How Toma Helps Middletown Honda Save $100K Annually

Executive Summary

Middletown Honda is a high-volume, single-point dealership serving the Hudson Valley and surrounding vacation markets. During spring and summer, foot traffic and inbound phone volume surge as families head to their second homes in the Catskills and Poconos. At the same time, mass recalls issued by OEMs also trigger a wave of call volume.

Before Toma, General Manager Stu Berkley tried everything to keep up with inbound calls: an in-house and outsourced BDC, even a competing AI vendor. None of it worked—and the phone complaints kept coming.

Since deploying Toma’s voice AI agent, Middletown Honda has avoided staffing with BDC vendors, automated over 50% of all inbound calls, streamlined recall workflows, and improved CSI—all while saving over $100,000 annually.

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The Challenge

For Middletown Honda, managing phone traffic wasn’t just a volume issue, it was about reliability. 

Call traffic spiked unpredictably due to recall events and seasonal traffic patterns. But staffing a BDC that could flex with demand proved costly and inconsistent. Internal reps turned over often, outsourced teams were expensive, and competing AI solutions couldn’t keep up with customer expectations and Middletown’s specific needs.

“I had to be overstaffed by one person just to be prepared for when someone called out.”
— Stu Berkley, GM of Middletown Honda

Core Pain Points

• Seasonal spikes in call volume with no cost-effective staffing model
• OEM Recalls led to more missed calls & missed bookings
• High cost of outsourced BDC labor with little performance accountability
• Negative impact on CSI from missed calls and delayed follow-ups

Missed and mishandled calls weren’t just bad optics, they were the #1 driver of CSI issues. And for a store measured daily on service experience and responsiveness, that meant real financial impact. Middletown Honda needed a solution that could handle unpredictable spikes in call volume, eliminate missed calls, and reliably book appointments—so his advisors could stay focused on updating customers and closing out open ROs.

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The Solution

Toma deployed a fully customized voice AI agent, designed to function as a seamless extension of Middletown Honda’s service operation. Unlike rigid systems or script-based competitors, Toma’s agent was trained on the store’s specific workflows, recall protocols, and customer handling preferences—down to when to book an appointment 30 minutes before a shuttle service was running.

The AI agent now acts as the first line of defense for all inbound service calls, handling the majority of requests without involving a human.

Key Benefits

• Recall-Specific Call Handling
  Toma was programmed to detect and respond to recall inquiries with dealership-specific logic. It automatically alerts staff via email for parts availability, and manages customer expectations around timelines—cutting repeat calls and reducing advisor load.
  
• Autonomous Call Resolution
  More than 50% of all inbound calls are fully resolved by Toma without involving a service advisor. Routine requests—scheduling, rescheduling, hours, pricing, recalls—are handled instantly, even during off-hours or peak periods.
  
• Valuable Time Saver
  By absorbing over 1,000 hours of inbound phone time in just 5 months, Toma saves their service advisors precious time. The AI never calls in sick, never drops a call, and never requires retraining.

“Phones blow up during recall events or vacation seasons. With Toma, we don’t even feel it anymore.”
— Stu Berkley, GM of Middletown Honda

Toma wasn’t a plug-and-play tool. It was engineered with Middletown Honda’s exact operations in mind, then continuously improved through real-world interactions—learning, adapting, and scaling on demand.

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Conclusion

Middletown Honda isn’t unique in its challenges, and that’s exactly why this story matters.

Seasonal surges, recall-driven call spikes, and rising customer expectations make it hard for single-point stores to keep up—especially without overspending on headcount or rigid tools.

Toma gave Middletown Honda a more practical solution: an AI agent that handles the volume, fits the dealership’s workflow, and frees staff to focus on the work that matters most.

If your store is stretched thin during high-volume seasons or drowning in calls during OEM recall events, Toma offers a proven, high-ROI path forward. A solution that’s flexible, dependable, and engineered for how your store actually runs.

Stop staffing around the spikes. Start scaling with AI.
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