Both hoists are up. The phone does not care.
Aroha is an AI receptionist for auto workshops. Aroha answers your phone, takes the rego and the symptoms, and books the right length of slot. It books while the caller is on the line, texts the caller and the owner, and gets the owner for urgent jobs. You can talk to Reggie at Southside Auto, a demo receptionist for a made-up business, free in your browser.
A day of calls, answered.
- 7:30am, opening the roller door: "A fleet manager wants three utes serviced next week."
- Took the regos, booked them across Monday and Tuesday so the bays are not jammed.
- 10:22am, both hoists up: "A regular’s Hilux is grinding when he brakes."
- Knew the car from its last service, held a two hour brake slot Thursday and a courtesy car.
- 1:05pm, lunch in the smoko room: "Someone asks if you do warrant of fitness checks today."
- Offered the 3:30 inspection slot and texted the address and what to bring.
- 5:48pm, locking up: "A car has broken down on the off-ramp and will not restart."
- Told them to stay safe off the road, texted you URGENT, and passed your reply on in two minutes.
It already knows how these calls go.
This is the setup you get on day one, and you can read and change every word of it.
- Gets the vehicle details
- Capture make, model, registration and the reason for calling so the workshop has useful context.
- Knows the returning customer
- Last service, what was deferred, what is due now.
- Uses your service durations
- A service and a brake inspection can need different time. Configure the duration in your booking rules.
- Captures courtesy-car requests
- Notes what the customer needs. The team confirms any availability the connected system cannot verify.
- Chases deferred work
- The pads you flagged last visit get a follow-up, not a note nobody reads.
- Knows when a car is not safe
- Smoke, a burning smell or failing brakes means it tells the caller not to drive and gets you straight away.
- Reads a warning light from a photo
- The caller photographs the dashboard; it names the lights and books the car in to be checked, never diagnosed.
- Reminds customers it is due
- Booking reminders go out by text, so fewer cars are forgotten and fewer bays sit empty.
Workshop Board, built for auto workshops.
Cars booked in with the rego, the symptom, and a flag when it is not safe to drive. It is sorted by what each call needs from you, most urgent first, and you can ring or text anyone straight from their card. It fills itself from what callers told the receptionist, so nothing is typed in.
- Quotes
- Send quotes and let Aroha follow up the ones that go quiet.
When it cannot wait, it gets you.
A car off the road or a fleet account on the phone is worth interrupting you for. You decide the list.
Urgent by default: A car broken down on the road; A car that is not safe to drive; A fleet or commercial customer. Aroha texts the owner straight away, rings them if they do not reply, and tells the caller the answer.
Know which light is on before it arrives
It texts a link, the caller photographs the dashboard, and it names the warning lights. A red oil, brake, charging or temperature light means it tells them not to drive. It still books the car in rather than diagnosing it.
Works with what you already use.
It books into Google Calendar or its own calendar. If your bookings live in workshop software, set it to take the request and it sends you the details to confirm there.
What it costs
Start free. Plans from NZ$79.99 a month, or pay as you go at NZ$0.59 a minute plus NZ$5 a month for a number. Month to month, no contract.
Questions
Will it diagnose over the phone?
No. A grinding noise gets booked in to be looked at. It never tells someone it is the pads, and never quotes a repair before someone has seen the car.
Will it book a brake job into a WOF slot?
No. You set how long each job takes, and it holds the right one: a warrant is not a two hour brake job.
What if the car is not safe to drive?
Smoke, a burning smell or brake failure means it tells them not to drive it, offers to arrange a tow and gets you straight away.
Does it work with my workshop software?
It books into Google Calendar or its own calendar. If your bookings live in workshop software, set it to take the request instead, and it sends you the details to confirm there.
Can it tell which warning light is on?
Yes. It offers to text a link, the caller photographs the dashboard, and it names the lights. It still books the car in to be checked rather than diagnosing it.
Can it recognise our regulars?
Yes. It knows returning callers by their number and uses what is on file, like the car and its last service, so nobody repeats their rego.
Can customers be put through to the workshop?
Yes, when you switch it on. It rings your mobile with a short brief and connects them when you press 1, or takes a proper message if you cannot.