Brian Brown, founder · Charlotte & Lake Norman
#1 AI RECEPTIONIST FOR AUTO REPAIR & DEALERS
AI Receptionist for Auto Repair & Dealers
You cannot answer the phone from under a hood or on the showroom floor. Marlie picks up every call, books service, captures sales leads, and takes status checks — so bays stay full and callers stop hanging up for the next shop.
$60k/year saved vs hiring a receptionist
Exclusive Paint Protection captured 229 leads over six months with no front desk. Watch Brian Brown's interview — then read the full story.
Read the full case study
What is an auto repair and dealer answering service?
An auto repair and dealer answering service is a dedicated phone answering solution that captures service appointments, sales inquiries, and status checks for independent shops, mechanics, and car dealerships — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The best answering services for auto repair shops use an AI receptionist to go beyond message-taking: they collect year, make, and model, separate service from sales, book the visit, and get the lead to the right advisor before the caller hangs up.
Calls come in while a tech is on a lift, an advisor is with a customer at the counter, or the lot is closed. A missed service call is an empty bay tomorrow. A missed sales call is a buyer who walks into another store. Marlie answers every line in under 2 seconds, gathers vehicle and intent details, and books or routes the call so the work stays yours.
Beyond oil changes and brake jobs, Marlie handles check-engine diagnostics, tire and alignment requests, parts messages, after-hours breakdowns, and sales shoppers asking about a specific vehicle. If you also dispatch tows or roadside jobs from the same number, those callers can be qualified instead of dumped into voicemail.
2s
Answer Time
Every service and sales call answered in under 2 seconds — no hold music at the counter
24/7
Coverage
Evenings and weekends are when cars break down — Marlie answers every one
$0.35
Per Minute
Billed per second — you only pay for actual call time, not a full-time BDC hire
What can an auto repair answering service handle for your business?
From a weekday oil change to a Saturday breakdown and a shopper asking about a used SUV, Marlie manages every call so the shop stays on the work and every lead stays yours.
Service appointments and diagnostics
Most shop revenue starts as a service call: oil change, brakes, check-engine light, tires, alignment. Marlie greets them, collects year, make, and model, asks what's happening, and books the drop-off. The caller never sits in voicemail while a tech is under a hoist. You open the appointment already knowing it's a 2018 Camry with a brake grind, not a surprise transmission diagnosis with no vehicle on file.
Sales leads for dealerships and lots
Dealers lose buyers when the lot phone rings through to a busy service counter. Marlie separates sales from service on the first question, then captures name, callback, vehicle interest, and whether they want new, used, or a trade-in conversation. The lead hits SMS or your CRM instead of a sticky note. After-hours shoppers — the ones browsing on their phone at 9 PM — get answered instead of a Monday voicemail pile.
Status checks, parts, and advisor overflow
A huge share of inbound volume is "is it done yet" and parts questions, not new work. Marlie takes those off the counter. Status callers hear the turnaround policy you set, or get queued for an advisor callback. Parts callers leave the vehicle and part details. Advisors stay with the customer in the drive instead of playing phone tag between ROs.
After-hours breakdowns and weekend bookings
Cars fail on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, when the shop is closed. Marlie covers those hours, books the next open service window, and can text an on-call number if you roll emergency diagnostics. Callers who also need a tow can be pointed to how Marlie covers towing and roadside — or you keep that intake on the same line. You start Monday with a full board instead of a voicemail stack.
Quick, Easy Setup
How to set up an auto repair answering service with Marlie
Get Marlie booking service and capturing sales leads in minutes — no BDC hire or IT team required.
1
Setup
Create your Marlie account and forward your existing shop or dealership number — works with any phone system including Grasshopper, Verizon, Google Voice, or your current provider. Setup takes less than 10 minutes and callers won't notice any difference.
2
Customize
Configure paths for service, sales, and parts. Tell Marlie what to ask — year, make, model, issue, whether they want to buy — your hours, and how status-check calls should be handled. Set which numbers get SMS when an after-hours breakdown comes in.
3
Integrate
Connect Google Calendar so service appointments land on the board. Hook Zapier to send sales leads and call notes into 8,000+ apps if you already run a CRM.
4
Go Live
Activate before the next weekend. Review call recordings in the dashboard, tighten intake questions, and update sales versus service routing as your team changes.
What does an AI receptionist for auto repair and dealers do?
Marlie acts as your auto shop AI receptionist — booking service, capturing sales leads, and keeping advisors off routine status calls.
Year, make, model, and issue intake
Marlie asks for the vehicle and what's wrong — brakes, check engine, oil change, tires — so the advisor opens the appointment already knowing the car, not starting from a blank callback.
Service appointments booked on the call
Maintenance and repair requests land on Google Calendar or your connected shop schedule during the call. Callers leave with a confirmed drop-off window instead of a promise that service will call back.
Sales versus service routing
Marlie asks whether they need service, parts, or to buy a car, then follows the path you set — book the bay, take a parts message, or capture the sales lead for your team.
Status checks without tying up advisors
"Is my car done?" calls get the policy you configured — hours, typical turnaround, or a callback to the advisor — so the counter stays focused on the customer in front of them.
Parts inquiries as messages or transfers
Parts callers leave year, make, model, and the part they need. Marlie takes the message or transfers to the parts line when someone is available — it does not invent stock or pricing.
Stop Losing Service Appointments While You're Under the Hood
Get 24/7 auto repair and dealer call coverage that books service, captures sales leads, and takes status checks — starting at $49/month.
Always First to Answer
Every caller gets a response in under 2 seconds — weekday, night, or weekend.
Full Vehicle Details Collected
Year, make, model, and issue — your advisor opens the appointment prepared.
Service Booked on the Call
Qualified repair and maintenance leads get a drop-off window before they hang up.
How an auto repair answering service grows your revenue
Service bays and sales leads go to whoever answers first. Marlie makes sure that's you, whether every advisor is already with a customer or the lot is closed.
Win the appointment by answering first
Drivers with a check-engine light usually call two or three shops. Marlie answers in under 2 seconds, so you're the first professional voice they hear — not the one they never reach.
Open the RO knowing the vehicle
Marlie collects year, make, model, and symptoms before anyone books. Advisors start the visit prepared instead of reconstructing the problem from a vague voicemail.
Keep sales leads off the service line
Shoppers who hit a busy service counter hang up. Marlie splits sales from service and captures the lead after hours, so the next morning's follow-up list is already there.
Fraction of the cost of a BDC or receptionist
A full-time phone person costs $35,000–$50,000 a year. Traditional answering services charge $2–3 per call. Marlie starts at $49/month billed per second — you only pay for actual talk time.
Free advisors from status-check noise
Routine "is it done" calls eat the day. Marlie handles them with the policy you set so advisors stay on write-ups and upsells, not hold music for the fifth status check.
Fill Monday with weekend bookings
Breakdowns don't wait for shop hours. Marlie covers nights and weekends and puts those jobs on the next open bay instead of leaving them for a competitor who picked up.
Trusted by 2,000+ businesses
"Somebody showed up in a car for a job Catherine had booked, and I was pleasantly surprised."
Auto Repair & Dealer Answering Service — FAQs
What is an auto repair answering service?
An auto repair answering service is a phone answering solution that handles incoming calls for mechanics, independent shops, and car dealerships around the clock. It captures year, make, and model, books service appointments, takes sales and parts messages, and handles status checks — so no lead goes to voicemail while the shop is on the work.
What is the best answering service for auto repair shops and dealers?
The best answering service for auto shops collects the details you need to book (vehicle, issue, preferred drop-off), splits sales from service, takes status and parts calls off the counter, and covers nights without dropping calls. Marlie is built for appointment-based service businesses and starts at $49/month billed per second.
Can Marlie schedule service appointments?
Yes. Marlie integrates with Google Calendar and connected shop schedules to book maintenance and repair visits during the call. You set available windows, and callers leave with a confirmed drop-off instead of waiting for an advisor to call back.
Can Marlie tell sales calls from service calls?
Yes. You configure what Marlie should ask first — service, sales, or parts — and how each path should run. Service books a bay. Sales captures vehicle interest and a callback. Parts takes a message or transfers when someone is available.
Can Marlie look up whether a car is finished?
Marlie does not pull live repair-order status from a dealer management system. It handles status checks with the turnaround policy and callback rules you set, and can notify an advisor to call the customer back.
How does Marlie handle parts inquiries?
Marlie collects year, make, model, and the part they need, then takes a message for the parts counter or transfers if that line is staffed. It does not invent stock or quote parts pricing unless you load specific prices.
How quickly does an auto repair answering service answer calls?
Marlie answers every call in under 2 seconds, 24/7. Drivers comparing shops — and after-hours shoppers — hire or book with the first company that picks up, so two-second answer times keep you first in line.
How much does an answering service for auto repair shops cost?
Marlie starts at $49/month billed per second at $0.35 per minute — far less than a full-time receptionist or BDC, or a traditional service that charges $2–3 per call. You only pay for actual talk time. See current plans on the pricing page.
Does Marlie integrate with my CRM or shop software?
Marlie books into Google Calendar and connects with 8,000+ apps via Zapier to log calls, leads, and appointments. If we don't support your specific tool, we can build the integration for free.
Does Marlie work with my existing phone system?
Yes. Marlie works with any phone system — Grasshopper, Verizon, Google Voice, RingCentral, or whatever you currently use. Forward your existing shop or dealership number. No need to change your listings or lot signage.
What is an auto repair virtual receptionist?
An auto repair virtual receptionist is an AI-powered phone system that handles your inbound calls without an in-house receptionist. It greets callers, collects vehicle details, books service, captures sales leads, and takes status and parts messages — front-desk coverage at a fraction of a full-time hire.
Easy onboarding
Get set up in minutes
Create your receptionist in 15 minutes and start receiving calls immediately. Try it for 2 weeks risk-free with our money-back guarantee.
