# AI Receptionist for Auto Repair Shops Source: https://insertchat.com/industries/auto-repair > Book oil changes, brake jobs, and diagnostics while your service advisor is at the counter. An AI receptionist for auto repair shops answers calls when your service advisors are tied up with customers, using your services, posted prices, hours, and warranty terms. InsertChat’s assistant collects the year, make, model, mileage, and symptoms, books service appointments on your calendar, and leaves status checks and estimate approvals to your service advisor. ## Turn a warning-light call into a booked diagnostic Example workflow: Phone call. Illustrative scenario. Answers depend on your sources; actions depend on your connected tools and permissions. This is not a customer testimonial or measured result. A driver calls at 8:15 a.m., while your service advisor is checking in the morning drop-offs. > My check engine light came on this morning and the car shakes at stoplights. Can you look at it tomorrow? ## Share your diagnostic terms Give the diagnostic fee you publish and your drop-off rules for next-day appointments. ## Take the vehicle details Collect the year, make, model, and mileage, which warning lights are on, and when the shaking happens. ## Book the drop-off Offer tomorrow’s open drop-off times, book one, and put the call summary on the customer’s contact for your advisor. ## Your team sets the boundaries If the caller says the car feels unsafe to drive, they hear the towing instructions you wrote and your advisor gets an urgent flag. ## What it handles for auto repair shops Handled by your assistant: - Oil changes, brake work, diagnostics, and inspections booked into open times - Prices you publish, such as oil change packages or the diagnostic fee - Loaner, shuttle, and early drop-off questions - Hours, directions, and after-hours key drop instructions - Warranty work and the extended warranty plans you accept Sent straight to your team: - “Is my car ready?” status checks - Estimate approvals and added work on a car in the shop - Breakdowns and vehicles that aren’t safe to drive - Complaints about a repair, a bill, or a problem that came back ## What it asks and what it needs to know Details it collects: - Driver’s name and callback number - Year, make, and model - Mileage - Symptoms, noises, and when they happen - Warning lights on the dash - Service requested, or a diagnostic if the cause is unknown - Whether they’ll wait, drop off, or need a ride What to add to its knowledge: - Services you offer and the makes you work on - Prices for oil changes, inspections, and diagnostics - Loaner, shuttle, and drop-off policies - Your repair warranty and the extended warranties you accept - Towing partners and roadside instructions for breakdowns - Hours, address, and key drop steps ## Can an AI receptionist answer “Is my car ready?” calls? It takes them, but your service advisor gives the answer. InsertChat doesn’t connect to shop management software, so the assistant can’t see repair status. It records the customer’s name, vehicle, and callback number, then marks the call for your advisor. The customer receives a callback confirmation by text or email. Estimate approvals follow the same path. ## Will it quote repair prices over the phone? It shares the prices you publish, like your oil change packages or the diagnostic fee, and nothing beyond them. A repair price depends on what your technician finds, so for a grinding noise or a leak the assistant books a diagnostic instead of guessing. Written estimates and invoices stay in your shop software. ## How much does an AI receptionist for auto repair shops cost? Start on Pro for $98 a month. It includes one phone number, a monthly allowance of credits, logins for three people on your team, and three AI assistants. Each call rounds up to the next full minute, so even a quick question about hours uses a minute of credits. A second shop location can run its own assistant on the same plan, and each added number is $10 a month. ## Will the number on my shop’s sign still work? For shops in the US or Canada, it will. Forward that number to InsertChat and keep it on your sign, website, and Google listing. Elsewhere, your shop gets its own InsertChat line, local or toll-free, based on what your country offers. Ring it from your own cell before you switch customers over. ## Can drivers text the shop to book? Yes. Drivers can text your InsertChat number to book an oil change or check your hours, and the assistant texts back with the same answers callers get. If a driver sends a photo of the dashboard, someone on your team reviews it. Anyone who replies STOP is opted out. ## What happens when a car breaks down after hours? The assistant reads out the roadside steps you wrote, like the tow company you use and where to leave the keys, then marks the call urgent for your team. It doesn’t send a tow truck itself. A caller stranded on a busy road or in danger hears your instruction to call 911 first. ## Can the assistant pick up only when my advisor is busy? Yes. Calls ring the shop first, for a delay you choose between 5 and 60 seconds, and the assistant answers when no one picks up. A call that reaches a staff voicemail comes back to the assistant too. If your advisor covers the phone all day, after-hours mode limits the assistant to evenings and weekends. ## Related features - [AI receptionist](https://insertchat.com/product/phone) - [Scheduling](https://insertchat.com/product/scheduling) - [AI text messaging](https://insertchat.com/product/sms)