The customer wants the advisor.
Foreman takes the overflow and the after-hours calls, not the person at the counter. Anyone who asks for the advisor is handed over.
Foreman for auto shops and dealers
The phone rings while you are at the counter. Foreman picks it up.
Monday, 8:30 AM. Four cars waiting for write-up, a customer approving brakes, and the phone ringing a third time.Shops: Foreman answers, books the drop-off and chases the declined work. Dealers: every internet lead and service call answered before the next store does. Your advisor stays with the customer at the counter.
Sound familiar?
If you run an auto shop or dealership, you know these.
The advisor is writing up a car and the phone rings three times with no second advisor to pick it up.
Monday morning drop-offs and the phone peak land at exactly the same time.
The customer said no to the brakes and nobody ever called back, so the RO closed at half its size.
A caller who cannot reach you does not call back. They book the next shop or the next store.
Internet leads sit for hours, and by the time somebody replies the customer has already visited another dealer.
Northgate Auto Care, example
What a Monday morning looks like.
5 conversations Foreman handles for a auto shop or dealership like yours, in your voice, written into the system you run. Swipe through them.
Today 8:34 AM
Sorry we missed your call, this is Northgate Auto Care. What is going on with the car?
Check engine light came on and it is shaking at idle
Thanks. We can look at it today. Drop-off by 10:00 AM and a tech will run a diagnostic. The diagnostic fee is $120 and goes toward the repair. Does that work?
Yes, I can be there at 9:45
Booked: today 9:45 AM drop-off. What is the year, make and model?
Delivered
Today 10:00 AM
Hi Cheryl, Northgate Auto Care. In April you decided to wait on the front brakes. The tech marked them at the low end then. Want to book a time? Thursday 8:00 AM or Friday 1:00 PM.
I forgot all about that. Friday works
Booked: Friday 1:00 PM. The advisor will confirm the estimate before any work starts.
Delivered
Today 9:15 AM
Hi Brian, your Accord is about due for its 60,000 mile service. Want a drop-off slot? Tuesday 8:00 AM or Wednesday 8:00 AM.
Wednesday
Booked: Wednesday 8:00 AM. We will text you when it is ready.
Delivered
Today 7:12 PM
Hi Luis, this is Northgate Honda. I saw your request on the CR-V. It is on the lot. Would you like to come in today or tomorrow?
Tomorrow after 5
Booked: tomorrow 5:30 PM with Sam. He will have it pulled up front. Anything you want him to know?
Trade in too
Passed to Sam, thank you.
Delivered
Today 9:55 PM
Can I get an oil change tomorrow before work?
Yes. Tomorrow 7:30 AM drop-off, about 45 minutes. Do you want to wait or leave it?
Leave it
Booked: tomorrow 7:30 AM, drop-off. We will text you when it is done.
Delivered
Sent as iMessage. Blue bubbles from a real number, text message for Android. Names and numbers are examples.
The math
A week of missed calls, in repair orders.
Change these to your own numbers. This is arithmetic, not a promise of results.
Industry figure: 36% of independent shops report an average repair order of $500 to $749 (PartsTech 2025, 752 shops) and 74% report $800 or more (Ratchet+Wrench 2026, 430 owners). Dealers: 64% to 66% of callers who could not reach someone never called back (Car Wars 2026, 44.4M calls).
Your numbers
That is about a month in repair orders you did not write.
Calls a week x 52 / 12 x value x share. Defaults are industry figures you can overwrite.
Your objections
What auto shop or dealership owners ask first.
What if it quotes the wrong repair price or promises a time?
It gives only the posted diagnostic fee and the next open drop-off slot. The advisor confirms any estimate.
Will our outbound texts get labelled as spam?
Foreman honours STOP and opt-out requests on every channel, and each customer's history shows who they came from.
What about our DMS or shop system?
It reads and writes through your shop system or DMS only if connected. See the list below.
Our past phone robot hurt CSI scores.
The rule here is human handoff: anything it is unsure about goes to the advisor, and the customer is told.
Works with what you run
Foreman sits in front of your systems. It does not replace them.
Tekmetric Live
Shopmonkey Live- Shop-Ware Live
Mitchell 1 Live
AutoLeap Live
CDK Global Live
Reynolds and Reynolds Live
Dealertrack DMS Live
Google Business Live
Google Calendar Live- All 331 integrations
Live: we connect during setup and tell you what the connection covers. Logos belong to their owners and indicate integrations, not endorsement.
The Monday text
Six lines a week. That is the whole report.
Every Monday at 7:00 AM, one text, in auto shop or dealership terms. No dashboard to open.
Monday 7:00 AM, Northgate Auto Care, example
- 1Calls and texts answered: 143. Median reply: 33 seconds.
- 2Drop-offs booked: 38, including 11 after hours.
- 3Declined work texted: 22. Booked back: 7.
- 4Service intervals texted: 60. Booked: 16.
- 5Needs you: 3 estimate questions, 1 comeback.
- 6Reviews asked at pickup: 44. New reviews: 9.
Questions
Straight answers.
Can it book into my shop management system?
Yes. Shopmonkey, Shop-Ware, Tekmetric, Mitchell 1, AutoLeap and the dealer DMS platforms are live connections. We set it up and tell you exactly what it covers.
Can it chase declined work?
Yes. The brake pads they said no to come back as a reminder at 60 days with a slot to book.
Does it work for dealers?
Yes. Internet leads and service calls are answered in under a minute and booked, and booked into your system.
Who owns our customer list?
You do. Your data and customer list are yours and are exported on exit.
Is there a contract?
No. Per location per month, cancel with 30 days notice.
Pricing
Per location, per month. No contract.
- OperatorFrom $495. Answers every lead, follows up on every quote, works your list, sends the Monday text.
- Operator + GrowthFrom $995. Everything in Operator plus managed Meta and Google ads, reported as cost per booked job.
- CustomFrom $2,500. Multi-location groups, agencies, API and white label. Scoped on a call.