For auto repair & body shops
Auto repair & body shops: stop answering “Is it done yet?” all day.
I build small tools for the front counter of a repair shop: a text at each step of the repair, a text back when nobody can get to the phone, and one review ask after pickup. It works next to your shop software, and you approve every message.
(641) 530-2599 · chrispoulos@praxisaisolutions.io
Copied from the auto repair demo. Made-up shop, real workflow. Try it yourself →
The real problem
The phone rings while everyone is in the bays.
A customer drops off a car and calls three times to ask how it's going. Every call pulls someone out from under a car or away from the counter. When nobody can get to the phone, a new customer calls the next shop instead.
Reviews only come in when somebody remembers to ask, and on a busy day that's nobody.
Most shops keep one main system, shop management or estimating software, and that part is usually worth it. The extra cost is in the layers on top: plans bought mainly for two-way texting, texting and review platforms, and marketing bundles.
Try it on your phone
What the auto repair demo shows
It's a made-up shop called Example Auto & Body. Open it on your phone and tap through it the way your customer would. Nothing in it is live, so poke around.
A brake job, from drop-off to pickup
The customer gets a text at each step, so the “is it ready yet?” calls stop. Each update is one tap for your team.
Missed call while everyone is in the bays
Karen calls about her Equinox and nobody can get to the phone. She gets a text right away, explains what she needs in her own words, and you get one alert with the details and a tap to call.
Review request after pickup
The customer gets one polite text with a link to leave a review. Everyone gets the same ask, with no filtering, which is what Google's rules require.
The monthly bills
What auto repair and body shops often pay each month
These are tools auto repair and body shops often pay a monthly bill for, at published or reported prices. Each price links to where it came from.
| Tool | What it does | Price | My take | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PodiumCore plan | Texting and review requests | $399/mo | Worth a hard lookIf you mostly use it for review asks and texting, that's the part I can build for you to own. | truereview.co |
| Kukui | Website, marketing and reminder bundle for repair shops | $499/mostarting price | Worth a hard lookCheck which parts you use. Reminders and review asks are easy to own. | softwareadvice.com |
Podium Core alone comes to $4,788 a year at that price.
What usually stays: your shop management or estimating software. What I build takes over the status texts, missed-call replies, reminders and review asks.
Prices are what each linked page showed when I checked on October 23, 2026. Vendors change prices, and several sources are reviews or comparison sites rather than the vendor's own page, so check your own bill. I don't list my prices here. You get one written price after the free walkthrough.
How it works
How working with me goes
Every shop is different, so I don't guess from the outside. The first look is free, and nothing gets built until you've said yes to one written price.
Free walkthrough
A 20-minute call, or a free 2-minute video built for your shop. You tell me what eats your time. I tell you straight if I can fix it.
One price, in writing
A short write-up and one price before you pay anything. No hourly meter. If I can't build it, no charge.
Built around what you use
Your shop management or estimating software stays. The new tool works next to it, so your team doesn't learn a new system.
You approve every message
You read and okay the wording before the tool sends anything, and you can change it any time.
You own it
It's yours outright. It keeps working whether or not we ever talk again.
Up and running
Most tools are working in 2 to 4 weeks from your yes. I'm a phone call away if something needs a change.
Remote or in person, same price. I'm based in Mason City, Iowa. If your shop is in North Iowa, I'll come sit at your desk. Anywhere else, we do it over a screen share: you see what I see, and you're talking to me the whole time, not a team you never meet.
Straight answers
Questions auto repair and body shops ask
Does my team have to type every status update?
No. In the demo, each update is one tap. You set the wording once.
Do I have to switch shop software?
No. Your shop management or estimating software stays where it is.
Will customers get too many texts?
They get the updates you choose and nothing else, and they can reply STOP at any time.
Do you only work with auto repair and body shops in Iowa?
No. If you're in North Iowa, I'll come to you. Everywhere else, we work over a screen share, which is how most software gets built anyway. Your zip code doesn't change the price.
What does it cost?
It depends on what your shop needs, so I don't post prices. The walkthrough is free and ends with one price in writing. A one-time tool is a one-time price, and if I can't build it, there's no charge. Texting and hosting have a small monthly bill in your own name, and I'll show you that number up front too.
Let's talk
Tell me what's eating your time.
One free call, or a free 2-minute video of what this would look like in your auto repair shop. If there's nothing worth building, I'll tell you that too.
You'll be talking to Chris Poulos — 20 years selling to real people face to face, now I make AI work for them. No agency, no handoffs: the person you call is the person who builds it.
Or email chrispoulos@praxisaisolutions.io