How an Auto Dealership Captured Every Service Lead Without Adding Staff
A dealership service department deployed voice AI to handle appointment scheduling and lead qualification, capturing 100% of after-hours calls while routing sales inquiries to the right team.
About A Multi-Brand Auto Dealership
This multi-brand dealership operates service centers for three automotive brands, handling everything from oil changes to major repairs. With 8 service advisors managing 200+ appointments weekly, their phone lines were constantly overwhelmed—especially during morning rush hours when customers called before dropping off vehicles.
The Challenge
The service department was leaving money on the table. Calls went unanswered during peak hours, and after-hours inquiries from potential service customers never got callbacks.
- Morning rush (7-9am) generated 60% of daily calls, but advisors were busy checking in vehicles—40% of calls went unanswered
- After-hours calls for service appointments went to a generic voicemail that rarely got returned promptly
- Sales inquiries accidentally routed to service (and vice versa) frustrated customers and wasted staff time
- No way to qualify service needs before appointments—advisors discovered additional work only when vehicles arrived
- Recall and maintenance reminder calls were inconsistent; the service team only had time to call high-value customers
- Spanish-speaking customers struggled with the English-only phone system
The Solution
The dealership deployed an Arbol voice agent for service scheduling with intelligent routing—plus outbound campaigns for maintenance reminders and recall notifications.
An inbound agent answers service calls 24/7 in English and Spanish, scheduling appointments by checking real-time availability across all service bays and advisors
The agent qualifies service needs upfront: asking about symptoms, warning lights, mileage, and vehicle history—extracting details as contact properties so advisors know what to expect
Transfer rules route calls intelligently: sales inquiries transfer to the sales floor; service emergencies (breakdowns, accidents) go directly to the service manager
Batch outbound campaigns contact customers for oil change reminders, tire rotations, and manufacturer recalls—each tracked in the campaign dashboard
Customers who need to reschedule during reminder calls can book a new appointment immediately without waiting for a callback
The analytics dashboard shows call volume by hour, service type distribution, and appointment conversion rates—revealing that Saturday morning calls had the highest booking intent
Implementation
2 daysService Menu Configuration
Defined all service types (oil change, tire rotation, brake service, diagnostics) with estimated durations and advisor assignment rules
Calendar Integration
Connected service bay availability and advisor schedules with buffer times between appointments
Qualification Flow Design
Built conversation flows that ask about symptoms, warning lights, and service history—extracting key details as contact properties
Transfer Rules Setup
Configured routing: sales inquiries → sales floor; breakdowns → service manager; routine service → AI books directly
Reminder Campaign Creation
Built outbound campaigns for 3-month oil changes, 6-month tire rotations, and manufacturer recall notifications
Testing Across Scenarios
Ran test calls for scheduling, sales redirects, emergency routing, and reminder confirmations
The Results
The service department saw immediate impact on both appointment volume and advisor efficiency.
Service appointment bookings increased 35% within 60 days—mostly from calls that would have previously gone unanswered or to voicemail. The morning rush became manageable: advisors focused on vehicle check-ins while the AI handled incoming calls. Pre-appointment qualification meant advisors knew exactly what to expect, reducing diagnostic time and improving estimate accuracy. The maintenance reminder campaigns achieved 78% contact rate compared to the previous 25% when staff made manual calls. Most surprisingly, 28% of all service appointments now come from after-hours bookings—demand that was always there but previously invisible to the team.
Before
- 40% of morning calls went unanswered
- After-hours calls went to generic voicemail
- Sales/service calls frequently misrouted
- Advisors discovered issues at vehicle drop-off
- Inconsistent maintenance reminders
After
- 100% of calls answered instantly, even during rush hours
- 24/7 scheduling captures appointments around the clock
- Intelligent routing sends each call to the right team
- Qualification extracts service needs before arrival
- Automated campaigns reach every customer on schedule
Key Takeaways
High-volume call periods benefit most from AI handling—staff can focus on in-person customers
Pre-appointment qualification improves service accuracy and customer experience
Intelligent routing prevents frustration from misrouted sales vs. service calls
Automated maintenance reminders drive repeat business that manual processes miss
After-hours availability captures significant demand that was previously invisible
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