Blog · Auto Repair
AI Service Advisor: How Auto Repair Shops
Are Using AI to Handle Phone Calls
February 25, 2026 · 6 min read
The phone at an auto repair shop rings 40–60 times a day. Estimate requests. Status checks. Appointment scheduling. Parts questions. Every one of those calls either makes money or costs money. Independent shops are now using AI phone agents as virtual service advisors—and the results are changing how they think about staffing entirely.
What an AI Service Advisor Actually Does
An AI service advisor isn't a chatbot. It's a voice agent that answers your phone with a human-sounding voice and handles the conversation the way a trained service writer would. Here's the workflow for a typical inbound call:
1. Greeting & Intent Detection: "Hi, thanks for calling [Your Shop Name]. How can I help you?" The AI determines within seconds whether the caller wants an estimate, a status update, an appointment, or something else.
2. Vehicle Capture: For estimate and appointment calls, the AI collects year, make, model, mileage, and the customer's description of the issue—noise, warning light, vibration, leak, routine maintenance. This creates a pre-ticket your tech can review before the car arrives.
3. Estimate Ranges: For common services—oil changes, brake pads, tire rotations, diagnostics—the AI provides the price ranges you've pre-configured. "$89 to $129 for a diagnostic, depending on the issue." No guessing. No making up numbers.
4. Bay Scheduling: The AI checks your calendar and books the drop-off. "We have an opening Thursday at 8 AM or Friday at 2 PM. Which works better?" Confirmed on the call. No phone tag.
5. Status Calls: For customers checking on their vehicle, the AI pulls the current status from your shop management system. "Your 2019 Accord is in the bay now. The tech found the issue and parts are on the way. We expect it ready by 4 PM today." Your service writer never gets interrupted.
Why This Matters More for Auto Repair Than Other Industries
Most businesses have a front desk. Auto repair shops have a shop floor. Your skilled labor is under a lift, not sitting at a phone. Hiring a dedicated service writer costs $35,000–$50,000 per year, and they still can't answer after hours, during lunch, or when they're writing up an estimate for a walk-in.
The phone call in auto repair is also unusually high-value. The average repair order is $300–$700. A single missed estimate call can cost you $450. Miss three a day, and that's over $350,000/year in potential revenue that never hits your books.
The Status Call Problem
Ask any shop owner what their #1 phone call type is, and they'll say status checks. "Is my car done yet?" "What did you find?" "When can I pick it up?" These calls are necessary but they generate zero revenue. They pull your service writer away from upselling a walk-in customer or writing a detailed repair estimate.
An AI service advisor handles status calls from your live repair data. The customer gets an instant, accurate answer. Your service writer stays focused on work that moves the needle. At a shop doing 15–20 cars per day, this can free up 2–3 hours of service writer time daily.
After-Hours: Where the Biggest Wins Are
Cars break down at inconvenient times. A customer's transmission starts slipping on the drive home from work at 6:30 PM. They search "transmission repair near me" on their phone and call the top three results. Your shop closed at 6. The AI answers at 6:30, captures the vehicle details, gives a diagnostic appointment for the next morning, and books it. Without AI, that's a $1,200+ transmission job going to whoever answers.
Weekend and evening calls have the highest urgency and the lowest competition for answering. An AI that covers these hours captures revenue that would otherwise be invisible to you.
What It Can't Do (And What That's Fine)
An AI service advisor won't diagnose a misfire, explain the difference between OEM and aftermarket parts, or negotiate with an insurance adjuster. It's not a mechanic and it's not pretending to be one. What it does is handle the 80% of calls that are repetitive and procedural—estimates, scheduling, status checks—so your human staff can focus on the 20% that require expertise and judgment.
For calls that need a human, the AI warm-transfers with full context. Your service writer picks up the phone already knowing the caller's name, vehicle, and what they need. No "let me start from the beginning."
The Cost Comparison
At $250–$500/month, the AI pays for itself with a single recovered repair order. Everything after that is profit you weren't getting before. See how Vox works for auto repair shops →
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Set up in 20 minutes. Captures vehicle details, books bays, handles status calls. Every call answered 24/7.