What custom actions can I set up in my powersports DMS?

Chatref's ai-agents handle repeat customer questions by pulling answers directly from your uploaded documents - your service manuals, parts catalogs, pricing sheets, and policy PDFs. Custom-actions extend that capability. They let the agent call out to your dealership management system (DMS) while chatting, performing real tasks like checking a VIN, looking up an open repair order, or updating a customer record. No coding required; you define the action in Chatref, point it to your DMS endpoint, and the agent knows when and how to trigger it based on the conversation.

Because the ai-agent is grounded in your own content, it never guesses about your powersports workflows. When a customer asks, "When's my unit ready?" the agent doesn't give a generic answer - it retrieves the service status straight from the DMS and responds with the actual ETA. That makes custom actions the core of true DMS automation inside a chat experience.

Powersports dealers get the most value when custom-actions mirror the daily rhythms of the shop. Here are the most common setups we see:

• Service appointment booking: Customer asks to schedule a 10-hour service. The agent checks real-time slot availability in the DMS, books the appointment, and confirms - all in the same thread.
• Inventory & unit alerts: When a customer inquires about a specific model or VIN, the agent fetches exact stock levels, unit location, and hold status. You can set up alerts so the agent proactively messages leads when a sold-out unit becomes available again.
• Service request triage: Instead of a form, the agent collects the issue in natural language, creates a repair order in your DMS, tags it with the correct priority, and hands off to a human in the shared inbox only if additional diagnostics are needed.
• Lead capture with CRM enrichment: The agent collects the prospect's details, then fires a custom-action to create or update the lead in your DMS, attaching the full chat transcript for the sales team.

Each of these custom actions runs on your existing DMS infrastructure - no need to migrate data or change how your team works.

Setting up a custom action in Chatref takes a few minutes. Here's the flow:

1. Connect your DMS: Provide the API endpoint or webhook URL for the action you want to run (e.g., /schedule-appointment, /check-inventory, /create-ro). Chatref supports standard REST calls with authentication.
2. Define the inputs: In the Chatref dashboard, tell the agent what information it needs to collect from the customer before firing the action - for an appointment, it might be name, unit type, preferred date, and contact info.
3. Map the response: Specify which fields from the DMS response the agent should share with the customer (confirmation number, time slot, unit status, etc.).
4. Test in the playground: Chatref's live playground lets you simulate conversations and confirm the DMS connection works as expected before going live.

Once active, the ai-agent automatically recognizes intent and triggers the right custom-action. You can customize dealer management system integrations for sales, service, or parts - all managed from a single, no-code interface. And because Chatref is pay-as-you-go, you never pay per bot or per integration; you simply top up credit when needed.

Can I automate appointment scheduling?

Yes. With a custom-action connected to your DMS calendar, the Chatref ai-agent can display real-time availability, book a service appointment while the customer is chatting, and return a confirmation number. It handles the full loop from inquiry to confirmation without a human touching the DMS, freeing your service advisors for higher-value work.

How to set up inventory alerts?

Create a custom-action that calls your DMS inventory endpoint when a customer asks about a particular unit. The agent returns live stock data. To set up proactive alerts, configure a scheduled trigger (e.g., once daily) that queries inventory levels and notifies customers or your sales team via the chat widget when a specific unit comes back in stock or drops below a threshold. The entire logic lives inside Chatref's no-code action builder.

What's the best way to handle service requests?

Use a custom-action that collects the problem description, customer details, and unit info in a conversational flow, then creates a repair order (RO) directly in your DMS. The agent can attach priority tags based on keywords ("won't start" = high priority), assign a service bay if your DMS supports it, and immediately hand off the RO to a human inside the shared inbox when follow-up is needed. This turns a messy email or phone tag into a structured, trackable ticket - all before a service advisor ever gets involved.