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ActivEngage — DealerRefresh Vendor Library
ActivEngage, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Maitland, Florida, is a managed live chat and digital messaging platform purpose-built for automotive…
ActivEngage
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79 DealerRefresh discussions
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About suggest a correction →
ActivEngage, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Maitland, Florida, is a managed live chat and digital messaging platform purpose-built for automotive dealerships, dealer groups, and OEMs. The company provides human-powered (no-bot) managed chat, SMS/text messaging, and omnichannel engagement services that help dealers qualify shoppers, set appointments, and generate leads 24/7. Its product suite also spans service scheduling, reputation management, and an AI Suite of tools (debuted at NADA 2026) designed to augment — not replace — live agent conversations.
What you do with it
engage and qualify those shoppers in real time through human-powered chat and messaging, so they can capture more leads and set more appointments from existing website traffic
When website visitors are browsing inventory or considering service but won't call or email
provide 24/7 managed messaging so no inbound conversation goes unanswered, so they can maintain continuous lead generation without adding headcount
When a dealer's staff cannot cover chat coverage gaps — evenings, weekends, or high-volume periods
integrate managed messaging outputs directly into platforms like Elead, CDK, and Cox Automotive tools, so they can reduce manual data entry and keep lead records accurate across systems
When a dealer needs chat and messaging data to flow into their existing CRM and digital retailing stack
Community evidence → Stable
The DealerRefresh community — including dealers, industry voices, and vendor partners — broadly affirms that ActivEngage delivers on its core promise of converting passive website visitors into qualified leads through human-staffed chat, with Russell Blackstone's hands-on success story and Brian Pasch's AWA endorsement serving as the strongest practitioner-level validations. DealerRefresh founder Jeff Kershner explicitly calls them 'one of our industries BEST,' lending significant community credibility. Criticism is narrow but real: the platform has been flagged for Windows-only availability, limited interface customization, and requiring paid upgrades to unlock Saturday support — friction points that matter operationally for smaller or mixed-environment dealer groups. OEM recognition (GM iMR approval, Chrysler PAP co-op) and deep integrations with CDK, Cox Automotive, and Elead reinforce institutional confidence, but the community record contains no candid dealer-voice debate about chat quality, agent performance, or ROI metrics beyond the vendor's own promotional framing.
Human-powered 24/7 chat as a lead capture differentiator7 mentions
OEM and co-op program approvals (GM iMR, Chrysler PAP)2 mentions
CRM and platform integrations (Elead, CDK, Cox Automotive)4 mentions
Platform limitations — Windows-only, customization constraints, Saturday support paywalled2 mentions
Industry awards and third-party endorsements2 mentions
Continuous product expansion (AI Suite, ActivOne, omnichannel messaging)4 mentions
Thought leadership and educational content (eBooks, AutoChatter, CSI content)4 mentions
Community credibility and long-standing DealerRefresh sponsorship2 mentions
79 mentions · 50 positive · 3 negative · Scored from 20+ years of candid DealerRefresh discussion. Scores shift as new conversations happen.
POSITIVE
"Cox Automotive announced a partnership with ActivEngage to integrate face-to-face video chat capabilities into their messaging platform across major brands including Autotrader, Accelerate My Deal, Dealer.com, and Kelley Blue Book, launching in Q2 2023."
Cox Automotive and ActivEngage have exciting news for automotive dealers and consumers! →
POSITIVE
"ActivEngage promotes their Certified and Co-Op programs, highlighting that dealerships can use existing OEM co-op budget dollars to fund their messaging services. The key benefit emphasized is enabling 24/7 live customer service on dealership websites to capture and engage potential customers who might otherwise leave without contact."
Did you know... →
POSITIVE
"ActivEngage announced they will be appearing on Refresh Friday on April 14, 2023 at 1 p.m. EST."
We're excited to be on Refresh Friday this...Friday! →
POSITIVE
"ActivEngage promoted their dealership live chat solution, emphasizing their responsive customer support team that provides onboarding and maintains regular contact with dealers, with a maximum 5-minute response time commitment."
Looking for a dealership live chat partner with a quality support team? →
POSITIVE
"ActivEngage sponsored DealerKnows Summer Camp '23, an unconventional industry conference organized by Joe Webb and Bill Playford that emphasized outdoor team building and best practice sharing rather than traditional trade show formats."
DealerKnows Summer Camp '23...the shake-up conference we all needed! →
POSITIVE
"EfrainAE shares ActivEngage COO Carol Marshall's article on engaging younger, digitally-native car shoppers through updated communication strategies supported by relevant statistics."
How to Engage with Digital Natives by COO Carol Marshall →
POSITIVE
"ActivEngage, a managed live messaging provider for dealerships since 2007 and DealerRefresh's first-ever sponsor, is reviewed across 45 threads covering their 24/7 human-agent chat, SMS, and video services. The thread synthesizes community feedback on their platform integrations, conversational commerce tools, and Cox Automotive partnerships. Dealers weighing outsourced messaging will find a seasoned vendor with deep community ties and a broad feature set worth evaluating."
Community Review: ActivEngage →
POSITIVE
"We are currently partnered with the best automotive technology vendors, so if you've been reading DealerRefresh you can expect to become familiar with: Dealer.com, iMagicLab, ActivEngage and a few"
Checkered Flag Internet Department →
POSITIVE
"Stephen Jackson from ActiveEngage promotes a free eBook titled "Epidemic! The 8 Diseases Plaguing Dealer Websites" that identifies eight conversion-killing mentalities affecting dealer websites and offers solutions for each."
There are eight diseases killing dealer websites. →
POSITIVE
"Recently, we started using TikTok for brand awareness, visibility, and just plain old fun! What we find is that dealerships and, any company really, can benefit from tapping into this viral app for consumers in their region. It also goes beyond sales and lead generation and can just be a fun way to humanize your organization and possibly provide memorable content so folks think of you when it's time to buy a car in the future! This is a recent TikTok of ours that just shows our office personality and people; and we have so much fun making them!"
Thoughts on using TikTok for your dealership? →
POSITIVE
"Check out this new blog detailing why this is important for dealerships, and how you can make the switch ASAP!"
Has your dealership migrated to Google Analytics 4 yet? →
POSITIVE
"Russell Blackstone shares success using ActivEngage, a hosted chat service that captures customer information and sales leads from impatient online shoppers who won't call or email, and he's exploring expanding it across his dealership group."
Chat Vendors →
POSITIVE
"asks about a free trial for ActivEngage software, mentioning that his dealership was convinced to adopt other tools after seeing measurable results like a 20-25% lead closing rate increase"
Introducing Myself →
POSITIVE
"BrendanHirstAE from the ActivEngage team posts seasonal greetings for Cinco de Mayo and May the Fourth, wishing dealers success with their sales goals while sharing festive graphics created by their design team"
May the Cinco Be With You! →
POSITIVE
"ActivEngage announces their presence at NADA 2024 (Booth #6113N) and shares a CBT News interview featuring CEO Ted Rubin discussing digital retailing trends and their new Flip2txt product designed to help dealerships meet 2024 objectives."
The key to providing a first-in-class digital experience in 2024 →
POSITIVE
"We could could even have someone sponsor that portion of the info graphic. Like activengage."
The nums →
POSITIVE
"vendors like ActivEngage expressing enthusiasm about the "shake-up conference" format"
Let's Go To Summer Camp! | Joe Webb & Bill Playford - DealerKnows →
POSITIVE
"ActivEngage (a live messaging provider) shares their observations and offers solutions for how dealerships can better engage and reassure potential customers when inventory is limited."
How to Reassure Customers in an Inventory Shortage →
POSITIVE
"ActivEngage, a managed messaging provider founded in 2007, announces its return as a sponsor to DealerRefresh and introduces its live messaging services (emphasizing real people rather than bots) to the automotive dealer community."
Is this thing on??? ActivEngage is what the DR ordered. →
POSITIVE
"The ActivEngage team solicits recommendations for favorite automotive industry shows and conferences, with particular enthusiasm for the DealerKnows Summer Camp as a more personal alternative to traditional convention center events."
Shows, shows, shows! →
NEGATIVE
"vendor support failures—particularly poor communication practices (email-only support, slow responses), ticket closure without resolution, and a lack of dealership industry knowledge among support staff"
Question for dealers! What are your... →
NEGATIVE
"In direct comparisons with ActivEngage, CarChat24 was called out for offering true 24/7 and weekend co"
Community Review: CarChat24 →
NEGATIVE
"Ryan Everson responded with playful mocking images before endorsing Dealer Inspire as the superior WSP option among major competitors"
What automotive WSP (website provider) does your dealership use? →
MIXED
"Chrysler's PAP co-op approval of ActivEngage... ActivEngage requires paid upgrades for Saturday support"
AvtivEngage VS CarChat24? →
MIXED
"ActivEngage is praised for reporting capabilities but criticized for Windows-only availability and limited interface customization"
ActivEngage vs ContactAtOnce vs CarChat24? →
MIXED
"ActivEngage's competing toolbar noted for integrating chat and DealerRater reviews"
Free Social Media Tool Bar For Your Website →
NEUTRAL
"Ted and Carol from ActivEngage discussing AI's role in chat experiences, video integration through their Cox Automotive partnership, and current trends in consumer chat behavior."
Dealer Chat with Ai - Video, Ai and Trends | Carol and Ted. of ActivEngage →
NEUTRAL
"Jeff Kershner announced an upcoming RefreshFriday webcast featuring Carol Marshall and Ted Rubin from ActivEngage, covering the integration of video into chat platforms, current chat conversion statistics, Digital Dealer updates, and compliance with new FTC rules taking effect in December."
Video in Chat and the latest chat STATS | Carol Marshall & Ted Rubin of ActivEngage →
NEUTRAL
"the sponsors, which include [URL="http://www.activengage.com/default.aspx"]ActivEngage[/URL]"
Digital Summit 2013 at Google Review with Kevin Frye →
NEUTRAL
"ActivEngage asks automotive professionals what promotional giveaway items would be most useful and memorable to them."
Useful/thoughtful giveaway items? →
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