In this episode, Laurent Cochet interviews Muhammed Saleeq, co-founder and CEO of Lokam, about how AI is transforming automotive retail through innovative voice AI solutions. They explore the company's journey, technological insights, and future plans for scaling impactful AI-driven dealership solutions.

key topics

AI transformation in automotive retail

Lokam's voice AI platform and its impact

Customer sentiment analysis and proactive engagement

Challenges in scaling AI solutions in dealerships

Trust and transparency in AI customer interactions

Early validation and growth metrics for AI products

Industry shift towards AI adoption in automotive

key frameworks

Customer Sentiment Analysis

Trust and Transparency in AI

action items

Build trust through transparency and honest communication with customers

Focus on outcome-driven product development

Leverage domain expertise to stand out in automotive retail

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI Interconnect and Guest

944:21:25 Guest background and journey to founding Lokam

3777:41:38 Saleeq's transition from automotive engineering to AI

7583:15:23 What Lokam does for automotive dealerships

10777:42:23 Economic impact of unsold showroom leads and repair orders

12249:55:51 Handling genuinely unhappy customers with AI

14583:15:55 Lessons learned from building Lokam

16555:29:22 Collecting honest customer sentiments effectively

199444:23:00 Transparency and trust in AI customer calls

220833:16:35 Detecting customer frustration levels with AI

243888:50:07 Data privacy and guardrails in AI interactions

251666:36:49 Early validation and scaling success

290277:43:51 Key outcomes and future growth plans

332777:44:22 Timeframe for dealership onboarding

361944:24:42 Proving impact on sales and retention

391111:05:00 Industry challenges and technological shifts

408055:31:46 Building trust in automotive retail with AI

455833:19:10 Scaling and future ambitions

495277:46:14 Expanding international reach and resources

514444:26:25 Transforming dealership-customer relationships

545555:33:20 Advice for founders entering relationship-driven industries

577222:13:20 Lessons for young entrepreneurs and risk-taking

596666:40:00 Closing remarks and contact information

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammed-saleeq/

keywords

AI, automotive retail, voice AI, customer experience, dealership automation, Locam, entrepreneurship, technology scaling, Muhammed Saleeq, Lokam.ai, dealership voice AI, automotive artificial intelligence, AI for car dealerships, automotive retail technology, dealership follow-up automation, unsold showroom follow-up, dealership customer retention, service customer follow-up, AI BDC, conversational AI for dealerships, automotive sales automation, dealership sentiment analysis, dealership CSI improvement,

#AIInterConnect, #AIInterConnectPodcast, #MuhammedSaleeq, #LokamAI, #Lokam, #FounderPodcast,

#AutomotiveAI, #DealershipAI, #VoiceAI, #ConversationalAI,

Muhammed Saleeq, Co-Founder and CEO of Lokam.ai, joins AI InterConnect to explain how dealership voice AI can recover lost vehicle sales, identify unhappy service customers, and improve customer retention without adding headcount.

Muhammed shares how a frustrating service call involving his father inspired Lokam, why transparent AI conversations outperform impersonal surveys, and how the platform follows up with unsold showroom visitors and service customers at scale. He also discusses dealership trust, branded caller ID, sentiment detection, measurable ROI, vertical AI expertise, and Lokam’s goal of supporting 250 dealerships over the next 12 months.

Discover why successful automotive AI must fit real dealership operations, how Lokam answers concerns about customers speaking with AI, and what founders entering relationship-driven industries should learn about trust and execution.