Adaptation and Continuous Learning:**
– With each call and customer interaction, Toma’s AI continues to learn, adapt, and improve, showcasing the dynamic nature of AI-driven solutions.
– The continuous feedback loop established with dealerships ensures that the system stays relevant and effective.

### Standardizing Success

The ability to handle fluctuating call volumes and customer inquiries effectively is a revolutionary change for dealerships. Yossi Levi, an industry influencer, stated, “It ebbs and flows. AI has provided an opportunity for dealers to really standardize that process and deliver a richer customer experience that is consistent.”

Consistency in customer service, once an elusive goal for dealerships, is now becoming an attainable reality thanks to AI.

## When Connectivity Breeds Success

While Toma’s success story might sound like a tale of advanced machine learning, it’s deeply rooted in something far more human—connection. This narrative underscores how bridging technological solutions with personal engagement can drive transformative results.

**How do you ensure your product truly resonates with your customers? Where might deeper empathy and engagement lead your business today?**

Reflecting on Toma’s journey, it becomes clear that the heart of any successful venture lies in connecting with and understanding the people who will actually use the product. As Pamecha eloquently summarized: “It has been one of the best experiences of my life. I feel like we’ve all become friends, and I think it all comes from a place of like, feeling their pain. I think they see that we feel the pain, too.”

Toma’s story encourages us to rethink how we approach challenges and opportunities. Could your business be just one innovation away from a breakthrough? The answer may lie in the unexpected call that leads you to new frontiers, much like those Toma answered and embraced.