/Adobe
How do you turn a dealer-level analysis process into a scalable, AI-powered workflow?
During a session at the Domopalooza conference in Salt Lake City in late March of 2026, representatives from FordDirect and OneMagnify laid out how they built a workflow in Domo using an AI agent task to transform a previously manual process into an automated, end-to-end workflow for dealer re-engagement.
FordDirect is a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its Ford and Lincoln dealers. One of its main tools is the AdVantage digital ad program, designed to drive traffic and sales and improve marketing return on investment for dealers.
There are more than 3,000 Ford and Lincoln dealers in the US, many of whom are part of AdVantage… but far from all. An AI agent was designed to address dealerships that had ceased membership in AdVantage, as well as those deemed at risk of discontinuing the service.
“We created an AI agent to deliver dealer performance insight that would accelerate AdVantage growth,” said Brendan Sullivan, director of FordDirect Advertising Analytics. “The goal was to equip our sales team with data and narrative examples they could use for dealer retention and win-back.”
Winning back lost dealers with data-driven insights
In 2025, 97 at-risk or terminated dealers were identified. In the past, anyone wishing to analyze these dealers faced a data integration challenge to find how they performed before and after leaving AdVantage.
They had to blend AdVantage and non-AdVantage data across varied dealer timelines, metrics, and formats. They also had to factor in external influences that disrupt markets, such as seasonality, tariffs, and more.
The first step was to achieve a firm understanding of the existing manual process, then to build a strong data foundation and define precisely and only what the agent was to accomplish. Both Databricks and Domo were reviewed as candidate platforms. Domo won due to the strength of its data foundation and AI governance capabilities, added Sullivan.
Stephanie Butterbrodt, a business intelligence consultant at OneMagnify, assisted FordDirect with the project. The agent was set up to analyze and rank multiple performance scenarios using flexible logic that could evolve as priorities change.
“The agent used a governed, repeatable process for multi-dealer analysis that generated a clear narrative text and visual outputs that could go to the sales teams for use in potential dealer conversions,” said Butterbrodt. “It was based on a standardized way to compare the last three months before leaving AdVantage to the three months after.”
Measuring impact: how AI turned insights into results
Sales could use the agent to generate data on one dealer or all of them.
Sales were given before and after performance stories, which they could use to show the value of AdVantage. They could trust the findings as the data was cleaned prior to analysis and guardrails were put in place to prevent errors or hallucination. For example, AI was only to access and use the data provided and nothing more. A human-in-the-loop was added to verify that the AI agent’s output matched real-world conditions.
“AdVantage helped drive 34% more leads, 20% more vehicle sales, and an 18% improvement in sales effectiveness at one Ford dealership,” said Butterbrodt. “When shown this information, that deal rejoined the program.”
Sullivan added that the agent delivered 24 opportunity stories. Ten of these returned to the program. In addition, eliminating the manual workflow led to a 75% reduction in hours spent on creating dealer data and a 90% reduction in turnaround time from analysis to story generation.”
What FordDirect and OneMagnify built isn’t just a faster reporting pipeline, but a scalable decision engine — one that turns fragmented data into clear, persuasive stories. By combining governed data, focused AI, and human oversight, they proved the real value of AI isn’t just automation, but action.
When insights arrive as ready-to-use narratives, teams can move faster… and in dealer engagement, speed is a decisive advantage.
For another example of rapid AI in action, check out how Bissell built five real workflows in just two days — turning AI hype into measurable results with Domo.
