Question 1

We've worked with agencies for years. Why would we switch to a software platform?

Accepted Answer

AI has commoditized the execution work agencies charge for — Google Performance Max, Meta Advantage+, and TikTok Smart Campaigns now automate bidding, targeting, and creative optimization. What you're paying an agency $5K–$30K/month for is increasingly done by the platforms themselves. AUTONOMi gives you the infrastructure to manage those platforms directly, with full transparency into where your money goes and what it produces.

Question 2

We're not marketers. How are we supposed to run campaigns ourselves?

Accepted Answer

You're not. AUTONOMi isn't a DIY ad builder — it's an infrastructure layer that orchestrates campaigns across 9 channels using automation and AI. You set your budget and goals; the platform handles campaign creation, inventory sync, audience activation, and optimization. The Managed tier includes hands-on strategic support if you want guidance.

Question 3

What if we're in the middle of a contract with our current agency?

Accepted Answer

Most dealerships run AUTONOMi in parallel during the transition. We help you verify which ad accounts, audiences, and data you actually own (many dealers discover their agency controls these). Once your 90-day commitment begins, we migrate what's yours and rebuild what isn't — without downtime.

Question 4

Will we lose our campaign history and performance data when we leave our agency?

Accepted Answer

If your ad accounts are owned by the dealership, you keep everything — audiences, conversion history, quality scores, all of it. If your agency owns the accounts (common), that data stays with them. AUTONOMi helps you set up dealership-owned accounts from day one so this never happens again.

Question 5

Our agency handles everything. We just get a monthly report. How is this better?

Accepted Answer

That's the problem. "Handling everything" often means no visibility into actual media spend, no ownership of your data, and no ability to verify performance claims. With AUTONOMi, every fee is disclosed upfront — platform fees, media management fees, all of it. No undisclosed rebates, no mystery invoices. You see exactly what was spent, where, and what it produced.

Question 6

What does onboarding look like? How long until we're live?

Accepted Answer

Onboarding follows three phases. Day 1: we connect your advertising accounts and begin inventory ingestion. By Day 14, your first campaigns are running and we review initial recommendations. At Day 30, we do a formal review call to assess performance and discuss optimization. Most dealerships are fully live within the first week.

Question 7

What do we need to provide to get started?

Accepted Answer

Your dealership name and market, current monthly marketing budget, which channels you're using today, your website URL, and whether you own your ad accounts. During onboarding, we'll need admin access to your Google, Meta, and any other advertising accounts you own.

Question 8

Do we get a dedicated person to help us through setup?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every dealership is assigned a dedicated onboarding representative who walks you through account setup, data connections, and your first campaigns. You're not dropped into software and left to figure it out.

Question 9

What if we've never managed our own ad accounts before?

Accepted Answer

That's the most common scenario we see. AUTONOMi creates and configures your accounts properly from the start — ownership in your name, tracking set up correctly, and campaigns built from your live inventory. The platform manages the complexity; you make decisions based on clear dashboards.

Question 10

Can we migrate data from our existing setup?

Accepted Answer

If you own your ad accounts, we connect directly to them and preserve all historical data, audiences, and conversion tracking. If your agency owns the accounts, we help you start fresh with dealership-owned accounts and accelerate the learning period using your existing inventory and DMS data.

Question 11

What marketing channels does AUTONOMi support?

Accepted Answer

Nine channels: Google Search, Google Demand Gen, Google Performance Max (Vehicle Ads), Microsoft/Bing Search, Meta (Facebook), Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and CTV/Streaming (Hulu, Peacock, YouTube TV, Netflix and Amazon ad tiers).

Question 12

How does inventory sync work?

Accepted Answer

AUTONOMi automatically ingests your live inventory directly from your dealership website. When vehicles are added, sold, or updated on your site, your campaigns reflect the changes — no manual uploads, no data feeds to configure, no stale ads running for vehicles you've already sold.

Question 13

What is the video rendering engine?

Accepted Answer

The platform generates thousands of 1080p, OEM-compliant, dealer-branded video ads in minutes — not weeks. These are automatically formatted for each platform (YouTube, TikTok, Meta, CTV) and tied to your live inventory. No production crew, no creative agency fees.

Question 14

How does budget allocation work?

Accepted Answer

You set your total marketing budget and the platform allocates spend across channels based on real-time performance data. You can set channel-level floors and caps, or let the system optimize fully. On Lite and Platform tiers, media is paid directly from your accounts to the ad platforms. On Managed and Enterprise tiers, AUTONOMi handles media buying on your behalf and charges a clearly disclosed media management fee.

Question 15

What's the difference between AUTONOMi and just using Google Ads / Meta directly?

Accepted Answer

Using platforms directly is one channel at a time with no orchestration between them. AUTONOMi connects all 9 channels, syncs your inventory across all of them, and optimizes budget allocation between channels — something no single platform can do on its own.

Question 16

What kind of support do I get?

Accepted Answer

24/7 AI-powered support via chat, backed by a dedicated AI assistant trained on the AUTONOMi platform, automotive marketing, and your specific account context. You also have access to AI-assisted phone support for real-time troubleshooting. If your issue requires human expertise, escalation to our team is seamless — you're never stuck in a bot loop.

Question 17

Is there a real person I can talk to?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Our AI support handles the majority of questions instantly — account setup, campaign questions, platform navigation, troubleshooting — but any issue that requires human judgment gets escalated to our team. Managed and Enterprise tiers include dedicated account strategists for ongoing advisory.

Question 18

What if I need help at 2 AM on a Saturday?

Accepted Answer

That's exactly why we built AI-first support. Our AI assistant is available 24/7/365 — no waiting for business hours, no ticket queues. It has full context on your account, campaigns, and platform capabilities, so you get real answers immediately, not canned responses.

Question 19

How is AI support different from a typical chatbot?

Accepted Answer

Most chatbots route you through a decision tree and end with "please contact support." Our AI assistant actually understands your question, can reference your account data, walk you through platform features step-by-step, and resolve issues in real time. It's the difference between a phone tree and a knowledgeable colleague.

Question 20

Can AUTONOMi help with service department marketing?

Accepted Answer

Yes — this is one of the biggest untapped opportunities. Service generates 44–49% of dealership gross profit but typically receives only 5–15% of marketing budget. The Fixed Ops Engine add-on uses your DMS data to identify lapsed service customers, predict upcoming service intervals, and run targeted reactivation and conquest campaigns against independent shops.

Question 21

How does DMS integration work for service marketing?

Accepted Answer

AUTONOMi connects to your DMS through certified data providers to access service history, customer records, and vehicle information. The platform identifies customers due for service, lapsed customers who haven't returned, and conquest opportunities — then automatically builds and runs targeted campaigns to bring them in.

Question 22

We have multiple locations. Can we manage them all from one platform?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AUTONOMi's Group Intelligence module provides unified dashboards across all rooftops — cross-store audience sharing, group-level conquest intelligence, shared creative production, and attribution that works across locations. Each rooftop can also have its own campaigns and budgets.

Question 23

We're a PE-backed platform acquiring dealerships. How does AUTONOMi fit?

Accepted Answer

Acquirers increasingly value owned marketing infrastructure as a due diligence metric. AUTONOMi provides the unified data layer and campaign infrastructure that makes new acquisitions immediately productive — no renegotiating agency contracts per acquisition. Group Intelligence gives you portfolio-level visibility from day one.

Question 24

Who owns the data — us or AUTONOMi?

Accepted Answer

You do. AUTONOMi acts as a data processor on your behalf. Your ad accounts, audience data, campaign history, and performance data belong to your dealership. We never sell, license, or share your data with third parties.

Question 25

How does attribution work? Can we connect ad spend to actual sales?

Accepted Answer

AUTONOMi connects your advertising performance data to your DMS through certified data providers, allowing you to trace ad spend through to vehicle sales and service appointments. You see platform-verified campaign data alongside DMS-verified transaction records — no more relying on agency-reported vanity metrics. CRM integrations are actively rolling out on a per-platform basis to extend attribution further into the lead pipeline.

Question 26

Do you integrate with our CRM?

Accepted Answer

We're actively building CRM integrations on a per-platform basis. DMS integration is available now through certified data providers and covers sales and service attribution. If CRM connectivity is a priority for your dealership, contact us to check availability for your specific CRM platform — our integration roadmap is expanding rapidly.

Question 27

What happens to our data if we cancel?

Accepted Answer

Your ad accounts and all the data in them remain yours — they're in your name. Account data is retained for 3 years after cancellation per our data retention policy. You can request a full data export at any time.

Question 28

How is our data secured?

Accepted Answer

TLS 1.3 encryption in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, multi-factor authentication for all accounts, network segmentation between production and development environments, and annual penetration testing. We're aligned with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 standards.

Question 29

Are you GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We maintain full GDPR compliance including Standard Contractual Clauses for international data transfers, Data Processing Agreements, and 72-hour breach notification. This applies to dealerships with European operations or European customers.

Question 30

How much does AUTONOMi cost?

Accepted Answer

Four tiers: Lite at $999/month, Platform at $1,999/month, Managed at $2,999/month, and Enterprise at custom pricing. Add-ons include Fixed Ops Engine ($999/month), CTV/Streaming ($499/month), Video Automation ($399/month), and Group Intelligence ($999/month). 6-month commitments save 5%, 12-month commitments save 10%.

Question 31

Is there a long-term contract?

Accepted Answer

The minimum commitment is 90 days — enough time to properly onboard, launch campaigns, and measure initial results. After that, you're month-to-month. We earn your business with performance, not lock-in contracts.

Question 32

Do you mark up our ad spend?

Accepted Answer

On Lite and Platform tiers, your media spend flows directly from your accounts to the ad platforms — AUTONOMi charges only the flat platform fee. On Managed tiers, there is a 10% media management fee (20% for CTV) that covers hands-on campaign management, optimization, and reporting. Every fee is clearly disclosed before you sign — no hidden rebates, no surprise invoices.

Question 33

How does this compare to what we pay our agency?

Accepted Answer

Most agencies charge 15–25% of media spend plus layered management fees, often totaling $5K–$30K/month — and they own your accounts. AUTONOMi's platform fee is fixed, and even on Managed tiers where a media management fee applies, the total cost is transparent and predictable. Plus you own every account, asset, and pixel.

Question 34

What kind of results can we expect?

Accepted Answer

Our clients consistently see measurable improvements in lead volume, cost per acquisition, and showroom traffic. Results vary based on market, budget, and starting point — but the transparency to actually measure real ROI is immediate. You'll see exactly what every dollar produces across all 9 channels.

Question 35

How long before we see results?

Accepted Answer

Most dealerships see initial performance data within the first week. Meaningful optimization trends emerge around Day 14, and by your 30-day review call, you'll have a clear picture of what's working and where to scale. The 90-day minimum exists because that's when compounding returns really start to show.

Question 36

What if it's not working? Can we adjust quickly?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Unlike agency relationships where changes take days or weeks through account managers, AUTONOMi lets you adjust budgets, pause channels, or shift strategy in real time. And with 24/7 AI support, you can get help making those adjustments whenever you need — no waiting for your next monthly call.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Agency-to-Platform Shift

Getting Started & Onboarding

How the Platform Works

Support & Help

Fixed Ops & Service Department

Multi-Rooftop & Dealer Groups

Data, Attribution & Security

Pricing & Commitment

Results & Performance

Still have questions?

AUTONOMi Playbooks

How to Instrument AI Answer Engine Visibility for a Dealer Group

How to Run a Weekly Multi-Channel Attribution Cadence Without Losing Cross-Channel Signal

How to Rebuild a Broken BDC Callback Cadence in 14 Days

Don't want to run these playbooks yourself?