LSH Auto unifies communications and enhances customer experience.

Navigating complexity: The need for a unified platform

LSH Auto is one of the world’s largest premium automobile dealer groups, exclusively serving the luxury automotive sector in the UK. "Every morning, I get up knowing I work for a business that respects people's views and expertise and strives to improve how we serve our customers," says Chris Gensmantel, Chief Information Officer at LSH Auto.

With Mercedes-Benz dealerships across England, LSH Auto is committed to delivering exceptional service at every touchpoint—including its contact center. But before 8x8, LSH Auto managed multiple telecom vendors, including Vodafone OneNet and Cancon Contact Centre. This created a disjointed infrastructure that lacked seamless integration and strong analytics.

"It all starts with pulling apart what you have and looking for its limitations," says Chris. "We had nine separate telecom vendors involved in the LSH solution less than two years ago. There was little communication between them, and the age of the systems meant that statistical analytics were minimal."

To match the outstanding in-person service provided in their showrooms, LSH Auto knew their digital and phone customer experience had to offer the same level of excellence. The search began for a modern, omnichannel solution that could consolidate disparate systems into a single platform with advanced contact center features, a high level of efficiency, and top-notch third-party integrations.

"The questions focused on the limitations we were facing," Chris explains. "Looking at vendors is very much not about today, but ‘What’s next?’”

The search for the right-fit solution

Working with technology solutions company Darwin, LSH Auto evaluated several options before selecting 8x8. One of the key deciding factors was 8x8’s powerful real-time analytics. LSH Auto had struggled with poor reporting across its previous platforms. With 8x8’s Conversational IQ, the company gained unprecedented visibility into how customer interactions were handled, allowing it to make data-driven decisions transforming operations.

"8x8 was always professional, adaptable, and happy to work with our business to fit a solution to our requirements," Chris says. "I don’t buy systems—I buy people. And the folks at 8x8 were people I could actually talk to, real conversations. I have found that everyone at 8x8 treats it like their family and their business."

A smooth transition to the cloud

The migration to 8x8—including 8x8 Work, 8x8 Contact Center, 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams, and Calabrio WFM—was smooth and efficient. Despite the scale of the transition, LSH Auto’s team quickly adapted to the new platform.

"The onboarding process was carried out relatively quickly," Chris explains. "The system's simplicity made us feel like experts in no time. Of course, the project management team and technical analysts were on hand when needed, but we got to grips with it incredibly fast."

A game-changer for customer experience

"Once we got up and running, we were able to start analyzing our telecoms data for the first time," Chris says. "Prior to 8x8, we had little statistical knowledge that allowed us to measure and improve our performance. 8x8 now gives us the ability to set internal goals and long-term response aspirations."

Since implementing 8x8’s unified communications solution, LSH Auto has seen measurable improvements in key customer experience metrics: call answer rates improved from just over 60% to nearly 90%, even at peak times, the average wait times have been reduced by 50%, and call volumes have decreased, as more inquiries are resolved on the first attempt.

"We have not seen an increase in inbound traffic—if anything, we've seen a reduction," says Chris. "This is due to us answering more calls the first time, which in turn frees up staff to be proactive and call the customer before they call us."

Additionally, LSH Auto now has complete control over how calls are routed and handled. The company created an engagement team responsible for actively shaping how customer interactions move through the business.

"We've changed the number of calls we answer, how we answer them, and how we distribute them to the relevant customer areas," Chris says. With real-time analytics from 8x8, the team can make immediate adjustments to improve response times and agent efficiency.

With 8x8’s powerful analytics, omnichannel capabilities, and future-ready technology, LSH Auto is well-equipped to continue evolving and delivering world-class customer experiences.