Is your shop ready to embrace artificial intelligence? Whether you see AI as a powerful tool, an efficient assistant, or something to worry about, it is here to stay. The best way to deal with it is to learn how to use it well.
In episode 105 of Maximum Octane, industry leaders Dan Garlock of Silverlake Auto & Tire Centers, ATI coach Mike Bennett, and Ricky Jordan Jr. of Fifth Gear Automotive share their views on AI’s role in auto repair. They discuss using it to improve customer service, streamline processes, and enhance marketing, along with why AI is not a magic fix and how to balance automation with human connection.
What You Will Learn
- Is AI here to fix auto repair shops?
- About AI’s potential to assist us in creating customer service of quality
- Why seeing AI as a definitive solution is a problem
- What’s the balance between automated and human customer service
- If you have a process, AI can help you with it
Is AI Here to Fix Auto Repair Shops?
The panel opens with the big question: is AI going to fix auto repair shops? Their answer is nuanced. AI can be a powerful tool, but it is not a cure-all. Shops with strong processes and leadership can use AI to get even better. Shops with broken processes will not be saved by technology alone.
The phrase “fix” sets an unrealistic expectation. A better way to think about AI is as an amplifier. It makes good processes faster and more consistent, and it makes weak processes fail faster. A shop with clear estimating standards, consistent inspections, and a strong customer follow-up routine can use AI to save time and improve quality. A shop where every advisor does things differently will find that AI simply reproduces the confusion. That is why the most useful first step is often an honest look at current processes, not a software purchase.
AI and Quality Customer Service
Around the 8 minute mark, the guests discuss AI’s potential to help deliver quality customer service. Examples include drafting customer communications, answering common questions, scheduling, summarizing inspection findings in plain language, and helping advisors respond faster. When AI handles routine tasks, people have more time for the conversations that require empathy and judgment.
On the front counter, AI can help an advisor turn a technician’s shorthand notes into a clear, friendly explanation a customer can understand. It can draft a text update when a repair runs late, suggest answers to frequently asked questions on the website, or help organize appointment requests. The advisor still decides what to send and adds the personal touch. Used this way, AI shortens the time between a customer’s question and a helpful answer, which is one of the things customers value most.
Why Seeing AI as a Final Solution Is a Problem
The panel warns against treating AI as a definitive solution. AI tools can make mistakes, lack context, and miss the human element of service. Owners who hand over too much to automation risk losing the trust and relationships that make independent shops special. Michelle Wood explores this theme in The One Skill AI Will Never Learn.
AI tools can sound confident even when they are wrong. A tool might misstate a repair procedure, invent a detail about a vehicle, or phrase a sensitive message in a way that feels cold. Shops also need to think about customer information. Before entering customer names, phone numbers, or vehicle details into any tool, owners should understand how that data is stored and used. Clear internal rules about what can and cannot be shared with AI tools protect both customers and the business.
Balancing Automated and Human Service
Around the 24 minute mark, the guests discuss the balance between automated and human customer service. Automation works well for reminders, confirmations, and routine updates. People are essential for explaining complex repairs, handling concerns, and building relationships. The best approach uses each where it fits.
Questions to guide that balance:
- Which customer interactions are routine and could be automated?
- Which moments require empathy, judgment, or persuasion?
- How will customers reach a person when they need one?
- How will you review AI-generated content for accuracy?
One useful test is to imagine the customer’s emotional state at each step. A customer confirming an oil change appointment is usually relaxed, so an automated message is fine. A customer learning their vehicle needs a major repair may be anxious about cost and safety, so a person should make that call. Shops can map their customer journey, mark the high-emotion moments, and make sure those always involve a human. Customers should also always have an easy way to reach a real person.
If You Have a Process, AI Can Help
The panel closes with a practical principle: if you have a process, AI can help you with it. AI works best when it has clear instructions and defined steps to follow. Shops that document their processes for intake, estimates, follow-up, and marketing will get far more value from AI tools than those that operate on instinct.
ATI’s Create a Consistent Process for Extraordinary Results is a good place to start documenting. For a balanced overview of AI risks and safeguards, the National Institute of Standards and Technology publishes an AI Risk Management Framework.
Documenting a process does not need to be complicated. Write down the steps an experienced advisor follows, the information needed at each step, and what a good result looks like. Include examples of strong customer messages. That documentation becomes the instructions for an AI tool, and it also becomes a training resource for new employees. Shops that take this step often find that the exercise of writing processes down improves consistency even before any AI is involved.
Common Mistakes When Adopting AI
The most common mistake is trying to automate too much at once. Shops that roll out several tools in the same month often confuse their team and lose track of what is working. Starting with one task, measuring results, and expanding gradually works better.
Other mistakes include sending AI-generated content to customers without review, letting automated messages sound generic, and failing to train employees on how and when to use the tools. Some owners also overlook data privacy, entering customer information into tools without understanding their terms. Treat each AI tool like a new employee: train it, supervise it, and check its work.
What This Looks Like for Service Advisors
For advisors, AI works best as an assistant that handles first drafts. An advisor might use it to summarize a long inspection into a short customer-friendly list, prioritize findings by safety and urgency, or prepare a follow-up message for declined work. The advisor then edits for accuracy and tone before sending.
This frees advisors to spend more time on what customers value most: explaining options, answering questions, and building trust. Advisors who learn to use these tools well can handle more customers without sacrificing quality, but their judgment and relationships remain the heart of the role.
Getting Started With AI in Your Shop
- Pick one routine task, such as drafting follow-up messages, and test an AI tool.
- Document the process first so the tool has clear guidance.
- Review every AI output before it reaches a customer.
- Keep people in charge of relationship-building conversations.
Dan and Ricky’s earlier episode, Cracking the Recruitment Code, covers hiring. Chris Chesney discusses preparing for new technology in A Peek Into the Self-Driving Automotive Industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can auto repair shops use AI?
Common uses include drafting customer messages, summarizing inspection results in plain language, answering frequently asked questions, writing marketing content, organizing scheduling requests, and helping document internal processes. AI works best on routine, repeatable tasks where a person reviews the output before it reaches a customer. Shops usually get the most value by starting with one well-defined task and expanding as they learn.
Will AI replace service advisors?
It is unlikely to replace good ones. AI can handle routine communication and paperwork, but customers still want a trusted person to explain complex repairs, discuss options, and address concerns. Advisors who use AI to handle repetitive tasks can spend more time building relationships. The role may change, with less time on typing and more on conversation, but human judgment and empathy remain essential.
Is it safe to put customer information into AI tools?
It depends on the tool and its terms. Before entering names, phone numbers, addresses, or vehicle details, owners should understand how the provider stores, uses, and protects that data. Business versions of some tools offer stronger privacy controls. Many shops set a simple rule: avoid entering personal customer information unless the tool has been reviewed and approved for that purpose.
What is the first step to using AI in my repair shop?
Choose one routine task that takes time and follows a predictable pattern, such as writing follow-up messages for declined work. Document how your best employee handles that task today, including examples. Use that as guidance for the AI tool, review every output, and compare results with your old approach. Once the process works reliably, consider adding a second task.
Resources and Links From This Episode
Connect With the Guests
- Mike Bennett: LinkedIn
- Dan Garlock: Silverlake Auto & Tire Centers’ website
- Ricky Jordan Jr: Fifth Gear Automotive’s website
