if someone's car starts making a noise, they pull over and look you up. they won't type out what a grinding noise sounds like. they call, and if you're under a car, it rings out.
a retune bot on your website can take that question as a voice message. they tap a mic, describe the noise, and the bot takes their name and number so you can call back.
it's a bakery, not a garage, but the chat works the same. a customer taps the mic and asks a question, then uploads a voice note he already had on his phone.
if someone asks, by voice, whether you do brakes on saturdays, the bot answers from what you told it about your hours and services.
say someone who's pulled over on the highway describes a squeal when they brake, and asks what it'll cost. if you've told the bot not to, it won't give a price. it says the shop will call back, and it already has their name and number.
if someone already recorded a voice note about a check engine light, they can upload it. it comes in as text, like the others.
every one of those sits in your inbox as text, with a mic tag and how long they talked. you read them between jobs instead of listening to voicemail.
voice isn't switched on for new accounts by itself. sign up, then email me at olive@reframe.so and say you want voice messages on your bot. once it's on, it's a few steps:
there's no template for repair shops. you start from a blank bot and add your hours, services and address. if you want to see what a template gives you, here's how they work.
the bot follows that line in its instructions. but it's an ai, and a line like that isn't a lock. read your chats for the first week and check it isn't guessing prices.
the letter for plumbers is about the same worry, a bot saying something you never said. it shows how to write the questions it must never get wrong and test them.
it doesn't answer phone calls. it's the chat on your website, so people have to find your site first.
it can mishear. part names, car models and phone numbers come out wrong now and then. the customer sees the text before the answer, so they can tell. if a phone number fails the check, the text goes back into the box so they can fix it.
it doesn't keep the recording, only the words. those sit in your retune account with the rest of your chats.
it doesn't call anyone back. it takes the number, and you call.
the mic needs your site on https (the padlock in the address bar), with the chat added using the code snippet retune gives you. i tested it in chrome on a computer, not on a phone. try it on yours before you count on it.
it fits a shop where the phone rings while your hands are busy. it fits best if most questions are about hours, services and "can you look at it today". it won't help much if your customers want to talk to a mechanic before they decide anything.
if you're comparing voice chat tools in general, this letter covers the voice part in more detail. and once the numbers come in, following up on those leads is a letter of its own.
olive