How many times have you had to rush to the phone to take a call, hands dirty, leaving the car on a lift? While three other customers are waiting to be serviced. Once you’re done with the phone, you will go meet the waiting customers, while the car still sits on the lift. At this rate, a simple 1-hour job will stretch over four, when you have multiple tasks going on in parallel. This is what is happening in the automotive industry today because of staff shortages.
It’s not just an auto mechanic shortage; it is an overall staff shortage. As a shop owner, you, your mechanics, and technicians are often overworked. Trying to fix cars, dealing with customers, answering calls, taking on admin work, and working on customer experience. It’s not just a job; it’s multiple jobs going on simultaneously. This will inevitably impact the quality of work, burnt-out employees, and might result in customer comebacks and frustrated customers.
So here we are, understanding how you can overcome these staffing challenges with a clear action plan. Hint: we’re going to talk about AI automation and how you can use that for expansion rather than replacements. Let’s get into it.
What Are The Current Automotive Staffing Challenges?
Every role in an auto repair shop will be affected by these staffing challenges. There’s a huge demand for auto technicians, but the staffing challenges are bigger than ever.
Front desk receptionists/schedulers: they are the first point of contact with the customers. They are also the ones taking calls, scheduling appointments, and answering queries. These roles are the most difficult ones to fill these days.
Service advisors: they are skilled in dealing with customers. Service advisors also have great technical knowledge, so they bridge the gap between a technician and the customer. They are not at all easy to hire and retain.
Technicians: your auto technicians run the entire show. They are the most important pieces of the puzzle, yet they are the hardest to come by today.
Parts managers: They are also key members of the staff, known for their incredible organizational skills. They take care of the inventory and order parts when needed.
Despite their importance, 31% of shop owners say that technician shortages are the #1 challenge they are facing, but other roles are just as hard to fill in. According to Netchex, hiring is tough for 88% of auto businesses. Now more than ever, there are a few key roles that are getting harder and harder to hire for. These include receptionist and customer service roles.
These might seem like simple jobs to do. But without people filling in these roles, it could impact the day-to-day functioning of the entire auto shop.
If it all comes down to your auto technician, they will be leaving jobs mid-way. They will have to
- Run to answer calls and questions
- Track and align everyone’s schedules
- Monitor the parts orders and deliveries
- Talk to customers and explain estimates, jobs, etc.
Or they ignore all the calls and miss the extra revenue.
But small and mid-sized shops have even fewer employees. They can’t afford to miss calls. This will cost them revenue.
This will leave a big impact on your business, employees, and customers.
How Does Understaffing Impact Auto Businesses?
There is a whole ripple effect that ensues with staff shortages. Understaffed shops will have few people doing more work. This could potentially lead to unhappy customers, damaged shop reputation, and everyone spiralling. No one will be able to get anything done.
This leads to high turnover rates, which are now crossing 45% for front office positions and tech-savvy roles.
Moreover, understaffing leads to
- Calls go unanswered, which leads to lost business and opportunities. Customers don’t leave a voicemail, and they will move on to call the next listed shop.
- Delayed appointments and a disorganized whole shop schedule because you’re not able to service customers at the given time, which causes delays for every customer coming in after. This damages trust.
- Inconsistency in communication and follow-ups with customers. Customers want quick updates and fast communication. They don’t want to wait for hours to get a response.
- Increased pressure and work on the few employees that are there, which increases errors and drives up stress. This also reduces billable hours.
All of this results in chaos on the shop floor, lost revenue, and reduced productivity. The staff will be unhappy, stressed, and have low morale. The result, as we all know? Poorly done jobs, and customer comebacks. This means lost loyalty and repeat business. Your profitability takes a major hit.
Can AI Automation Help Understaffed Teams?
If only there were a way to take a load off your lean staff. The good news is, it’s 2025 and it’s the AI era. AI helps you expand your productivity and acts as a ‘force multiplier’. But using AI, you can automate repetitive, mundane tasks. This allows your staff to focus on repairs, high-ticket work. It also allows them to give undivided attention to customers when they come in for their appointments.
Moreover, phone calls can be handled by an AI receptionist, which also takes away a lot of the administrative burden from your staff. It
- Reduces distractions and gives them back their time.
- Doesn’t follow a fixed 9-5 work schedule. It is available 24/7.
- Takes scheduling off your plate.
- Never misses opportunities, revenue, or additional business, helping you capture leads.
This is highly useful for smaller shops that may not be able to hire a full-time receptionist, pay them a salary, offer them perks, and cover other employee expenses. Getting AI to help in such a case is great for business.
AutoLeap AIR Takes The Load Off
But here we are not just talking about any random AI solution. We’re here with a solid action plan that can help auto shops with low staff. Let’s talk about Autoleap AIR.
How Does Autoleap AIR Work?
Autoleap AIR is your receptionist who takes every call, regardless of the time. It captures customer information and is also able to retain your existing shop software. It is not robotic. In fact, it offers personal, human-like interactions in English, Spanish, and French. So it is very natural sounding.
Here’s what it helps you
Take inbound calls: your shop won’t miss any calls from potential customers, ensuring you capture all leads.
Schedule appointments: AIR has access to the shop’s calendar, and it knows all the open slots. You can avoid double booking or overbooking when AIR is scheduling appointments. Your technicians won’t have to waste time scheduling appointments manually.
Give your team extra time: AIR takes over time-consuming repetitive tasks giving your techs extra time to focus on work, which ultimately allows you to increase billable hours and overall shop efficiency.
Before AutoLeap AIR | After AutoLeap AIR |
Paused jobs to answer calls | Technicians don’t leave jobs mid-way |
Customers waiting or on hold | Customers schedule appointments |
Missed calls and missed revenue | 24/7 receptionist available |
All of this results in happy staff, customers, and more revenue for your auto shop.
Wrapping up
There have been increasing staff shortages in the automotive industry lately. But luckily, this is also in parallel with the advent of advanced technological solutions that help you increase productivity and allow you to do more with less.
So instead of being bogged down with operational overload, stress, and compromising on customer satisfaction, team morale, and business, it’s better to make use of solutions like Autoleap AIR that help you take the load off. Think of it like a productive team member with octopus hands that can handle front-desk admin work so your team can focus on work that helps run the shop successfully.
FAQs
Will auto mechanics be replaced by AI?
No, AI will not replace auto mechanics, but it will allow them to focus more on high-value tickets by taking on more repetitive tasks off their plate. It will allow auto mechanics to be more efficient.
Are mechanics always in demand?
Yes, mechanics are always in demand, and the demand is growing even more with the increase in the number of vehicles on the road.
What are the biggest challenges for auto repair shops?
Rising customer expectations, lack of customer trust, trying to stand out in a competitive market, automotive staffing challenges, and technician shortages are just a few of the many challenges auto repair shops face today.
