Eric Brown on AskOtto.ai and AI That Waits on Hold (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 914)
On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Eric Brown, CEO of InSearchX and creator of AskOtto.ai, a digital concierge that changes how people and companies connect by phone. Instead of replacing humans with bots, AskOtto.ai uses AI to remove the layers of friction that keep people from actually talking to each other.
Drawing on his background in marketing, advertising, and behavioral analytics, Eric explains how he first saw the problem in clickstream data: abandoned forms, missed follow-up, and prospects who never made it past a phone tree. Today, AskOtto.ai quietly does what a great assistant would do. It navigates IVR menus, waits on hold with companies like banks, auto dealers, Amazon, or even the IRS, and only rings the customer when a live person is ready to talk.
Eric and John talk through real-world use cases in automotive retail and beyond, why texting and chat are often just workarounds for broken phone experiences, and what happens when software talks to software so humans can talk to humans. Eric also shares his view of where phones are headed, why phone numbers themselves may become obsolete, and how a simple, human conversation is still where trust and business get built.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- How AskOtto.ai works as a digital concierge that calls businesses for you, waits on hold, and connects you only when a live person is ready
- Why Eric believes AI should remove friction between humans instead of pretending to be human itself
- What years of behavioral data taught him about abandoned forms, poor follow up, and “leaky” sales funnels
- How automotive dealers and other businesses use AskOtto.ai to turn more inquiries into real conversations without burning staff time on outbound calls
- Why Eric thinks the future of phones is assistant-to-assistant communication, with humans stepping in only for the conversations that matter
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
00:33 Meet Eric Brown, CEO of InSearchX
01:53 Understanding AskOtto.ai
02:09 How AskOtto.ai Removes Friction
05:14 Eric Brown’s Background and Career Journey
07:08 The Future of AI in Communication
08:42 Real-World Applications and Benefits
11:44 Consumer and Business Use Cases
16:04 Inverted Customer Experience
16:11 Streamlining Insurance Renewals
16:59 Reducing Employee Hold Time Costs
17:52 Complexity in Company Bureaucracy
19:03 AI and the Future of Customer Service
20:10 Revolutionizing Phone Systems with AI
25:02 Success Stories and Real-World Applications
28:13 Conclusion and Contact Information
29:13 Final Announcements and Acknowledgements
Eric Brown, CEO, InSearchX
Eric Brown is the CEO and co-founder of InSearchX, a pioneering company in AI-driven automotive search and behavioral analytics. With a strong background in technology and data, he has built a reputation for driving innovation in the automotive industry through the development of the AskOtto platform. This platform leverages artificial intelligence and large language models to streamline vehicle search and provide personalized service notifications to millions of users. Brown’s leadership at InSearchX has positioned the company as a key player in automotive data solutions, serving prominent publishers, point-of-sale systems, and a broad client base across automotive sales, insurance, and service sectors.
Before founding InSearchX, Brown successfully led Dataium, a behavioral analytics company focused on automotive consumer insights, which was acquired by IHS/Markit (now part of S&P Global). Throughout his career, he has garnered recognition for his ability to establish and expand high-impact technology companies, particularly in the fields of adtech, AI, and data analytics. His innovative work has earned him accolades such as Nashville’s Innovator of the Year, underscoring his influence and commitment to advancing technology-driven solutions that enhance consumer experiences and business intelligence in the automotive market.
InSearchX
InSearchX is a technology company specializing in artificial intelligence-driven automotive search and marketing solutions. The company’s core innovation is AskOtto, a generative AI-powered platform that connects consumers with automotive marketers through an intuitive, frictionless interface. AskOtto allows users to engage with AI to explore vehicle options, service information, insurance, financing, safety recalls, and repair services—all without needing to 
navigate traditional search engines or call centers. This AI-driven approach reduces the cost of customer acquisition and marketing while dramatically increasing consumer engagement and conversion rates. Major publishers license the platform to support a perpetual search experience, and it integrates into point-of-sale systems, reaching over 150 million consumers monthly.
InSearchX revolutionizes how automotive companies interact with buyers and owners by removing typical barriers like hold times, complicated phone menus, and fragmented digital experiences. The company’s solution enables real-time, personalized outreach and seamless communication between consumers and dealers or service providers, driving higher sales conversion and improved customer satisfaction. Founded in 2019 and based in Nashville, Tennessee, InSearchX leverages extensive behavioral analytics and AI expertise to help automotive businesses lower marketing costs and grow revenue with innovative technology tailored to the automotive ecosystem.
Website | LinkedIn | AskOtto.ai (for consumers) | AskOtto.biz (for business)
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which helps them better understand the people. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | YouTube
Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio
Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.
Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube
About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their markets, communities, and professions. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the complete archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star rated book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
