How to stop missing calls at an auto repair shop
An auto repair shop misses calls when the technicians are under a lift, when the front desk is handling a customer at the counter, and when a driver calls after closing with a car that will not start. An AI voice agent can answer those calls, take the vehicle details, and pass urgent cases to your team.
Why calls get missed
In a repair shop the people who answer the phone are often the same ones writing estimates, taking in vehicles and handing back keys. A call that arrives during a diagnosis or a test drive rings until it goes to voicemail.
Calls also come in at predictable moments: first thing in the morning when owners drop off a car, around lunch when someone checks on a quote, and late in the afternoon when drivers realize a problem is getting worse. Many of those callers will not leave a message. They call the next shop on the list.
What your options are
Front-desk staff. A person can explain the work, reassure a worried driver and make judgment calls about urgency. The limit is coverage: one person cannot answer the phone and serve the counter at the same time, and staffing a phone line through the whole day has a real cost.
Voicemail. It costs nothing and needs no setup. It does not answer questions about availability, does not collect the vehicle make and model, and most callers hang up before the beep.
An AI voice agent. It answers at any hour, collects the caller's name, phone number, vehicle make, model and year, and the reason for the call. It can tell callers the opening hours and services you have loaded, propose an appointment slot, and pass the call to a person when the driver needs a technician. Its limits are real: it does not diagnose a fault or quote a repair you have not priced, it only knows what you tell it, and you should listen to its calls during the first weeks.
For most shops the practical answer is a mix. The team handles the calls it can take while working, and the agent covers the busy periods, lunch, closing time and weekends.
How to set it up in InfiVoice
1. Load the knowledge base. Include services you offer, opening hours, how to request a quote, the documents or information you need from the driver, and your cancellation policy. Use only prices and policies you have confirmed.
2. Define what counts as urgent. A car that will not start in the parking lot, a leak or a safety concern should reach a person or a number you choose. Tell the agent not to diagnose and not to promise a repair time you cannot meet.
3. Design the call flow. A simple order is: greeting, reason for calling, name, phone number, vehicle make, model and year, and preferred time. See how to design a call flow, or the English guide on AI voice agents for auto repair shops.
4. Set opening hours. Set your hours so the agent offers appointments only when there is room and takes messages outside them. See after-hours calls.
5. Decide when to transfer. Urgent breakdowns, disputes about a bill and anything that needs a technician should go to a person. See how to transfer calls to a person.
6. Test before going live. Call from a few phones, simulate a breakdown and a question about a quote, and check that the agent does not invent prices or work times.
If you want a starting point for the call itself, the auto repair shop phone script template shows the questions most shops need answered.
Plans and pricing
The Free plan includes 100 credits. The Pro plan costs $79 per month and includes 250 credits. One credit equals 60 seconds of call time. See pricing for details.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent diagnose my customer's car?
No. It is built to answer, share the information you load, and record the request. Diagnosis and repair quotes must come from your technicians.
What happens with an urgent breakdown?
You decide. The agent can give the number you specify or transfer the call to a person.
Can it book appointments?
It can propose open slots and record the request based on the hours you configure. Check your flow before going live so it matches your schedule.
Does it replace the front desk?
Not necessarily. It is most useful for covering calls that arrive when nobody can answer.