Getting a quote approved at a traditional mechanics’ workshop is slow for one specific reason: you have to track the customer down by phone and explain what needs doing. If the customer is in a meeting, on a call, at the doctor’s, they don’t pick up. The car sits in the workshop waiting for approval that takes hours to arrive. Multiply that across every vehicle of the day, and you have hours of productive capacity standing idle.
WhatsApp automation solves this. The mechanic carries out the diagnosis, ticks the required services on a simple form and the system generates and sends the quote to the customer with three buttons: Approve all, Reject all, Call me to discuss specific items.
The complete flow
1. Vehicle check-in: the customer drops off the car. A message is sent confirming receipt with a tracking code.
2. Diagnosis: the mechanic inspects the vehicle and records the diagnosis in the system. If any services are required, they are flagged.
3. Automatic quote: the system generates the quote with all items detailed (labour, parts, VAT) and sends it via WhatsApp.
4. Customer approval: the customer taps Approve and the job order is activated in the workshop. If they tap Call me, the system notifies the mechanic to call at their next free slot.
5. Parts order: with the quote approved, the system can integrate with parts catalogues (Sernauto, AutoZone, RecoFin) to order the necessary parts automatically.
6. Ready notification: when the work is complete, the system sends the client a WhatsApp letting them know they can collect the vehicle, along with the final amount.
Why it doesn’t work without AI in some cases
The "Call me" part seems unnecessary but it is critical. Many clients want to understand what is going to be done before approving. If the system only offers Approve/Reject, many reject out of uncertainty. With the option to call, the conversation is more constructive and the approval rate goes up.
For customers who do ask via chat, an AI agent connected to WhatsApp can explain technical concepts in plain language, resolve common queries and only escalate to a human mechanic when necessary. That significantly reduces the workload on the reception team.
Typical results
In the implementations we have carried out: the average budget approval time drops from 6-8 horas to 25-45 minutes. The budget approval rate rises by 15-25% because clients see the itemised breakdown and better understand what they are paying for. And the reception team spends 60% less time on admin calls, freeing up capacity to sell additional services.
You can see the full system in our mechanics’ workshops vertical.