About The Session
Panel Discussion
Innovating the Customer Experience: The Necessity For OEM and Dealer Collaboration
Innovation in the automotive industry needs to progress well beyond product. As consumer habits and behaviors change with the rise of shopping experiences like Amazon, and on-demand everything, the auto industry must partner to create a new and modern customer experience. This panel will discuss opportunities for change – from OEM incentives and programs to the retail shopping experience from online shopping to test drive to purchase and business office. Key focus will be on how technology can help bridge the gap from the current model to the future of car buying and how retailers and “the factory” can partner to make it happen. Customer expectations are changing and the time to innovate is now!
About The Speaker
Tamera Jackson is an innovative leader with significant experience driving initiatives in sales, marketing, and operations to enhance revenue growth and profitability while optimizing the customer experience. She is a creative and transformational problem solver, with a bias for action. Tamera has a well-rounded background in small/mid-size companies as well as large organizations, with the ability to identify and rank strategic priorities. As majority owner and President of Jackson Chevrolet Company for the past seven years, she turned the financial results of the dealership around and achieved profitability within three months, and improved topline revenue >40% within one year while undergoing a major 1.5M renovation. While at the dealership, Tamera drove major culture change and focused the business on throughput and maximizing income opportunities while maintaining a deeply rooted focus on excellent customer service and satisfaction. Tamera prepared the dealership for sale, negotiated and closed a favorable transaction in late February of this year.
Prior to the her ownership of the dealership, Tamera spent over twelve years in various roles at General Motors. Her most recent role was as Manager of Infotainment and Connected Vehicle Customer Experience. In this role, she enabled the successful implementation of GM’s infotainment and in-vehicle technology offerings, and developed a roadmap for future products.
Tamera is currently based in Connecticut and launching a startup that leverages technology to help caregivers of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She holds an M.B.A with Honors from New York Institute of Technology and a B.A. from Brown University. Tamera is sought after locally to serve in leadership positions on local non-profit boards, currently serving as board chair for The Middlesex County YMCA, on the Executive board of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce and Ray of Light Farm. A confident public speaker, she is called on frequently to serve as spokesperson at media events or with Executives and legislators.