Podium launches Jerry 2.0 vertical AI agents, highlighted in new OpenAI case study

Podium, a U.S.‑based AI conversion and communications platform for local businesses, has launched Jerry 2.0, an upgraded suite of domain‑specific AI agents for sectors including automotive, HVAC and medspas. The release is timed with a new OpenAI case study detailing how Podium uses GPT‑5.1 to power agents that capture leads 24/7, schedule appointments, close jobs and follow up with customers, reportedly driving a 30% revenue lift and 45% higher conversion for clients. Jerry 2.0 emphasizes "coachable" behavior: owners can inspect the agent’s reasoning, tweak style and playbooks in natural language, and adapt flows for different industries in about a minute instead of weeks of retraining. For smaller, service‑heavy local businesses that lose a large share of inquiries after hours, Podium is pitching these agents less as software and more as a full‑time team member that lets human staff move to higher‑leverage work.