Front desk
An AI receptionist for auto glass has to know which call it is answering.
A glass shop phone does not ring like a repair shop phone. It rings with a chip, a crack, a policy number, a driveway address, or a question about whether a camera has to be recalibrated. Each of those is a different call, and a receptionist that answers them all the same way creates work instead of removing it.
Why glass calls are their own problem
Two questions decide every glass call.
Is this covered by insurance, and can this damage be repaired or does the glass have to be replaced? Almost every other question on a glass call is downstream of those two, and only the first is safe to answer from a script.
That is what makes glass harder to automate than a routine booking call, and also what makes it more valuable to automate. The receptionist's job is to capture the call completely and route it correctly, not to make the two calls that decide the job.
The call ledger
Seven call types and what each one needs.
Every call has to leave a complete record, whether or not it books on the spot.
| Call type | Must capture | Routes to |
|---|---|---|
| Chip or crack | Vehicle, damage location and size in the caller's own words, photos requested, and how long it has been there. | A person, for the repair or replace call. |
| Insurance-covered replacement | Carrier, policy or claim number if they have it, whether a glass deductible applies, and the VIN if the customer can read it off the dash. | An advisor, with the file already built. |
| Cash customer | Vehicle, part preference if they have one, whether they want mobile, and a card on file or a payment link. | Booking, once the shop prices it. |
| Mobile request | Where the vehicle sits, whether it is under cover, whether power and space are available, and who will meet the technician. | Dispatch, for suitability. |
| Calibration question | Vehicle and year, whether the glass has already been replaced elsewhere, and whether the caller has any warning lights showing. | A qualified technician, always. |
| Fleet or dealer account | Account name, unit or stock number, PO requirement, and the billing contact rather than the driver calling. | The account owner. |
| Warranty or leak recheck | Original work order number, the symptom the customer is describing, and when the work was done. | A manager, same day. |
Escalation
Five things that always reach a person.
These are not preferences. Each one is a place where a wrong answer is a safety problem, a legal problem, or a lost customer.
Anything about whether the glass is safe to drive
A caller describing a crack that has spread, a windshield bowing, or damage in the driver's sight line is asking a safety question. The receptionist takes the details and gets a technician.
A leak, a water intrusion, or a wind noise complaint
These come back on work the shop already did, and they can hide a water problem that is doing damage while the customer waits for a callback.
A camera, lane-keeping, or calibration concern
Any question about an ADAS system, a warning light after a replacement, or whether a vehicle needs calibration goes to someone qualified to answer it.
An angry customer with a job already in progress
A missed appointment, a vehicle held longer than promised, or a botched install is a manager's call, and it should not sit in a queue. It should interrupt.
Any request to negotiate or to confirm what insurance will pay
The person who owns the carrier and TPA relationships answers these. Coverage and payment are not the receptionist's to describe.
The hard limits
What it must never say.
That a chip is repairable
Or that it is not. Whether damage qualifies for a repair is a technician's determination, made with the vehicle in front of them.
That a claim will be covered
No promise about an approval, a deductible waiver, or a direct bill arrangement. The carrier decides, and the shop does not speak for it.
A drive-away time it invented
Urethane cure time and safe drive-away depend on the product, the temperature, and the shop's rule. The receptionist quotes your rule or says someone will confirm.
That calibration is optional
It cannot tell a caller that recalibration is not needed, or how long it takes on their vehicle. That depends on the OEM procedure for the VIN.
Everything else on a glass call is fair game: capturing the vehicle, the damage description, the carrier, the address, the callback, and the reason for calling. That is where the hours are, and that is what the receptionist is for.
Keep reading
Where the call goes next.
A captured call is only useful if the quote and the follow-up behind it are as fast as the answer was. The rest of the glass sequence is here.
Auto glass quote automation -> Auto glass lead follow-up software -> Customer engagement ->
Test it on your own calls
Send us a day of recordings.
We will sort them into the seven call types and show you which ones never reached a person.