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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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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.
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"ActivEngage posed a question to dealership professionals about their current new car inventory levels and any challenges they're facing."
Car dealers: How are your inventories looking these days? →
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"ActivEngage, an automotive chat company, is recruiting aggressive, relationship-driven sales professionals with established dealer networks for expansion into select markets, offering unlimited income potential."
We are looking for a few great people →
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"[url]http://www.activengage.com/[/url] || There's also [URL="http://www.contactatonce.com/"]ContactAtOnce[/URL] that is inside our industry."
Low Cost Live Chat Software →
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"The discussion identifies three primary chat providers as market leaders—CarChat24, ActiveEngage, and Contact At Once"
Chat Challenge: Show Me Your Chat →
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"Years ago I was under the impression that ActivEngage had one in the works, but I never saw it come to production."
Consolidated reports →
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"Multiple automotive industry vendors and partners responded confirming their attendance, with representatives from companies like Foureyes, TradePending, Invoca, ActivEngage, and Authenticom detailing their booth locations, presentations, and new product launches"
Digital Dealer Fall '22 ROLL CALL →
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"ActivEngage asks dealers whether they've experienced increased pre-order and direct order activity in their dealerships, citing Cars.com data showing 41% of recent shoppers plan to preorder through local dealers"
Dealers, has this been true for you? →
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"BrendanHirstAE from ActivEngage asks automotive dealers what promotional offers drive the most conversions in both sales and service departments"
Looking for some dealer insight! What sort of... →
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"ActivEngage, a live chat software company serving the automotive industry, is recruiting high-performing account executives across the U.S. and Canada."
ActivEngage is Hiring Top Producers →
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"ActivEngage and Cox Automotive are hosting a free webinar on June 15th, 2023 at 2 p.m. ET featuring CRO Eric Schlesinger and Chad Agler to discuss digital communication strategies for dealerships to better serve modern car shoppers."
Don't miss this FREE Webinar! →
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"ActivEngage is promoting a limited-time promotion offering dealerships a chance to win a Traeger Grill by signing up for gold-level messaging services by July 31st, 2022"
Dealers: Want a chance to win a TRAEGER GRILL? Check this out! →
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"whether running multiple analytics scripts simultaneously (Google Analytics, Dealer.com, and Activengage) is causing the tracking issues and site slowdown"
Dealer.com Google Analytics →
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"DealerRefresh hosted a live webcast featuring ActivEngage's COO Carol Marshall and President Ted Rubin to discuss how customer expectations have shifted in 2022 and how dealers can adapt to meet them. The session focused on ActivEngage's perspective on helping dealers transform their customer engagement strategies in response to changing buyer behaviors."
Customer Perspectives & Expectations in 2022 | Carol Marshall & Ted Rubin →
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"Dan Sayer evaluates emerging AI chat solutions for dealer websites as alternatives to their current ActivEngage setup"
A different approach to dealer website/chat AI? Ever heard of Seezar? →
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"ActivEngage founder and CEO Ted Rubin is stepping down and has humorously appointed ChatGPT as his successor, with a video showing him providing "advice" to the AI before his departure."
We got a new CEO??? →
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"[IMG]http://activengage.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/fb-geo-300x168.png[/IMG]"
Auto Dealers Use Facebook Geotargeting For Digital Marketing →
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