NightShiftAgents for Auto Repair
The brakes you recommended in March get a follow-up in June. The bay stays full.
An independent shop's next month of work is already written on its old repair orders as declined services. NightShiftAgents reads Tekmetric, Shop-Ware or Mitchell 1, follows up on declined work when it is due, sends service reminders by mileage and date, answers after-hours inquiries with a drop-off window, and reports car count and average RO weekly. It does not diagnose, estimate or order parts.
Night Shift is set up for your industry. Written for an independent shop owner. Runs on your machine, with your accounts.
The problem
The car left with $1,400 of declined work and nobody will mention it again.
- 01
Declined services are on the RO and nowhere else. The customer meant to come back. They went to the chain with the coupon instead.
- 02
Service reminders go out from the shop software when someone sets them up, which was once, three years ago.
- 03
Tuesday's schedule has two open bays and Thursday is overbooked. You find out on Tuesday.
A working day
The same day, before and after.
Before
- 7:00 AM
Open the shop. Two cars in the lot, four bays. Nothing else until 10.
- 11:30 AM
Customer declines the timing belt. Advisor writes it on the RO. It will never be seen again.
- 2:00 PM
Google review comes in complaining about a wait. You will get to it.
- 5:30 PM
Close. The web form has a 'noise from the front end, can you look at it' from 4:50. Tomorrow.
- 8:00 PM
Wife asks how the shop did this week. You say 'fine.' You do not know the number.
After install
- 7:00 AM
Morning brief. 18 declined-service follow-ups drafted overnight for work now due by mileage or date; 6 replied and want in this week. Tuesday's open bays are filling.
- 11:30 AM
Customer declines the timing belt. Advisor writes it on the RO. The agent picks it up tonight and schedules a follow-up for when it is due.
- 2:00 PM
Review reply drafted in the advisor's Drafts by 2:04, mentions the wait plainly and what changed.
- 5:30 PM
The 4:50 inquiry got a reply at 4:52 with tomorrow's drop-off windows and the questions the advisor would ask.
- 8:00 PM
Friday's report: car count, average RO, gross profit by category, by advisor. It is a file. You forward it.
Your night shift
The Auto Repair roster.
Declined-service follow-up
nightly · 9 PMReads declined items from every RO. When the item comes due by mileage estimate or elapsed time, drafts a note in the advisor's voice with the original quote referenced and a drop-off window.
declined-due.csv + drafts/Service reminders by mileage and date
daily · 8 AMOil, tires, inspection and manufacturer intervals from your history, estimated by the customer's driving pattern. Drafted, never sent without your rule.
reminders.mdAfter-hours inquiry reply
every 5 minWeb form, email and missed-call transcripts get a reply with drop-off windows and the three questions your advisor always asks. No estimate, ever.
drafts/Review request and response
daily · 9 AMRequests a review the day after pickup from paid ROs. Drafts a plain reply to every new review.
review-queue.mdWeekly shop report
Fridays · 1 PMCar count, average RO, gross profit by parts and labor, by advisor and by category. Any RO with missing parts cost is marked unavailable, not zero.
shop-week.xlsxGoogle Business Profile posting
Mon · Wed · FriThree posts a week from real work: seasonal service, a shop-floor photo, a service-area note. No customer names or plates.
gbp-queue.md
What it hands you
The three files that matter most here.
Declined-service list, due by mileage and date Weekly shop report: car count, average RO, GP After-hours replies with drop-off windows
Previews show the file format with sample rows. They are not a customer's data.
Sits on top of
The software you already run.
- Tekmetric
- Shop-Ware
- Mitchell 1
- AutoLeap
- Google Business Profile
- QuickBooks
- CARFAX Car Care
Read this part
What it does not do.
- It does not diagnose. 'Noise from the front end' gets a drop-off window, not a guess.
- It does not write estimates or quote prices. It references the price your advisor already quoted on the RO.
- It does not order parts or touch your parts vendors.
- It does not manage the schedule or the bays. It fills them by getting replies; your advisor books.
- It does not send anything without your approval — unless you switch that agent to auto-send.
What this replaces
Priced against payroll, not software.
- The role
- Part-time front-counter and marketing help
- NightShiftAgents · Night Shift tier
- Monthly cost
- $2,200about $2,200 a month for 20 hours a week
- $397Founding rate $397 a month for 12 months (standard $497); optional setup call $199
- Works nights and weekends
- No
- Yes. That is the point.
- Asks before spending
- Usually
- Always. Six-line card.
A counter person greets the customer and takes the keys. The agents do not. They work the declined list and the reminders every night. Two recovered declined jobs a month is the fee.
Market figures are typical ranges for this role, not a quote. Your Agent Improvement Plan uses your numbers.
The catch
What owners in your industry ask first.
Questions
Frequently asked.
- Does it work with my shop software?
- Tekmetric, Shop-Ware, Mitchell 1 and AutoLeap directly. Others by scheduled export; the Agent Improvement Plan says which.
- How does it know when declined work is due?
- From the item type and your history for that vehicle: miles per month estimated from past ROs, and elapsed time. It says 'estimated' in the brief when the mileage is a projection.
- Can it text customers?
- Through your shop software's texting if it exposes drafting. Same approval rule as email.
- What if a customer has moved or sold the car?
- A reply saying so removes them from follow-up and notes it in your software. No further touches.
- What does the weekly report do if parts cost is missing on an RO?
- Marks that RO's GP as unavailable and lists it, so your advisor can fix the RO. It never assumes cost.
Under 15 minutes of questions. Then your auto repair night shift runs.
You get a written Agent Improvement Plan the same day: which of the agents above, in what order, and what it costs. The industry is already filled in.