EXCEL

AI Receptionist · Auto repair

A waiter with a check-engine light is not a drop-off oil change.

Shop phones mix stranded drivers, waiters, and ‘is it done yet?’ A receptionist that asks every caller for a ZIP code like a home-service company will sound lost. Repair orders need year, make, concern, and whether they can leave the car.

EXCEL captures vehicle, concern, waiter vs drop-off, and status callbacks. It does not read a DTC as a diagnosis and it does not promise a bay.

Hear an EXCEL receptionist. This demo cannot see your bays or your ROs.

Live demo

Meet Elliot.

Tell him what kind of business you run and hear how an EXCEL agent could handle a real customer conversation.

You’re testing Elliot from our Auto repair shops example. Elliot is a demonstration receptionist — not a pre-built Auto repair shops dispatcher. Your live system would be configured around your own workflows.

Try Elliot

Your microphone is only used during the live demo.

The service writer is already on another RO

Won’t-start calls hit voicemail at 7:40am. Status callers clog the line. Waiters are promised a lounge the shop does not have. Makes you do not service still get a cheerful ‘bring it in.’

What a shop receptionist should collect

Year, make, model if they know it. Concern in their words. Waiter vs drop-off. Towing as a separate workflow if you offer it. Status only from a connected RO or a message to the writer — never a guessed completion time.

Shop calls that need different desks

  • “The check-engine light is on. Can I wait?”

    Vehicle, lights vs drivability, waiter capacity. Do not name a sensor.

  • “It will not start in the driveway.”

    Location, whether they need a tow (only if you do that), drop vs mobile. Not a diagnostic lecture.

  • “Is my Civic done?”

    Status path. Identify, take a callback, or read a connected RO. Do not invent remaining work.

Enough for an RO, not a diagnosis

  • Vehicle

    Year, make, model, VIN later if you want it.

  • Concern

    Light, noise, no-start, maintenance. Their words.

  • Stay or leave

    Waiter vs drop-off vs shuttle if you offer one.

  • Existing RO

    Name, callback, ticket hint. Status is not a new lead.

Hypothetical: Camry, check-engine, 8am

Illustrative. Not a live shop dispatcher and not a vehicle diagnosis.

Driver
2018 Camry, check-engine light, no overheating. Can I drop at 8 and get a ride to work?
Receptionist (configured)
I can take a drop-off diagnostic. Any stalling or warning besides the light, and do you need a shuttle or will you leave the car?
Driver
No stalling. I can Uber if you do not shuttle.
Receptionist (configured)
2018 Camry, check-engine, drivability okay, drop-off. I will not tell you it is a thermostat or quote a repair. A writer still opens the RO.

Bays and loaners are inventory. The agent does not promise either unless your system says so.

Shop hard stops

  • Diagnose a code or ‘it is probably the…”
  • Promise a completion time it cannot see
  • Book a waiter when you do not take waiters
  • Skip makes you do not service
  • Treat a status call like a new customer pitch

Won’t-start before work

Morning no-starts are the spike. Capture location and whether towing is yours. Overnight status calls get a callback, not a guessed ‘almost done.’

Shop configuration

  • Makes and work you actually take
  • Waiter vs drop-off vs shuttle rules
  • Towing: you vs a partner vs not offered
  • How status is looked up
  • Fleet vs retail if you split those lines

Writers still own the bay

Comeback repairs, warranty fights, anything that needs a test-drive opinion, stranded drivers if you do not tow.

Plan details live on the pricing page. Current plans are listed there.

Parent pages

This page is the intersection. The service and industry pages still stand on their own.

Related EXCEL services

Related guides

Questions for this workflow

Will it read the check-engine code over the phone?

No. It records the concern. Diagnosis stays with the shop.

Can it tell them when the car will be done?

Only from a connected RO or a message to the writer. It should not invent remaining labor.

Do you take waiters?

That is your rule. The agent should not promise a lounge you do not run.

What if we do not service that make?

Put it in knowledge. A polite decline is better than a wasted drop-off.

Is towing included?

Only if you offer it. Otherwise the agent captures location and tells them you do not dispatch a truck.

Will it diagnose over the phone?

It captures symptoms and vehicle info. Diagnosis stays with technicians.

Will it transfer a caller to a person?

Yes. Routing and escalation rules are defined with you. Anything outside approved scope can go to a person, a voicemail workflow, or a callback request.

Does it use a generic script?

No. EXCEL systems are built around the company’s services, hours, service area, and approved answers — not a one-size-fits-all call-center script.

Bring yesterday’s voicemail and one status argument. That is the front desk.

Bring the real call types. We will tell you what belongs in an agent and what should stay with people.