AI receptionist · Auto repair & tire shops — The phone gets answered while advisors take care of the customer in front of them
An AI receptionist for an auto repair or tire shop answers calls the counter can't take. It takes the year, make, model and concern, answers tire size and hours questions, and books drop-offs that fit your bay rules. Status checks, price questions and tows go to a service advisor.
AI assistant · Monday rush
7:50 am · advisors busyAgent: Thanks for calling. I'm the shop's AI assistant while our advisors help customers at the counter. How can I help?
Caller: My check engine light came on this morning. It's a 2017 Honda CR-V.
Agent: Is the light steady or flashing?
Caller: Steady.
Agent: Thanks. I can book a diagnostic drop-off Tuesday at 8 am. Does that work?
Is it ready?
A caller asking about his car hears it's still in the bay, and goes on the advisor's callback list.
Why it matters
Why auto repair & tire shops add this
Shop phones ring hardest when the counter is busiest: morning drop-offs and evening pick-ups. Advisors choose between the customer standing in front of them and the caller who may book somewhere else.
Many calls are simple: do you have this tire size, are you open Saturday, can I bring it in tomorrow. Those are the ones an assistant can handle, so advisors spend phone time on estimates, approvals and upset customers.
Example · illustrative
A general repair shop on a Monday morning
At 7:50 am both service advisors are checking in drop-offs, and a caller says her check engine light came on. The agent says it's an AI assistant and asks the year, make, model and whether the light is flashing. It's steady, so the agent books a diagnostic drop-off for Tuesday at 8 am in Tekmetric. At 8:05 a caller asks whether his car is ready. The agent sees the repair order is still in the bay and adds him to the advisor's callback list.
How it works
Step by step
- Starts whenA call rings out at the counter, comes in after hours or overflows while advisors are with customers
- 1Step 1Answer and say it's automatedThe agent answers in the shop's name and says it is an AI assistant.
- 2Step 2Take the vehicle and concernYear, make, model, mileage if known, and what the driver notices, like a noise, a warning light or a flat.
- 3Step 3Book the drop-offOil changes, tire installs and diagnostics get a drop-off time that fits the shop's bay rules.
- A person decidesPass the rest to an advisorStatus checks, price questions, tows and complaints go to the advisor's callback list. The advisor decides what to tell the customer.
By hand today
- The phone rings while advisors are writing up customers at the counter.
- Techs in the bay can't stop to grab the shop phone.
- Voicemails say "call me back" with no vehicle or problem.
- After closing, callers with a breakdown reach a recording.
With the automation
- Calls are answered when the counter is busy and after closing.
- Drop-offs land in the shop system with the vehicle and symptom noted.
- Status and price questions go to the advisor with a short summary.
- Advisors start the morning with call notes, not voicemails.
What it handles
What it does alone, and what it hands over
Books on its own
Oil changes, tire installs, rotations, alignments and diagnostics, with the drop-off rules you set.
Answers on its own
Hours, location, services offered and, when connected to inventory, whether a tire size is in stock.
Hands to an advisor
Repair status, prices for specific jobs, approvals, tows, warranty claims and complaints.
Bilingual
It can answer in English and Spanish, or other languages your customers use.
What stays with people
- Advisors quote repairs and get the customer's approval.
- Technicians decide what the car actually needs.
- The shop sets which jobs can be booked and how many per slot.
- Customers who ask for an advisor are transferred when one is free, or get a callback time.
Systems it connects to
- Tekmetric
- Shopmonkey
- Shop-Ware
- Mitchell 1 Manager SE
- RingCentral
- Twilio
Rules to know. The assistant says it is automated at the start of each call. In California and other all-party consent states, callers are told if the call is recorded.
Cost
Typical cost for auto repair & tire shops
Typical ranges as of October 2026. Not a quote.
Ready-made tool, set up by us
An existing platform on your own account, configured for your business.
- Setup, one timepaid to Lorryn
- $1,000–$1,500
- Tool subscriptionpaid to the provider
- $50–$200 / month
Fits when your process matches what the platform already does.
Custom build
Built around how you work, with no platform subscription. You own it.
- Build, one timebasic version to full version
- $2,000–$9,000
- Running costshosting and usage, on your accounts
- ~$25–$100 / month
Fits when your systems, rules or exceptions don't match a ready tool.
Optional Automation Care: $125 · $250 · $375 / month
1, 2 or 3 hours of support a month, with monitoring and alerts included. Without it, you run it yourself after handover.
Typically works with Tekmetric, Shopmonkey, Shop-Ware, Mitchell 1 Manager SE.
Booking into or writing to Tekmetric, Shopmonkey, Mitchell 1 Manager SE adds up to $500 to the ready-made tool (often a built-in feature) and $500–$1,500 to a custom build.
Your price depends on volume, the systems involved and how many exceptions need a person. Our team confirms a fixed price before any work starts.
FAQ
Questions owners ask
It can give prices you publish, like an oil change or tire mounting. Repair prices stay with the advisor, who sees the car first.
If it's connected to your inventory or tire search, it can say whether a size is in stock and book the install.
Shop systems like Tekmetric, Shopmonkey or Mitchell 1, where they allow booking, or your online booking page.
It can read the repair order status where the shop system allows it, or put the caller on the advisor's callback list.
What annoys people is a bot that pretends to be human or won't let them reach someone. This one says what it is, keeps calls short, and transfers anyone who asks for an advisor when one is free, or books a callback. Most callers just want an answer or a time.
Run a business like this?
Pick the step that suits you. Every path starts with how the work runs today, and we'll say honestly what is worth automating.
- Right now · any hour
Ask Lorryn AI
Describe your process and get a first answer in a minute: what to automate, what it connects to, and a rough estimate.
- Free · 15 or 30 minutes
Talk to our team
Bring one process to a video call. Leave knowing whether it’s worth automating and how.
- Free · 6 of 15 spots left
Get a free written plan
Free for businesses with 3 or more employees, while spots last (normally $250).
Claim a free audit9 of 15 claimed