01
Books test drives
Converts live buyer interest into confirmed test-drive appointments.
What it does
BUILT TO MOVE
BUYERS FURTHER
BEFORE YOUR TEAM CALLS.
On The Lot helps turn fresh enquiries into qualified, booked opportunities. It handles the repetitive work while your team stays focused on closing.
02
Pre-qualifies buyers
Captures intent, timing, vehicle interest, budget range and buying readiness.
03
Estimates finance
Handles indicative repayment questions and captures deposit, term and balloon interest.
04
Captures trade-ins
Collects make, model, year, kilometres, condition and trade-in intent.
05
Answers stock questions
Responds to availability, vehicle details, features and comparisons across your lot.
06
Follows up automatically
Keeps buyers engaged when they stop replying, miss a booking or ask to be contacted later.
Why it matters
LEADS DON'T
WAIT FOR
9AM.
Buyers enquire after hours, avoid callbacks and keep comparing vehicles. By morning, your team may be chasing a lead that was ready to move the night before.
On The Lot starts the SMS conversation immediately, while buyer interest is at its highest.
01
Peak intent
Buyer motivation is highest at the moment of enquiry.
02
Faster response
SMS is fast, familiar and easier to respond to than a missed callback.
03
Booked while hot
On The Lot converts interest into a test drive before the opportunity cools.
24/7
Always open
After-hours enquiries keep moving even when your showroom is closed.
SMS brain in action
QUALIFY.
ANSWER.
BOOK THE DRIVE.
The SMS bot is the core product. The marketplace, website enquiries and external lead feeds all push buyers into the same conversation engine.
It answers only from the dealer's own stock, captures finance and trade-in signals, and escalates when warranty, pricing or manager approval needs a human.
Your Dealership · SMS · 8:47 PM
Thanks for enquiring on the 2022 BMW M340i xDrive. How can we assist today, or are there any questions you have on the vehicle?
Great, I just wanted to know what the service history is like.
No worries, we can assist with that. This vehicle shows up-to-date BMW service history. I am sending you a secure service-history link now.
Secure link: onthelot.au/secure/bmw-m340i-service
Okay great, looks all up to date. That is good.
Is it still under warranty?
This car is out of manufacturer warranty. The dealership does offer warranty options that can be discussed in person, or I can ask the sales consultant to send you information.
That is alright, we can discuss it in person if the car suits.
Is $74,990 drive away the best you can do on price?
Price conversations are handled by the salesperson or sales manager. I can note that for them. Would you like an indicative repayment estimate so you can see how it sits before you come in?
Yes please. I have a trade-in too.
Perfect. What are you trading in: make, model, year, kilometres and general condition?
2018 Mercedes-Benz C300, 86,000 km, good condition, full service history.
Thanks. I have captured: 2018 Mercedes-Benz C300, 86,000 km, good condition, full service history. Trade-in value will need to be confirmed after inspection.
For the finance estimate, what deposit, term and balloon preference should I use?
10% deposit, 5 years, and maybe a 20% balloon.
Indicative only, not finance approval or a guaranteed rate: based on $74,990 drive away, 10% deposit ($7,499), 60 months, 20% balloon ($14,998) and an example 7.0% p.a. rate, repayments are roughly $1,075 per month before fees and lender assessment. Trade-in is to be confirmed. How does that sit with you?
That sounds doable. It fits within budget.
Great. Any other questions I can help with, or would you like to book a test drive?
Servicing looks good, warranty we can cross that bridge when I see you, and finance is not too bad. Saturday would be good.
Saturday works. I can see 10:30am, 12:00pm or 2:30pm available for this vehicle. Which suits best?
10:30am please.
Locked in: BMW M340i xDrive test drive, Saturday at 10:30am. I have sent the team your service-history question, warranty note, trade-in details, finance estimate inputs and price discussion request.
How it works
FIVE STEPS.
ONE CLEAN
HANDOFF.
Your salesperson receives the full conversation, buyer details and next action. The team walks in ready to close, not starting from scratch.
1
New enquiry arrives
A buyer enquires from your website, marketplace listing, or external lead source.
2
Immediate SMS sent
On The Lot starts the conversation while the buyer is still thinking about the vehicle.
3
Questions answered
The AI uses your stock, rules, vehicle facts, warranty guardrails and dealer brain.
4
Intent captured
Finance, trade-in, timing, buying readiness and hidden buyer fears are logged.
5
Clean handoff
A test drive is booked, or your team receives the full next action with context.
Marketplace feeds the brain
EVERY LISTING
BECOMES A
SMARTER SMS.
The public marketplace is not just a website. It is the lead-generation engine feeding the SMS bot with the exact vehicle, dealer and buyer context.
A buyer opens a listing, asks a question, submits their mobile number, and the AI continues with the right car, right dealership, right next step.
Vehicle contextDealer rulesListing factsSMS handoff
Smart lead assignment
EVERY LEAD
GOES TO THE
RIGHT PERSON.
Leads can be automatically assigned using the rules your dealership actually uses, while managers retain visibility and control over every assignment.
Round-robin distributionSalesperson availabilityVehicle or brand specialisationDealership locationExisting customer ownershipTeam capacityManager-selected rules
Finance and trade-in capture
BETTER CONTEXT
BEFORE THE
CALL.
Simple finance questions keep moving. Complex finance conversations are escalated to your team.
Finance interestIndicative repayment requestsDeposit amountPreferred loan termBalloon preferenceTrade-in make and modelYear, kilometres and conditionReady now or still comparing
Follow-up without chasing
FOLLOW-UP
BASED ON YOUR
RULES.
Every follow-up follows your timing, tone and dealership rules.
Stops replyingHas not confirmed a bookingMisses a test driveWants to be contacted laterNeeds manager inputIs waiting on vehicle informationHas asked about finance or trade-in options
Dealer brain sections
GLOBAL RULES.
CAR-SPECIFIC
FACTS.
Blanket dealership answers live once: statutory warranty, cooling-off language, extended warranty positioning, tone, escalation rules and manager approval rules.
Vehicle-specific facts stay on the car: manufacturer warranty, certified status, can-purchase-warranty flags, odometer, features, service notes and missing fact guardrails.
Statutory warranty fallbackCertified vehicle flagExtended warranty interestSalesperson follow-up point
Manager approval
AUTOMATION
WITH APPROVAL
WHERE IT MATTERS.
AI handles the routine. Your team keeps control of important decisions, sensitive replies and anything that should not be automated.
There is also an owner-only emergency switch to pause outbound SMS if anything behaves unexpectedly.
Special pricing or discounts
Trade-in conversations
Complex finance enquiries
Test-drive exceptions
Lead reassignment
Sensitive customer responses
Any conversation requiring a human
Why On The Lot
BUILT FOR DEALERS.
NOT A GENERIC
CHATBOT.
The product is strongest when the marketplace and SMS brain work together: every listing creates a smarter conversation, and every conversation creates a better handoff.
| On The Lot | Generic AI / Lead Form | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Custom-built around your dealership rules | Generic install, long onboarding |
| Your live stock | Synced with real prices, specs and availability | Manual input or no stock awareness |
| Vehicle questions | Answers from your vehicle facts and dealer brain | Generic answers or no answer |
| Finance intent | Captures deposit, term and balloon interest | Basic lead form at best |
| Trade-in capture | Collects vehicle details before your team calls | Usually left for manual follow-up |
| After-hours cover | Immediate SMS response, 24/7 | Still waits for a human |
| Manager control | Approvals, escalation and emergency pause switch | Automation with weak oversight |
| Books test drives | Qualifies and books automatically | Collects enquiries only |
| Your dealership voice | Tone, wording and rules configured for your team | Sounds like every other chatbot |
Outcome
WAKE UP TO
BETTER
OPPORTUNITIES.
On The Lot does not replace your sales team. It keeps buyers engaged until your team is ready to close.
Packages from around $2,000 per month.
Faster response timesMore consistent lead handlingMore booked test drivesBetter finance and trade-in contextFewer leads slipping throughLess manual chasingClearer manager visibilityMore time for salespeople to sell
Demo-ready setup can start with marketplace listings, enquiry capture, SMS automation, Google Calendar bookings and dealer notifications.
Start the conversation
onthelot.unlockai.au
YOUR DEALERSHIP,
OPEN 24/7.
Built for established Australian car dealerships that want more test drives booked without adding more admin to the sales floor.