“Is My Car Ready?” Solved with 8×8 AI Voice Assistant Studio

By Jenni Telling | 17 June 2026

The AI voice assistants tool that handles customer calls in real time

When a customer calls for an update, the expectation is simple. They want a clear answer, quickly, without being passed around or kept waiting. An AI voice assistant does exactly that: it handles inbound calls in real-time, understands what the caller is asking in natural language, retrieves the right information and responds naturally within the conversation.

With 8×8 AI Studio, that experience feels immediate. The system identifies the enquiry, retrieves the relevant information and responds in real-time. Follow-up questions are handled naturally, without breaking the flow of the conversation.

It is a different way of handling inbound demand, one that removes the friction behind even the most routine interactions. It also supports 24/7 customer service for routine enquiries, so teams can focus on the conversations that need human judgement, while helping dealerships stay resilient as traditional PSTN services are retired in favour of all-digital voice infrastructure.

Watch the webinar on demand | Published June 2026
Explore how AI is helping to support car dealerships across the UK.

To see how this works in practice, we are also running an upcoming demo-led session where this capability is brought to life in real customer scenarios. The example below offers a first look at how that interaction plays out.

What 8×8 AI Studio with natural language understanding looks like in a live call

In a typical dealership environment, a customer calling for an update often leads to a series of manual steps. A call handler answers the phone, gathers details such as the vehicle registration and then places the customer on hold while they check one or more systems. In some cases, it involves speaking to the workshop or another team to confirm the latest status before returning to the call with an answer.

While this process is familiar, it takes time and often results in delays, repeated checks or additional follow-up calls.

With 8×8 AI Studio, that interaction is handled very differently, as an AI-powered voice assistant that takes audio input, uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning within a multi-step workflow, and then completes real-world tasks by pulling data from connected systems and responding in the same exchange. This pipeline also typically runs in the cloud for processing and orchestration. If the customer asks additional questions, the assistant is capable of maintaining context across topics, so people can talk naturally and the system can keep track of previous parts of the exchange through NLP. That is what moves it beyond basic scripted handling.

Responses are then delivered through text to speech, which makes them sound more human-like. The end result feels far simpler for the customer but also removes a significant amount of effort behind the scenes for the team. The example video above shows how that shift plays out.

See the impact: AI versus team call handling on operational costs

In a typical setup, inbound calls are handled entirely by the team, with a large proportion of time spent responding to repeat service enquiries and checking information across systems. That demand builds throughout the day, reducing the time available for more complex conversations.

With 8×8 AI Studio, that balance begins to shift. It brings AI-powered customer communications into the flow for efficient customer service, handling routine enquiries automatically, supporting customers 24/7, and passing edge cases to human agents when needed. Instead of reacting to volume, the team works with more control and consistency across inbound calls.

Modern voice agents can also analyse tone and emotion in customer conversations to improve routing or shape the response. It creates the space to:

focus on complex or high-value interactions
improve consistency across customer conversations
reduce pressure during peak call periods

This change becomes clearer when viewed across overall call handling, where the split between AI and team activity shows how demand is being managed.

8x8 Dashboard

Clear real-time insight on inbound demand

In many dealership environments, gaining a clear picture of what is happening across service and inbound calls often involves checking multiple systems or relying on individual updates. That lack of visibility can slow decision-making and make it harder to stay ahead of demand, while also increasing the importance of understanding the governance and terms and conditions that apply to connected platforms and data use.

With 8×8 AI Studio, that view becomes immediate and centralised. Activity across inbound calls, service updates and customer interactions is brought together in one place through unified communications solutions and connected business tools and integrated apps and services, helping teams connect more deeply with business systems, including CRM data, calendars, project management tools, scheduling software and the wider platforms voice assistants are increasingly integrating with for productivity.

Instead of reacting after the fact, teams can see demand as it builds and manage it more proactively throughout the day. This connected view also supports structured, multi-channel customer interactions through monitoring and real-time insights across meetings, tasks and service activity. This creates a more consistent and controlled approach to handling both customer communication and service activity, while helping teams manage schedules and manage tasks, adapt service across multiple languages, and support more personalised, 24/7 coverage as demand changes, keeping service teams aligned and allowing customers to get updates or bookings without waiting for office hours, as demonstrated in many of our customers’ digital transformation journeys.

8x8 Dashboard

Transform your inbound call handling and customer support with AI today

The most effective way to improve how your dealership handles inbound calls is to understand where routine demand is creating pressure and how it can be managed more efficiently.

Many of these challenges sit within everyday interactions in dealerships, from repeat service enquiries to everyday tasks like reminders, schedules and quick information retrieval, such as weather or traffic updates, especially when disconnected systems slow down responses, which is why managed IT services for the automotive industry increasingly focus on integrated, connected platforms. With the right approach, they can be handled more consistently and at scale, and modern tools can also support complex tasks through joined-up workflows.

You can request for our experts to show you how 8×8 AI Studio can act as a helpful assistant, giving your team an AI assistant that can use voice commands to manage calls, send messages, manage schedules and handle complex requests across connected systems as part of a wider 8×8 cloud voice and UC platform. These workflows also improve accessibility and hands-free use for staff with visual or motor difficulties, or for those moving between tasks, and can be extended through Microsoft Teams and 8×8 integration to support a consistent experience across collaboration and telephony.

Watch the webinar on demand | Published June 2026
Explore how AI is helping to support car dealerships across the UK.

Jenni Telling, Solutions Consultant

Jenni Telling supports customers with the design and delivery of unified communications and contact centre solutions. As a Solutions Consultant, she combines technical insight with a strong understanding of customer needs, helping organisations shape the right approach from early conversations through to successful deployment. She works closely with customers to ensure solutions are practical, scalable and aligned to long-term business objectives, giving them confidence at every stage of their journey.