John Starks Kia

John Starks Kia turned missed leads into more engagement with TECOBI

At John Starks Kia, a steady stream of inbound leads made consistent follow-up difficult. TECOBI helped the team engage prospects 24/7, keep conversations moving, and route qualified leads to the right people so staff could focus on buyers who were ready to talk.

Customer story video

John Starks Kia customer story video

Damian Corbett, general sales manager at John Starks Kia, explains how TECOBI helped the dealership improve lead follow-up, engage prospects 24/7, and create a smoother handoff from AI to the sales team.

The operating challenge

Too many leads, not enough time

John Starks Kia in Queens, New York sells about 90 cars per month with a team of nine salespeople and one BDC agent. The dealership was receiving roughly 600 to 700 leads each month, which made consistent follow-up difficult using traditional processes. Damian Corbett, the general sales manager, said leads were often not worked past the first day.

About 90 cars sold per month
9 salespeople and 1 BDC agent
600–700 leads monthly
Follow-up often dropped off after day one

Why they chose TECOBI

A system built to keep working after hours

John Starks Kia chose TECOBI to create a more reliable follow-up process and keep engaging leads around the clock. Damian said the team was drawn to the consistent outreach and service, including TECOBI continuing to follow up after first reaching out more than a year earlier.

24/7 lead engagement
Consistent outreach over time
AI-powered first response
Responsive support team

Human handoff and visibility

AI for first touch, people for the close

TECOBI changed how the dealership handled inbound leads. The bot manages initial engagement and simple questions, while the BDC agent, managers, and salespeople step in when a conversation is ready for a human. Damian said that balance matters because it lets the team focus on engaged customers instead of spending all day on first-touch follow-up.

AI handles initial engagement
Simple yes-or-no questions can get immediate answers
Complex questions stay with the team
Sales staff focus on engaged leads

Business impact

Stronger engagement, better results

Damian said TECOBI has led to significant improvements in appointments and sales, and the team has even identified some ‘TECOBI deals’ tied to the platform’s engagement. He also said the app was easy for the staff to use across devices, which helped adoption. On top of that, he praised the active Facebook group and TECOBI team for being helpful and responsive, including outside normal business hours.

More appointments
More sales
Some deals attributed to TECOBI
Easy adoption across devices
Helpful support and community

Put the pattern to work

Turn customer follow-up into an operating system, not another task list.

The stores above did not win by asking people to click more reminders. They created a structure where AI maintains coverage, managers retain visibility, and salespeople step in when a customer is ready for a real conversation.