Customer service expectations have shifted to speed, convenience, and real-time answers, with AI service advisors becoming a viable tool to help meet those demands, according to a report by In Motion Brands.
First things first: The report, titled Under the Hood of Your Business, frames 2026 as the year retailers will “adapt or lose” to faster competitors.
By the numbers: Traditional phone-first, lead handling strategies are breaking under the weight of demand.
Service shops miss 20%–40% of inbound calls, which varies due to factors such as season and staffing.
Nearly 30% of all daily calls come in a 3-hour window (7–10 a.m.), exactly when service teams are slammed.
And up to 80% of callers who choose to leave a generic voicemail, typically hang up rather than leave a message.
Why it matters: Fixed ops is a core dealership profit engine, and inbound call leakage is one of the most preventable sources of lost appointments and revenue. Faster answers, clean scheduling, and better quote handling can lift booked work, improve bay utilization, and reduce defection to independents, especially during peak call windows.
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Between the lines: An AI Service Advisor acts as a 24/7 first-line intake agent, capable of assisting with incoming calls, including price inquiry, which accounts for 30% of phone intakes, appointment booking (30%), and general inquiry (26%), with the benefits of an AI advisor well-documented.
Under a hybrid model in which AI handles inbound calls and qualifies them with humans closing, the close rate increased from 20% to 28%, an 8-point lift.
The average repair order (RO) increased from $1,029.50 with humans only to $1,095 using a hybrid model.
Human-handled tire quote close rate improved from 20% baseline to 40.6% after 90 days (+101.4%) under a hybrid model.
The In Motion Brands report also indicates that close rates improved for human staff after the AI system was introduced and the sales team received additional training.
Bottom line: AI won’t fix a broken process, but it can stop the bleeding when phones spike, and staff get overwhelmed. Service shops that pair AI intake with clear handoffs, consistent pricing language, and advisor coaching can capture more appointments, raise RO, and keep more customers from shopping the service lane elsewhere.
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