I’ve been in the automotive aftermarket long enough to know that change doesn’t come easy. This is an industry built on relationships and decades of hands-on experience. It's not always flashy and tech driven, and many operators like it that way.

But here’s the thing: whether we’re ready or not, we’re standing at the edge of the biggest transformations our workforce has ever seen.

And I’m not talking about digital commerce. I’m talking about how work itself is about to change. How roles will shift, expectations will evolve, and the way we measure value will be fundamentally different.

What’s driving the change?

The rise of AI as a co-pilot in every job, from the warehouse floor to the C-suite.

I don’t say that as an outsider. I say that as someone building these solutions, shoulder-to-shoulder with this industry. I’ve sat in hundreds of hours of meetings, listened to customer support calls, and watched reps fumble through spreadsheets trying to find answers buried in data.

This is personal for me. And I can tell you with confidence: if we don't start preparing our teams to work with AI (not against it) we’re going to create a workforce divide that makes the eCommerce gap look like a speed bump.

We’re Not Replacing People. We’re Rewriting the Playbook.

Let me be clear: AI isn't here to steal jobs. But it is going to change how every role functions. And if we don't start mapping out what those changes look like today, we're going to find ourselves recruiting for yesterday's job descriptions while our competitors staff for tomorrow's. The knowledge gap is getting wider by the day.

If we are being honest, the real risk isn’t that jobs go away. It’s that good people get left behind because they weren’t given the tools (or the training) to evolve.

Let’s break it down, role by role. Because this shift is coming for all of us, and pretending it’s not doesn’t make it less true.

Sales Reps → AI-Powered Relationship Builders

This is the one that gets me fired up. Sales teams in this industry are full of grinders. They drive all day, build real relationships, and know how to close.

But let’s be honest: most reps are flying blind.

They don't know which SKUs are dragging margin. They don’t know if a customer is slipping until the PO stops showing up. The can’t see attrition issues. They’re relying on gut feel when they could be guided by data.

That’s changing.

At Tromml, we’ve built tools that put insights in a rep’s pocket before they walk into a meeting.

Things like:

• “Your top 3 SKUs dropped in volume by 15% this quarter.”
• “Last visit you mentioned frustration with fulfillment times, and I can see you’ve stopped by x products from us since then.”
• “Customer X started starting buying this new category of products.”
• “A new promotion might be impacting your account’s average order size.”

This is what a co-pilot looks like. It’s not about dashboards or charts, but a solution to surfacing the right info at the right time, in plain English, so reps can act.

What to watch for: Sales reps will need to shift from “talking points” to “insight delivery.” The strongest reps will be the ones who combine relationship-building with fast interpretation of machine-generated recommendations.

Customer Support → Feedback Loops and Trend Spotters

Customer support teams already know what’s broken before anyone else does. The future just gives them a megaphone and a map.

AI can help analyze support tickets, categorize complaints, and even suggest preventative actions. But it still needs human judgment to connect the dots.

Your CSRs will become scouts—surfacing recurring issues, flagging trends early, and sharing frontline insights with product and ops. In other words, they’ll become strategic informants, not just problem solvers.

What to watch for: Empower your support team with tools that track sentiment, resolution outcomes, and recurring issues. Then teach them how to elevate those insights upstream.

Fulfillment Teams → Exception Managers

Automation is coming for pick/pack/ship. That’s not news.

But fulfillment won’t be a fully robotic job anytime soon. What will change is the focus: people will stop doing what AI can do better, and start managing what AI can’t.

Think: “Why did this order bounce back again?” or “How do we flag consistent backorders before they hurt fill rate?” or “What’s the root cause of returns for this SKU?”

The best fulfillment leaders won’t be the fastest on the floor. They’ll be the ones who know how to listen to the system and intervene at the right moment.

What to watch for: This team will need basic analytics skills, alerting systems, and context from AI tools that show not just what’s happening, but why.

Catalog Managers → Data Architects and System Strategists

Catalog teams have always been the unsung heroes of this industry. They deal with outdated formats, inconsistent supplier data, endless cross-referencing. Most people don’t even know how much of our business lives or dies by the accuracy of those files.

But here's what's changing: AI can now clean, classify, and match data faster than any human ever could. So where does that leave your catalog manager?

In a more strategic seat.

The catalog manager of the future isn’t just fixing typos or updating weights. They’re designing how your data flows into every other part of your system. They’re deciding which datasets to trust. They’re training your AI so it understands the logic behind your inventory.

Their job won’t disappear. It just becomes mission critical.

What to watch for: This role will require more cross-functional skills—data literacy, systems thinking, and the ability to oversee tools like middleware and AI-powered validation engines.

Executives → Synthesizers and Decision Coaches

If you’re in leadership, you’re already expected to make faster, smarter decisions. But the volume of data—and the complexity of that data—is exploding.

AI won’t fix that on its own. But it will give you leverage—if you know how to use it.

The CEOs, VPs, and Directors who thrive in this next era will be the ones who:

• Know how to ask better questions
• Use AI tools to get answers faster
• Empower their teams to act with confidence
• Coach teams on how to use AI, not just that they should

What to watch for: Your calendar should start shifting. Less time digging through reports. More time interpreting what AI is telling you, and coaching your team to do the same.

Why This Matters More Than Digital Commerce Ever Did

Look, digital commerce changed the industry. No denying that. But that shift mostly hit the channel.

This AI shift? It’s going to change the people.

It will expose gaps in training, adaptability, and even confidence. It will highlight which orgs have a culture of experimentation and which don’t. And it will quickly divide teams into two camps:

• Those who use AI to accelerate and evolve
• Those who fall further behind, unsure of how to even start

The divide won’t just be visible in profits. It’ll show up in culture, morale, and turnover.

What You Can Do Today

You don’t need a big AI strategy deck to get moving. But you do need to act with intention.

Here’s how:

1. Start with Exposure.

Let your teams experiment with AI tools in low-stakes settings. Let them try chat interfaces for reporting, explore workflow automation, or even play with generative tools in marketing. Familiarity builds confidence.

2. Reward Curiosity.

This shift isn’t about who's smartest. It’s about who’s willing to learn. Highlight and reward people who are asking good questions, trying new tools, and pulling insights into their daily work.

3. Hire for Adaptability.

You’re not just hiring parts people anymore. You’re hiring learners. Prioritize candidates who show flexibility, critical thinking, and excitement about using new tech—even if they don’t come from your traditional talent pool.

4. Build AI Co-Pilot Workflows.

Don't make AI a separate thing. Bake it into your reps' sales prep, your support team’s ticket routing, and your ops team’s exception management. Make it seamless and supportive, not scary.

You Don’t Have to Know Everything, You Just Have to Start

I’m not pretending to have all the answers. But I know what it feels like to sense a shift before it becomes obvious. And I’ve learned the hard way: ignoring that gut instinct never pays off.

This AI shift is happening fast. Not five years from now. Not after another round of digital transformation. Now.

If you care about your team, your customers, or your competitive edge—start treating AI like the co-pilot it’s meant to be.

Not as a replacement.

But as a partner.

And if you’re wondering how to start, let’s talk. At Tromml, we’re building tools that were designed from the ground up with this industry, for this moment.

Because the future of work in the aftermarket isn’t about doing more with less.

It’s about doing better, with the help of world-class tools.