After-hours answering for auto repair shops
When you lock up for the night, ShopLine answers your shop's phone in your shop's name, books jobs onto your calendar, and texts the customer a confirmation. Urgent calls can still reach your cell.
Your phone keeps ringing after you close
In September 2026, 28% of the calls ShopLine answered for 11 independent auto repair shops came in after hours: 218 calls out of 781. That share was 29% in August, so it's a steady pattern, not a one-off.
Most after-hours callers aren't calling at midnight. They're calling on the drive home or before work, right when the shop is closed and nobody is there to pick up.
After hours means outside Monday to Friday 8 AM to 6 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 2 PM Eastern, plus all day Sunday. Source: ShopLine call data, September 2026.
How a call gets booked overnight
1. It rings your line first
Calls still come to your shop's number. Only the ones nobody answers go to ShopLine, so nothing changes about how your team picks up during the day.
2. It answers in your name
The caller hears your shop's name, not a call center. ShopLine answers with your hours, services and policies.
3. It books the job
Bookable work goes straight onto your calendar, and the customer gets a text confirmation and a reminder before the appointment.
4. You see it in the morning
Every call, booking and callback request is waiting on your dashboard when you open. Questions it couldn't answer are flagged for your team.
Urgent calls can still reach you
Not every after-hours call can wait until morning. You decide which ones come straight to you, and ShopLine forwards them to your cell. Everything else gets answered and booked.
- Forward a customer who needs a tow, a stranded driver, or a fleet account you've promised fast service
- Book routine work like tires, brakes, exhaust and oil changes into your next open slot
- Flag for a callback anything that needs a technician to look at it first
What after-hours callers want
Mostly the same things daytime callers want: whether you do the work, when they can bring the car in, and what it'll take. Across the calls ShopLine categorized in September 2026, tires and wheels made up 41%, and exhaust and mufflers 19%. Those are jobs that can be booked on the spot, without anyone from your team on the phone.
For the full breakdown of options, from voicemail to forwarding to your own cell, read Should an auto repair shop answer the phone after hours?
What it costs
After-hours answering is part of every plan. Plans start at $79 a month, the first month is $1, and yearly billing saves up to 25%.
After-hours answering FAQ
Does ShopLine only answer after we close?
No. It answers any call your team can't pick up, day or night. After hours is simply when that happens most reliably, because nobody is there to answer. During the day your phones still ring your team first.
Will it quote prices or diagnose problems at night?
It answers with the prices and policies you give it, but it never guesses at a diagnosis or a repair price. When a caller needs one, it takes their details and flags the call so your team can call back in the morning.
Can some after-hours calls still come to my cell?
Yes. You choose which calls get forwarded, for example a customer who needs a tow or a fleet account that can't wait. Everything else is answered and booked so you get your evening back.
Do I need a new phone number or equipment?
No. ShopLine works with the number your shop already has, with nothing to install. Most shops are live the same day after one onboarding call.
Related pages
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