# The details, when you need them. [Canonical page](https://dealerhandshake.com/faq/) Common questions Straight answers about your inventory, your systems and your connection. ## The connection ### How does Dealer Handshake help with AI visibility? Dealer Handshake covers the inventory part of AI visibility: checking what your website exposes, connecting authorized vehicles to supported shopping assistants, and delivering shopper-approved inquiries to your CRM. SEO and GEO services work on discovery, content and citations. You can use them alongside Dealer Handshake. Include us when your evaluation asks whether an AI shopper can find an actual car and contact your team, and verify that journey in the assistant you intend to use. ### Can’t ChatGPT already read my website? An AI assistant may be able to discover public pages from your website. That does not guarantee: - Current inventory - Correct pricing - Accurate filters - Verified dealership identity - Inventory freshness - Exact VIN-level information - A dependable lead-submission path - CRM delivery Being publicly visible online is not the same as having a structured connection. ### Does this replace our DMS, website, or CRM? No. Your website remains your primary digital storefront for consumers. Dealer Handshake adds an inventory connection designed for AI assistants. It reads the inventory feed you already operate and delivers leads in ADF, the format your CRM already accepts. It does not replace the systems where your team works. Your website is built for human shoppers. Dealer Handshake helps make your inventory usable by AI shopping tools. ### How do Dealer Handshake and Car Handshake work together? Dealer Handshake operates your dealership’s AI connection, built on Auto Agent Protocol. Your website’s agent card tells compatible agents how to connect to your dealership. Car Handshake is the shopper-facing experience, available on the web and through supported connections including ChatGPT and Claude. Publication on Car Handshake requires separate dealer authorization. Your team keeps its website, DMS, and CRM, and follows up on shopper-approved inquiries through its existing workflow. ## Leads, data and pricing ### Are you selling my data? No. We don’t sell your data or your shoppers’ data. Dealer-authorized store and inventory information is available through the connection. Shopper contact information is only accepted through a consented lead request and delivered to the selected dealership. ### What is included in an inquiry? Each inquiry includes the shopper’s request, the contact details they chose to share, and a timestamped consent record. It arrives in your CRM as a standard lead. You test delivery before going live. Your team follows up with the shopper and confirms any requested appointment. ### How do I measure results? Dealer Handshake is available today. Once your connection is active, compatible AI agents can access your authorized inventory and submit shopper-approved inquiries. You can also authorize publication through Car Handshake and its supported connections. Source-tagged ADF inquiries arrive in your CRM with the shopper’s request and consent record. Track follow-up, appointments and sales alongside your other channels. In a 10-minute demo, we can show the shopper’s experience and what your team receives in its CRM. ### What does it cost? $299 / mo per dealership location (USD), with no per-lead charge. Connect by 31 Dec 2026 and keep this rate for as long as your subscription stays active. Expert visibility services are scoped and priced separately. Existing agreements keep their terms. [See pricing and what’s included](https://dealerhandshake.com/pricing/). ## Inventory and setup ### Which inventory feeds work today? A standard inventory file (CSV) and feeds from Dealer eProcess, DealerCenter, eDealer, vAuto and Space Auto are supported today. If you use another format, [send us the provider and a sample header](mailto:support@dealerhandshake.com?subject=Inventory%20feed%20format%20request) so we can assess the mapping. ### How long does setup take? Typically one to two weeks from the day we receive your inventory feed, depending on your provider. We map the file, check prices and photos, then send a labelled test inquiry to your CRM. Nothing goes live until you confirm it arrived. ### Which CRMs can receive inquiries? Any CRM that accepts ADF/XML lead email, which covers most dealership CRMs. You give us the lead address your CRM already uses, we send a test inquiry, and you confirm it landed before anything goes live. ### Is there a long-term commitment? No. You start with a 30-day launch of one location and decide in writing whether to continue. Nothing renews automatically, and there is no per-lead charge. ### What do we receive each week? A short weekly summary of your listings, the inquiries delivered to your CRM, and the health of your feed and lead delivery. ### Is our inventory public? Going live does not publish inventory by itself. Publication channels are enabled only when separate customer authorization has been recorded. Shopper contact data is accepted only through a consented lead request and routed to the selected dealership. ### Are test drives instantly booked? No. The assistant sends the shopper’s requested time and consented contact details. Your dealership confirms the time through its normal process. ### Can a group support multiple rooftops? Yes. A dealer group can publish multiple locations, hours, and capabilities, then route leads to a rooftop-specific inbox or a group default: one AI inventory strategy across the group while every rooftop keeps its own identity, inventory, and routing. ## Assistants and control ### Which AI assistants can use the connection? Supported connections include ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Other compatible agents can use the dealership’s Auto Agent Protocol connection. Each assistant controls its own availability and behavior; an agent card does not automatically enable a connector or guarantee placement in AI answers. ### What is the Auto Agent Protocol? The Auto Agent Protocol (AAP) is an independently published open standard, and the one Dealer Handshake uses today. It standardizes how a compatible AI assistant asks a dealership about its stores, inventory, a specific vehicle, or a consented lead. Your website’s `/.well-known/agent-card.json` describes how a compatible agent connects and which capabilities it can use. Dealer Handshake does not own or publish AAP. [Read the protocol.](https://autoagentprotocol.org/) ### Is Dealer Handshake affiliated with AAP or an inventory vendor? No. Dealer Handshake Inc. is an independent company; it is not Lumika, Space Auto, or the Auto Agent Protocol project. Supporting an open standard or a vendor integration means the systems interoperate. It does not imply ownership, endorsement, or affiliation. ### Can we stop serving the connection? Authorized dealer users can pause the connection, archive the dealership, or permanently delete the dealership connection. Some security, audit, backup, or legal records may remain as described in the [Privacy Notice](https://dealerhandshake.com/privacy/). ## Still have a question? Bring your inventory provider and CRM questions. We’ll walk through your setup. [Request a demo](https://dealerhandshake.com/demo/)