The automotive industry in Mexico and Latin America faces a dual challenge: a shortage of human talent with digital sales and marketing skills, and high employee turnover in dealerships, which impacts operational efficiency.
This scenario makes it difficult to maintain an effective digital presence at a time when consumers demand omnichannel and personalized service around the clock. In fact, 71% of consumers expect dealerships to offer a personalized experience and want immediate, 24/7 access to information to compare options and make informed purchasing decisions [1].
In response, artificial intelligence (AI) tools—such as Biky and Keybe.ai—are emerging to automate digital sales and address the lack of qualified personnel.
Below, we explore the digital talent gap in Mexico versus the broader region, the impact of turnover in dealerships, the technical workings of AI solutions, automation trends through 2030, and insights from industry experts.
Digital Talent Shortage: Mexico vs. Latin America
Mexico and Latin America face a significant gap in digital professionals. According to ManpowerGroup, 71% of companies in Latin America reported a talent shortage in 2023, meaning 7 out of 10 employers struggle to find candidates with the necessary skills [2]. Mexico aligns with this trend, with around 69% of Mexican employers facing difficulties filling job vacancies that year [2]. This percentage places Mexico near the regional average, though below countries like Brazil (80%) and Argentina (78%), which lead the region in talent shortages [2].
The digital skills gap is particularly evident in sales and marketing roles within technology-driven environments. In highly digitalized industries such as automotive, the shortage of talent can be even greater. For instance, in Mexico, 80% of automotive companies report difficulties filling positions—one of the highest levels across sectors [3].
Within these companies, the hardest positions to fill are precisely in sales and marketing, along with technical areas like IT and data analytics [3]. This highlights a significant gap in digital talent focused on commercialization.
Various studies quantify this shortage. A Huawei/IDC report estimates that Latin America will need 2.5 million additional digital professionals over the next five years due to the rapid growth in technological demand outpacing supply [4]. Similarly, PageGroup has noted a nearly 50% deficit in professionals specializing in digital transformation across the region [5].
In summary, Mexico shares with its Latin American neighbors a labor market where the demand for digital skills—such as digital marketing, e-commerce, CRM, and data analytics—far exceeds the availability of qualified professionals.
This shortage directly impacts automotive dealerships, which now require personnel capable of managing digital tools, handling online leads, and providing customer service across multiple channels. If dealerships fail to attract this talent, they risk falling behind in an increasingly digital marketplace.
Impact of High Employee Turnover in Dealerships
In addition to the talent shortage, dealerships face another internal challenge: high employee turnover, particularly in sales roles. This phenomenon, often considered “normal” in the industry, carries hidden but significant costs. When a sales advisor or marketing executive leaves the dealership, the company loses: established customer relationships, accumulated knowledge of products and services, and the investment made in their training [6]. All these intangible assets walk out the door along with the employee.
The negative effects of high turnover in an automotive dealership include:
- Direct Costs of Replacement: Expenses related to recruitment, selection, and training of a new employee, in addition to the time the position remains vacant. It is estimated that replacing an employee can cost up to the equivalent of 24 months of their salary due to these processes [7].
- Loss of Productivity and Sales: While new employees reach full efficiency, the department’s overall performance declines. Tasks pile up, and sales opportunities may be lost due to a lack of timely follow-up [6]. A dealership with constant turnover sees its conversion rate compromised and struggles to consistently manage leads.
- Inconsistent Customer Experience: Frequent customers may perceive instability when dealing with different staff members each time. The departure of trusted employees can create distrust among some clients, impacting their loyalty to the dealership [6].
- Increased Workload and Burnout Among Remaining Staff: Employees who stay face a heavier workload and may feel demotivated as they see colleagues frequently leaving. This creates a less stable work environment and can trigger a cascade effect of more resignations if not properly managed [6].
According to a dealership management specialist, “high employee turnover generates a significant cost for dealerships,” impacting both profitability and internal morale [6]. Beyond the tangible costs, there are also intangible ones: the loss of company culture and process knowledge, as well as the impact on the internal value proposition—many employees leave due to leadership issues or unmet expectations [7].
For dealerships operating with tight margins, these costs directly affect commercial efficiency. Every new salesperson needs time to familiarize themselves with the vehicle catalog, financing policies, CRM systems, and more. This adaptation period is time during which sales may suffer. Therefore, retaining trained personnel is crucial; and when that fails, automating tasks and centralizing information become key strategies to mitigate the impact [6].
As a result, many dealerships are now turning to automation and AI as a way to reduce dependence on high turnover cycles, ensuring continuity in customer service despite staff changes.
How Do AI Tools Like Biky and Keybe.ai Work?
In response to the shortage of qualified personnel, AI-powered solutions aim to fill the gap by automating parts of the sales and customer service process. Biky—introduced as “the first AI-powered sales agent”—and the Keybe.ai platform offer virtual sales agents that operate 24/7. Unlike traditional chatbots with rigid responses, these AI-driven commercial assistants have “personalities” and advanced natural conversation capabilities [8].
Key Technical Features of These Tools:
- Natural Conversational Flows: Biky and similar AI agents are designed to maintain smooth, natural dialogues with customers, interpreting questions and providing relevant information about vehicles, promotions, financing, and more. They use Generative AI and deep learning models trained in natural language, delivering accurate responses with a tone that closely resembles human interaction [8].
For example, these AI agents can answer frequently asked questions but can also handle an entire sales conversation—from identifying customer needs and recommending models based on preferences to scheduling a test drive. They follow an adaptable script that mimics an experienced salesperson.
- 24/7 Availability and Omnichannel Support: Unlike human teams, which are limited to showroom hours, AI agents provide service at any time through multiple digital channels. Biky can interact via WhatsApp, Instagram Direct, Facebook Messenger, SMS, or web chat, integrating seamlessly with the messaging platforms preferred by customers.
This ensures that no lead arriving outside regular business hours goes unanswered. According to its creators, this continuous availability can triple sales conversions by capturing opportunities that would otherwise be lost during off-hours [9].
- Integration with CRM and Existing Systems: These AI tools don’t operate in isolation—they connect with the dealership’s digital ecosystem. Through APIs and connectors, Keybe/Biky integrates with leading CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), e-commerce platforms (Mercado Libre, Shopify, VTEX), ERPs, and other databases.
This means that when interacting with a customer, they can both register a lead automatically in the dealership’s CRM and retrieve information in real-time—for example, checking the availability of a specific model, quoting a used car based on its license plate, or accessing a customer’s history for a more personalized experience.
By connecting with the entire digital ecosystem, AI ensures seamless coordination with the sales team—for instance, assigning or notifying the right salesperson when a qualified lead is generated.
- Data Analytics and Learning: A crucial advantage of these tools is their ability to analyze interaction data to continuously improve and provide insights for management. Keybe.ai includes sentiment analysis modules in conversations (SmartChat) to measure customer satisfaction and tone in real-time [9].
Similarly, Biky “analyzes dealership operations and growth data,” generating reports on key metrics such as the number of leads handled, conversion rates by channel, and response times. Through machine learning, the system learns from each interaction, refining its responses and conversational flows. For example, it can identify frequently asked questions or common objections and proactively adjust scripts to address them.
This data-driven intelligence also enables personalized recommendations—AI can suggest accessories or financial services to customers based on their profiles by analyzing customer data and purchase history [8].
- Automation of Operational Tasks: Beyond conversations, an AI-powered sales assistant executes automated actions: scheduling showroom visits or test drives and sending reminders [8], following up after sales with courtesy messages or surveys, and even handling initial paperwork (such as pre-approving a loan by requesting the necessary information). All of this reduces the administrative workload for the human team.
As a Keybe executive states, the goal is to ensure that salespeople “don’t waste so much time on operational tasks and instead focus on closing deals,” dedicating their efforts to the critical stages of sales while AI filters and qualifies prospects [9].
- Enhanced Sales Performance: Combined, these capabilities mean an “AI agent” can perform as efficiently as a top-tier human salesperson—without breaks or oversights. In fact, implementations have shown remarkable improvements: around a 40% increase in commercial team efficiency and a 30% boost in sales conversion rates when adopting an AI sales assistant, all while ensuring instant customer service at all times [9].
And all of this happens “without losing the human touch your customers love,” as the AI has been trained to communicate warmly and empathetically [8]. This last point is crucial—far from being a rigid chatbot, Biky introduces itself with a name and personality (Biky Montes), even featuring an avatar to build trust. Some customers have engaged so much that they’ve sent poems and even offers to meet Biky, forgetting they’re interacting with AI [9]—a testament to how well the virtual experience has been humanized.
Digital Sales Automation: Trends Toward 2030
Looking ahead, the automation of digital sales and marketing will only accelerate through 2030, both globally and in Latin America. The convergence of more powerful AI, digitally native consumers, and the business need for efficiency points to several key trends:
- Dominance of AI in Customer Service: Various analysts predict that by 2030, most initial customer interactions will be managed by artificial intelligence. A study estimates that 85% of customer interactions worldwide will be handled by AI, significantly reducing the burden of first-contact sales and service [10]. This includes chats, voice inquiries, and possibly virtual assistants in showrooms. Conversational AI will become as common as sending an email today, seamlessly integrating into the buying experience.
- Record Investments in Digital Transformation: Latin American companies are significantly increasing their spending on digital technologies. The digital transformation market in Latin America is projected to grow from $107 billion in 2025 to $242 billion in 2030, more than doubling in just five years [11].
This strong investment (approximately 18% CAGR) reflects the massive adoption of automation tools, AI, data analytics, and e-commerce before the decade ends. Dealerships will be no exception: to remain competitive, they will have to allocate increasing budgets to online sales platforms, smart CRMs, and omnichannel integrations.
- Omnichannel Sales and C-Commerce (Conversational Commerce): The current decade will see the solidification of integrated digital car sales models. By 2025, advanced dealerships are already implementing 24/7 omnichannel strategies, combining physical showrooms with continuous virtual assistance [1]. By 2030, this will be the norm.
Buyers will expect a seamless transition between chat inquiries, online configurators, video calls with advisors, and in-person visits. Chatbots and voicebots will act as digital gatekeepers, filtering and guiding customers through the sales funnel, identifying needs, and providing automated follow-ups deep into the process [1].
Customers will demand personalized guidance throughout their buying journey, regardless of the medium. As Florencia Gioria (CEO of a digital automotive platform) states, “The dealership of the future is shifting towards online sales… New buyers want information instantly… to compare and make better decisions,” and AI is key to delivering that personalized immediacy [1].
- Human-AI Collaboration and More Strategic Roles: Rather than fully replacing salespeople, automation will free up human teams to focus on higher-value strategic tasks. The industry consensus is that AI will handle complex data processing and routine inquiries, while humans will intervene in final negotiations, major sales closures, and long-term relationship building.
In fact, 57% of professionals worldwide believe AI will free up employees’ time for more creative or fulfilling tasks [12]. In line with this, IDC analysts suggest that Latin American companies should further promote AI and cloud-based machine learning automation, so that “essential human labor” can be reassigned to creative work, increasing business productivity and resilience [3].
By 2030, it is highly likely that dealerships will have hybrid teams: AI virtual agents handling initial contact and lead nurturing, while specialized human advisors step in for deal closures and complex consultations.
In summary, automated digital sales will be a cornerstone of the automotive sector in the coming years. Early adopters of these trends will gain competitive advantages: the ability to handle a much larger volume of prospects, access to rich data for refining commercial strategies, and higher customer satisfaction due to faster and more accurate service. AI in sales will transition from a novelty to an expected standard by 2030—much like e-commerce, which went from being optional to essential in the past decade.
Voices from the Industry: Expert Perspectives and Testimonials
The transition toward automation and AI in dealerships has both enthusiastic advocates and those who proceed with caution. Below, we highlight key opinions from automotive industry leaders and AI providers on this transformation:
- Dealership Association Perspective: Sebastián Beato, president of the Association of Automotive Dealerships in Argentina (ACARA), emphasizes that “the importance of technology in the future of the industry is key.” For him, digital sales are an inevitable trend and the strategic focus of today’s dealerships [1].
However, he acknowledges that “there is still some resistance, due to fear of the unknown,” especially among more traditional organizations [1]. For this reason, ACARA is working on training and outreach to demystify AI and other technologies, helping dealerships adopt them with confidence.
- This stance reflects a reality: while the industry is moving toward digitalization, the human challenge is adapting the company culture and training staff to effectively use these new tools.
- AI Providers for Sales (Keybe/Biky): From the innovation front, executives from companies like Keybe.ai highlight the tangible benefits their solutions are delivering. “Our biggest difference from other AI systems is that ours is not just reactive but also proactive,” explains Keybe’s Chief Operating Officer [9].
He refers to how their AI doesn’t just passively wait for customer inquiries but takes the initiative at key moments. For example, it can send a personalized birthday greeting to a client or remind them when their car reaches a certain age to offer a renewal option [9].
Dani Jokka, co-founder of Keybe, emphasizes the vision behind Biky: “Biky helps you multiply your sales… If you were selling a thousand products or services, with Biky, you could reach four thousand” [9].
Jokka points out that thanks to increasingly empathetic AI, multiple car brands are boosting their conversion rates—and at scale, this could even improve the economies of the countries where they operate [9]. In other words, they see AI adoption in sales not just as a business solution but as a regional competitiveness factor. Their declared goal is to make Biky/Keybe an indispensable ally for thousands of dealerships in Mexico, the U.S., and Latin America.
- Experiences from Pioneer Dealerships: Dealerships that have already implemented these tools share encouraging testimonials. Sabrina Malagueño, a supervisor at an automotive contact center, states: “We’ve been working together [with the AI] for almost eight months, and… what initially seemed distant has now become a reality for us. Having a 24/7 assistant providing information to our customers has been invaluable. We’re very happy with the results we’ve achieved…”
Her words highlight the practical benefits: AI ensures customers are attended to at all times, allowing the business to stay “awake” even outside working hours. Another user, Mario A. López, director of a company using SmartChat, shares how his virtual assistant asks key questions with great human warmth, properly segments prospects, and saves him time on lead qualification—allowing him to focus on high-value customers. “Great investment!” he concludes about the decision to adopt this AI.
These cases demonstrate that when properly implemented, AI can seamlessly integrate into the sales team, boosting productivity without compromising the human touch in customer interactions.
Overall, the consensus is that AI adoption in dealerships is not just a passing trend but a strategic response to real challenges (such as staff shortages and high turnover rates) and new market opportunities. Experts advise dealership managers to stay informed and take the leap. As one automotive leader put it, “The biggest challenge is training and the time dedicated to integrating technology into the industry,” which is why starting this process as soon as possible is crucial [1].
It is evident that those who have integrated solutions like Biky or Keybe into their operations are already experiencing improvements in sales, cost savings, and higher customer satisfaction, paving the way for other dealerships to follow suit.
The shortage of specialized digital sales talent in Mexico and Latin America presents a significant obstacle for automotive dealerships, further exacerbated by frequent staff turnover. However, the same technology driving market transformation also provides tools to mitigate these challenges. Conversational AI and marketing automation are becoming essential allies for dealerships looking to maintain competitiveness in the digital era. Adopting solutions like Biky or Keybe.ai allows a dealership to virtually multiply its sales force, ensuring consistent, data-driven customer service at a lower cost than indefinitely expanding the human team [9].
Of course, successful implementation requires a shift in mindset and proper training: technology is only as effective as the strategy behind it. Ultimately, investing in AI is not about replacing people but amplifying their reach. While AI handles repetitive tasks and initial customer interactions, human talent can focus on closing complex deals and building long-term customer relationships [13].
By seamlessly integrating AI into their processes, dealerships can overcome talent shortages and high turnover, creating a more efficient, resilient, and customer-centric business model. The message to industry managers is clear: get informed, test these solutions, and stay ahead of a future that is already taking shape. As Keybe’s campaign asks, “Are you ready to take the leap into the future and hire your first AI-powered sales representative?” [13].
The pieces are on the table—making the right decision will determine who leads the automotive sales industry in the next decade.
SOURCES:
- [1] Concesionarias digitalizadas
- [2] América Latina atraviesa una crisis de escasez de talento
- [3] Mexico’s Talent Shortage: 70% of Employers Struggle
- [4] América Latina y el Caribe tiene una brecha de 2.5 millones de talentos digitales en los próximos 5 años
- [5] Transformación digital: escasez de talento en Latinoamérica es de casi 50%
- [6] El Costo de la Rotación de Personal en Concesionarios
- [7] Esto cuesta la rotación laboral en una empresa en México
- [8] Agentes de ventas con IA: la nueva revolución en la venta de autos
- [9] Revista líderes. Especial automotriz 9na edicion
- [10] Rumbo al Futuro: Perspectivas del Marketing Digital para 2030
- [11] Análisis de participación y tamaño del mercado de transformación digital de América Latina: tendencias y pronósticos de crecimiento (2025-2030)
- [12] AI Adoption Rises Globally, With Latin America Leading the Way
