Buyer checklist
AI receptionist buyer checklist for car dealerships.
22 questions to ask any AI phone agent before you sign, grouped by what matters on a dealership phone line. Print it for your next vendor call. No email needed.
The checklist at a glance
Seven things to check before you sign.
Open the image full size to read every line. The full question list is below, and the PDF carries the same 22 questions, ready to print.
The full checklist
22 questions, grouped by theme.
Ask every vendor the same questions and get the answers in writing. The line after each question says why it matters. Where Cleo has a published result or behavior, it is marked as a Cleo example, labeled by store and date range.
After-hours and overflow coverage
1. Which hours and days does it answer, including nights, weekends and holidays?
Why it matters: A call that reaches voicemail after close can be a lost appointment. Coverage only counts when it is live while your team is not.
2. Does it answer on the first ring, or only after your phones ring out? Who controls that setting?
Why it matters: Overflow set-ups differ. Ask how many rings pass before it picks up, and whether you can change that yourself.
3. Can it take many calls at the same time, such as Monday morning or the day after a recall notice?
Why it matters: If callers queue behind one line, you have rebuilt the missed call you were trying to remove.
Booking into your service scheduler
4. Which scheduler does it book into, and does it create the appointment or only leave staff a message?
Why it matters: A message still needs a callback. Only a booked appointment removes the work.
5. Does it read the open times from your scheduler before it offers one?
Why it matters: Offering a time that does not exist creates double-bookings and apology calls.
6. Does it tell the caller they are booked only after the scheduler accepts the booking?
Why it matters: A caller told “you’re all set” after a failed booking arrives to find no slot.
7. Can it find the caller and their vehicle, and match the request to a service your scheduler lists?
Why it matters: Booking in free text makes your advisors re-key the work and guess the service.
8. Can it move or cancel an existing appointment, or only create new ones?
Why it matters: Customers also call to change appointments. Ask which changes it can finish and which it hands to staff.
Cleo and Xtime →Cleo and Dealer-FX →Cleo and CDK or Tekion →
Handoff to staff and callbacks
9. When a person is needed, can it transfer the call live to the right department and number?
Why it matters: A caller who asks for a manager, parts or sales should never meet a dead end.
10. If nobody answers or no time is open, does it create a callback task with the details it collected?
Why it matters: Your team should not have to ask the caller to repeat everything.
11. Can you set which calls go to people, by department, topic or hours?
Why it matters: The right rules differ for service, sales and parts, and they change with staffing.
Call recordings and reporting
12. Can you listen to the recording and read the transcript of every call?
Why it matters: You cannot coach, fix or settle a complaint about a call you cannot hear.
13. Does reporting keep answered calls, booked appointments, transfers and callbacks separate, with dates?
Why it matters: Blended counts overstate results. Separate outcomes show what calls became.
14. Does it report appointments booked, or appointments completed and revenue? How is each defined?
Why it matters: A booked appointment is not a completed visit. Ask which one the number means.
Setup time
15. How long from signing to answering live calls, and what do you need to provide?
Why it matters: A slow launch delays the benefit. Ask for a dated plan, not a range.
16. Who connects the scheduler and sets service rules, hours and escalation numbers, and who changes them later?
Why it matters: Rules change with staffing and promotions. If every change is a ticket, calls drift out of date.
Pricing model
17. How is the price built: a flat monthly fee, per minute, per call, per booked appointment, or a mix?
Why it matters: Each structure behaves differently when call volume swings.
18. What happens above the included volume, and is there a setup fee or a minimum term?
Why it matters: The headline price may not be the whole bill in a busy month.
19. Is the price per rooftop or for the group, and what does it include, such as the scheduler connection, support and changes?
Why it matters: Two quotes are only comparable once they cover the same things.
Data and privacy
20. How are recordings and transcripts stored, who can access them, and how long are they kept?
Why it matters: Calls hold names, numbers, vehicles and sometimes payment details.
21. How does it handle caller notice and consent for recorded calls in your state?
Why it matters: Recording rules differ by state. Confirm the vendor’s approach with your own counsel.
22. Can you export your call data, and what happens to it if you leave?
Why it matters: You should know the way out before you sign.
Xtime, Dealer-FX, CDK and Tekion are trademarks of their owners. Cleo is an independent vendor. This page implies no partnership, certification or endorsement beyond what the linked pages state. Cleo examples are one dealership’s results, not a promise of yours.
Stevens Creek Subaru · real dealership results
What answered calls became at one Cleo dealership.
1,678
Calls answered, Sept 21 to Oct 20, 2026
447
Booking-outcome calls in the same 30 days
30
Booked while closed, same 30 days
A booking-outcome call ended as a scheduled appointment in Cleo’s call log. It is not a completed appointment or revenue. Stevens Creek Subaru books into OCAS. These are one dealership’s results, not a promise of yours.
El Cerrito Honda · Xtime
In a separate 30 days (Cleo dashboard, rolling 30 days captured September 26, 2026), Cleo answered 633 calls and booked 112 service appointments directly into Xtime, 34 of them while the dealership was closed.
Real customer call · 1:27
Real customer call. Cleo, answering as “Jen”, is the original recording. The caller’s voice is recreated for privacy and their name is removed.
Keep reading
Go deeper on the questions that matter most.
Scheduler guides
How Cleo books into each scheduler, step by step.
Compare and cost
How to compare AI voice assistants side by side, and what the price should cover.
Real results
The Stevens Creek Subaru story, with the counts and how they were measured.
Scheduler names are trademarks of their owners. Cleo is an independent vendor. Each guide states exactly what its scheduler listing or connection does and does not mean.
FAQ
Still have questions?
How do I choose an AI receptionist for a car dealership?
Check seven things: how much of the day it covers, whether it books into your service scheduler, how it hands off to staff, what recordings and reporting you get, how fast it goes live, how the price is built, and how it handles data. Ask each vendor the same questions and get the answers in writing. The checklist on this page has 22.
What is a good first question to ask an AI phone agent vendor?
Does an AI receptionist need to connect to my service scheduler?
How long should it take to set up an AI receptionist?
Contact
Book a demo with your checklist in hand.
See how Cleo would answer your service calls and book into your scheduler, day or night, then ask us anything on the list.
