As shops begin to tackle new technologies, they are experimenting with AI — here’s five ways how they could use it
The automotive industry has begun to tackle new technologies, and companies are experimenting with new ways to incorporate AI with their day-to-day operations in anticipation of even more technical change

It’s hard to escape the progress of artificial intelligence (AI) nowadays. Auto shops that are armed with actionable information can more effectively market to customers, increase revenue, streamline operations — and hold the line on good customer service.
The concept of good customer service dates back to West Asia almost 4,000 years ago where a customer called Nanni wasn’t too happy with the copper he’d purchased. He wrote about it on a clay tablet to express his disappointment — the world’s oldest known written customer complaint.
Vonage , a global business cloud communications leader, published research that indicates more than half (51%) of consumers have abandoned a business altogether because they’ve reached an automated menu of options, known as Interactive Voice Response (IVR), losing business $262 per customer every year.
“The automotive industry has begun to tackle new technologies, and companies are experimenting with new ways to incorporate AI with their day-to-day operations in anticipation of even more technical change,” stated Barry Thomas, president and CEO of BECCA Inc.
Even in a change-resistant sector like auto service and repair, good customer service is paramount. After all, people often stop using companies that provide bad customer service. That’s why so many auto shop websites are adding chatbots. These AI chatbot tools can guide customers through numerous queries without human intervention.
Although most auto industry customers prefer human interaction, there are cases where automated assistance is appropriate and can answer questions more quickly than if they spoke with a physical person.
For example, a customer who needs help accessing their account could use a chatbot for assistance while visiting the shop’s website. This function could potentially resolve customer concerns and questions quickly. Human customer service agents can still be available for more complex issues, but AI chatbots can handle a portion of the work.
To successfully compete today, shops are beginning to use “Non-menu AI options” for capabilities beyond a pop-up visible menu, like voicing open-ended questions, generating creative text formats, or utilizing advanced data analysis features.
While smaller shops don’t have all the resources that an enterprise-level consolidator does, there are many ways a shop can gather, analyze and make sense of how to use AI to advance their business. To that end, we’ve put together the following primer on data solutions that might work for your shop.
Today’s auto shop owner should provide modern-day capabilities:
- Customized plans: Automated measures that can help shops tailor plans so customers don’t overpay for unnecessary service or repair.
- Insurance assistance: AI can drastically increase efficiency. Machine learning algorithms now speed up the claims process and reduce the wait time for claims to be approved.
- Fake claims verification: AI can identify patterns that suggest fraudulent activities and protect against faulty information.
- Realistic costs: AI can predict probable costs and suggest procedures to help shop owners control expenditures.
- AI chatbots: AI-powered assistance can provide 24/7 shop support by answering queries and transferring or forwarding customers to a live person.
Recent studies found that 23.5 percent of consumers define good customer service as interactions in which they don’t have to repeat themselves and 29.8 percent define good customer service as an experience with an agent who is knowledgeable and shows resourcefulness.
Wade Riddering, Environmental Regulatory Compliance CEO, sees even more potential for AI to streamline procedures. He predicts “the number of everyday tasks that shop owners now handle will plummet as machine learning finds its place in the automotive industry.”
Offering bad customer service today doesn’t prevent you from offering great customer service tomorrow. If you take advantage of the above tips, you can improve your customer service and increase your customer retention and acquisition rates. Your auto shop will gain a reputation as a shop that consistently pleases its customers, and that can lead to more purchases. With that, of course, comes long-term success.
It’s hard to escape the talk about big data nowadays. Companies that are armed with actionable information can more effectively market to customers, design and manufacture products, increase revenue, streamline operations, and better manage inventory to hold the line on related costs.
Steven E. Schillinger is an accredited Professional Engineer and often speaks at auto industry meetings about EPA, OSHA and Fire Marshal regulations. He is certified for ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2014 and works with companies to resolve and remove environmental, health and safety violations.
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