Home / Industries / Auto repair
Front desk for auto repair shops
The phone rings while you're under a car.
A shop phone rings all day, and every call pulls someone off a job. NewFrontDesk texts back the calls you miss, takes the vehicle and the problem by chat on your website, and gives your service writer one inbox to work from.
NewFrontDesk is in preview, and no payment is taken until the features in your plan work. This page describes how it is designed to work for auto repair shops. See what's built today.
Where leads slip away
Three moments a shop loses the job
All bays full
The service writer is with a customer and the techs are under cars. The call rings out.
How the text back works →Before open and after close
People call about a car problem on the way to work or after it. The shop is dark.
How the text back works →"Is my car ready?"
Status calls crowd the line, and the new customer with a brake job can't get through.
How the lead inbox keeps them in order →What you get
Text back, chat, one inbox
Each card says where that feature stands today.
Missed-call text-back
A call you missed while the bays were full gets a text from your shop's number, so the customer doesn't try the next shop.
- On both plans
- No texts between 9 PM and 8 AM: a call missed overnight gets its text at 8 AM.
- Today: rules work in test mode. It cannot send a real text yet
Web chat
The chat on your website asks for the year, make and model, what the car is doing, and when they'd like to drop it off.
- On both plans. Plain questions, no AI
- Today: working, with test businesses only
Lead inbox
Every chat, form and missed call lands in one list, which your service writer can use as a callback list.
- On both plans. A separate account for each business
- Today: working, with test businesses only
On Pro: AI replies and follow-ups. Being built, and not in any plan: AI that answers incoming calls. See the plans.
On the Pro plan
AI replies that take the details
When someone texts back, AI replies are designed to keep the conversation going until you're free, and to always say they're AI. They are not in the app yet.
Details the chat and AI replies collect
- Name and callback number
- Year, make and model
- What the car is doing: noises, warning lights, when it happens
- Whether the car can be driven
- Preferred drop-off day
See a sample conversation in the demo.
What it won't do
- It won't diagnose a problem or say a car is safe to drive.
- It won't quote a repair price you haven't given it.
- It won't look up repair status at first. Status questions are passed to your team.
The rules every plan follows are on How it works.
A customer calls while every bay is full.
Text back · automatic · both plans"Hi, this is Eastside Auto Care. Sorry we missed your call. Text us your vehicle and what it's doing, and we'll get right back to you. Reply STOP to opt out."
Customer · 8:20 AM"Brakes are grinding on my 2017 Accord. Can I bring it in today?"
AI reply · Pro plan"I'm the AI assistant for Eastside Auto Care. I can send a drop-off request to the service desk. Is the grinding from the front or the rear, and is the car okay to drive in?"
Customer"Front I think. It drives but it's loud."
AI reply · Pro plan"Thanks. 2017 Accord, front brakes grinding, drivable, hoping to drop off today. I've sent this to the service desk and they'll confirm a time with you shortly."
DEMO · sample conversation written by us, not a real customer"Eastside Auto Care" is a made-up business. The first text is missed-call text-back, which is on both plans. The replies after it are AI replies, which are on the Pro plan and always say they're AI.
Honest status
What works today, and what doesn't yet
The same list applies to every industry. No payment is taken for any of it yet.
BuiltWorking today
Running on our server right now, with made-up test businesses only. No real business is using it yet.
- Lead inboxEvery lead in one list, with status and notes. Each business has its own login and its own separate data.
- Web chat for a business's websiteOne line of code. Asks for a name, a phone number and what the visitor needs. Plain questions, no AI. The business picks the colour, the button words, its opening hours and a closed-hours greeting.
- Contact form linkFor a business with no website. Leads go to the same inbox.
- Consent recorded with each leadWhether the visitor ticked the box, the exact wording, and when.
- Owner dashboardLeads this week, typical response time, and missed calls caught.
- New-lead email alertsAn email tells the owner a lead arrived and links to the inbox. It never contains the customer's name, number or message.
NextBeing built
Not working for customers yet.
- Missed-call text-backThe rules work in test mode: each business's own number and opt-out list, no texts from 9 PM to 8 AM, one text per caller per day. Ready-made messages per trade and a preview tool are in the app. It cannot send a real text yet. That needs a real number per business, the sending step, and each business's carrier registration.
- AI replies (Pro)Not in the app yet. A reply engine exists in our older software and is being rewritten so it always says it's AI.
- Follow-ups (Pro)Not in the app yet. Email follow-up sequences exist in our older software.
- Up to 3 locations (Pro)Not built.
- AI that answers incoming callsNot in any plan. An early rule-based voice prototype exists in our older software and is switched off.
LaterPlanned
On the roadmap. No dates promised.
- Online sign-up and billingAccounts are set up by hand today, and no payment is taken.
- AI booking straight into your calendar
- AI replies to incoming email
- Calendar sync
- Reseller program for agencies
Status checked on October 7, 2026 against the running app and its automated tests. "Working today" means it works on our server with test accounts; it does not mean a customer is using it. Nobody is yet, which is why we take no payment yet. An attorney review comes before any real business uses it.
Request setup
Stop letting the phone run the shop
Tell us how your shop handles calls and messages today. We'll reach out when your plan is ready to set up. No payment is taken until its features work.
Questions
Auto repair questions
Can it tell customers when their car is ready?
Not at first. That needs a connection to your shop management system, which doesn't exist yet. Status questions would be taken as messages for your team.
Does it connect to Tekmetric, Shop-Ware or Mitchell 1?
No. There are no shop software integrations today. Leads are saved in your NewFrontDesk inbox, and an email tells you one arrived.
Can it give estimates?
Only prices you've given it, such as a diagnostic fee or an oil change price, and only in AI replies on the Pro plan. It is designed never to guess at a repair cost.
Can it book appointments?
No. It takes drop-off requests for you to confirm. AI booking into a calendar is planned for later.
Does it answer my phone?
No. It texts back the calls you miss; it doesn't answer them. AI call answering is being built and is not in any plan.
Didn't find your answer? Write to [email protected], or see how it works.
One practical guide a week.
Short, plain guides for local businesses on missed calls, follow-up and leads. No sales emails. Read the guides.