An AI agent for a car dealership that gets «how much?» on Instagram

The short answer. A dealership needs an agent that answers the price question from the published list in seconds, then asks the question that sells the car: which showroom, which day? Helm builds and runs that workflow on Instagram and WhatsApp. Instalments, trade-ins and fleet deals go to a named person.

The question under every reel

«How much?» is the most common comment a car brand gets, and the one it answers worst. We counted a national car distributor with over a million followers. The median reply to a customer question was 17.9 hours, and 65% of the questions arrived after hours. A multi-showroom dealer's own sell page shows an 18-hour average team reply.

Eighteen hours later, the person who asked has already visited a competitor's showroom. The price was never a secret. It's on the list. What the buyer wanted was a reason to come in.

What the agent finishes

1. Price and finance from the published list, then the visit. The agent gives the list price and the published finance terms for the exact model and trim, then asks which showroom and which day. It offers a test-drive slot and holds it.
2. Test-drive and service confirmations on WhatsApp. The visit is confirmed, a reminder goes out the day before, and the booking moves when the customer's plans change.
3. After-sales and parts status. The service ticket, the part on order, the pickup time, answered without anyone at the service desk picking up the phone.

What it never does

The dealership signs these before the build:

• It never computes an instalment. Finance terms come from the published table. A personal calculation goes to a person.
• It never confirms stock it can't see.
• It hands trade-ins and fleet enquiries to a named rep, with the conversation attached.

These limits are what make it safe to switch on. A dealership's real risk isn't a slow reply. It's a wrong number given confidently.

Instagram first, WhatsApp to finish

The question arrives as a comment or a DM. The agent answers there and moves the buyer to WhatsApp for the booking, because the confirmation, the reminder and the reschedule all need a channel the customer checks. Every showroom shares one number. Each showroom gets its own calendar and its own queue.

The number to judge it by

Showroom visits booked from price questions, per model. That number shows which reels produce buyers. Reply speed matters only because it drives visits.

What to send to start

The price list and the showrooms: models, trims, published finance terms, addresses, opening hours. A first workflow is typically live within five working days of receiving them. Connecting to a DMS or a stock feed is scoped separately. The automotive page shows the desk answering a price question and booking the visit.