By 2030, more than 2 billion connected vehicles will transmit real-time data continuously—location, diagnostics, crash detection, component performance. Vehicle manufacturers have spent billions building this telematics infrastructure. Almost all new cars sold in 2025 came equipped with embedded telematics systems, that can transmit exactly what’s needed to transform customer support.
But here’s the reality: while some manufacturers have leveraged connected vehicle data effectively, most OEMs still aren’t fully utilizing it when customers need help most. They operate three independent aftersales support lines: accident emergencies, roadside breakdown assistance, and routine customer service. Each runs on its own system, with its own data—often managed by different third-party vendors. As a result, customers have to repeat their story every time they reach out. It’s frustrating, costly, and erodes the brand loyalty companies work hard to build.
The Fragmentation Tax Manufacturers Are Already Paying
One in three drivers needs roadside assistance each year.1 That’s millions of critical moments where brand reputation is on the line. When 47% of customers say they’ll switch brands after a poor experience,2 every fragmented interaction costs future revenue.
Here’s what the fragmentation problem looks like in many OEM operations today:
Scenario 1: The Breakdown Without Context
A customer’s vehicle breaks down on the highway. They call roadside assistance, which is typically managed by a third-party provider contracted by the manufacturer. The advisor asks them to describe the problem, their location, and their vehicle details. The advisor pulls up basic customer information, but typically has no access to:
- The exact GPS coordinates and live vehicle status.
- The diagnostic codes the vehicle logged when it failed.
- The service history showing this component was replaced two months ago.
- The customer’s previous interactions with general support about this same concern.
The advisor asks generic troubleshooting questions already obtained from the vehicle’s telematics system. They dispatch a tow truck without knowing if the problem could be fixed roadside. Resolution takes hours instead of minutes and costs significantly more than necessary.
Scenario 2: The Post-Breakdown Follow-Up
A few days later, the same customer calls general support with questions about the repair bill and warranty coverage. The advisor, working in a different system, has no details about the breakdown incident.
They also have no access to the customer’s full history and no way to see whether this is a loyal customer who deserves a goodwill gesture, or someone who’s had repeated issues that should be prioritized differently. Later, when the customer calls to schedule preventive maintenance through yet another system, that’s a third conversation with no shared context from the earlier interactions. Each one starts from scratch.
The Real Cost
Most manufacturers pay for three separate support operations when telematics systems aren’t connected. Three sets of management overhead. Three different technology platforms. Three separate vendor relationships.
But the operational cost is just the start. Manufacturers pay for customer frustration that drives them to competitors. They pay for longer resolution times because advisors lack context. They pay for missed revenue opportunities because no one can see the complete customer relationship.
Stop Thinking CRM. Start Thinking Connected Data and Analytics.
Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for this challenge. They track what happened after a customer contacted support—call logs, notes, purchase history. That’s useful for routine inquiries, but it’s backwards-looking and reactive.
What manufacturers need is a telematics-connected CRM platform that displays vehicle data in real time. Not to record what happened, but to understand what’s happening right now and orchestrate the right response before the customer even thinks of dialing.
How Telematics-Connected CRM Powered by Integrated Data Changes Everything
When the vehicle connects directly to CRM systems through a common data platform, integrating customer history, service records, and real-time vehicle data, manufacturers can stop reacting and start responding intelligently. The key is a unified data layer that brings together information that currently sits in separate systems.
Here’s what that future with telematics systems integrated with CRM can look like for your customers:
Example: Accident Response
The vehicle transmits crash data the moment airbags deploy. The system instantly sees exact GPS coordinates, impact severity, which airbags fired, whether the vehicle is mobile. AI classifies this as a critical emergency requiring immediate response.
A single advisor receives the call with everything already on screen: customer profile, vehicle details, crash data, nearby hospitals, closest authorized service centers. They can dispatch emergency services, arrange towing to the right facility, and alert the appropriate insurance provider—all in one conversation, with no transfers, no repeated questions.
Example: Breakdown Assistance
Before the customer calls, the telematics system receives diagnostic codes showing the starter battery voltage dropped to critical levels. When the phone rings, the advisor sees the exact problem, the vehicle’s location, service history showing the battery is four years old, and a list of nearby service centers and available tow trucks.
The advisor tells the customer, “I can see your battery has failed. We’ll have roadside assistance there in 15 minutes with a replacement battery. If they can’t replace it on-site, we’ll tow you to [specific service center] where they’re ready for you.”
Example: Predictive Support
The real power comes before problems escalate. Vehicles can detect issues developing over several days, such as temperature gradually climbing or pressure fluctuating. An integrated analytics platform can flag this before complete failure.
The manufacturer reaches out: “We’ve noticed your cooling system showing early warning signs. We’d like to schedule a preventive inspection at your convenience—this could prevent a breakdown in the next few weeks.”
The customer hasn’t experienced any problem yet. The manufacturer has just saved them from being stranded and demonstrated proactive care. That builds loyalty you can’t buy with marketing emails.
The Business Case: This Pays for Itself Fast
Companies that adopt data-driven support automation can see significant return on investment and often recover costs quickly.
Here’s where the savings can come from for your organization:
- Consolidated operations: Instead of three separate support functions, you run one integrated operation.
- Eliminated transfers: When customers currently repeat information across multiple advisors, every eliminated transfer saves time and reduces frustration.
- Reduced resolution time: Advisors stop asking for information already answered by the vehicle’s telematics system. Average handle time drops.
- Lower training costs: Advisors don’t need to memorize procedures—the system surfaces what they need when they need it. Training focuses on customer interaction skills, not automotive knowledge that will be outdated in six months.
- Predictive maintenance revenue: When you reach customers before problems escalate, you create service opportunities that didn’t exist before. That breakdown that never happened because you scheduled preventive maintenance. That’s a customer who stays loyal and tells others about your proactive care.
The revenue impact matters as much as cost savings. Companies that lead in customer experience (CX) see more than twice the revenue growth of CX laggards.3 When your support becomes proactive, context-aware, and seamless, you’re not just reducing costs, you’re building loyalty that drives repeat purchases and referrals.
The Competitive Reality
The automotive industry is unique in having rich, real-time data from connected products. The question is whether it’ll use it to transform its support operations or continue operating with 1995 processes while customers expect 2026 experiences.
Those who move first don’t just reduce costs; they create competitive advantages that become harder to match over time. Because the more vehicle data collected, the smarter telematics systems become. The more interactions handled seamlessly, the more loyal customers grow. The gap between leaders and followers widens with every passing quarter.
The tools exist. The business case is clear. The opportunity won’t wait.
1 “Towing Industry Statistics,” Jannik Lindner, Gitnux, January 12, 2026.
2 “Automotive brand loyalty climbs to over 52.6% in 2024,” LexisNexis, 2024.
3 “Experience-led growth: A new way to create value,” Victoria Bough, Oliver Ehrlich, Harald Fanderl, and Robert Schiff, McKinsey & Company, March 23, 2023.
