Ansela / Who it’s for / Garages and MOT
For garages and MOT centres
Clutch job on the ramp, MOT bay full. She takes the bookings.
Ansela answers in your garage’s name, takes the make, the reg and what’s wrong, books MOTs and services into your diary, and puts through the calls you want to take yourself.
£1.99 your first month, including VAT, then from £99 a month + VAT. 60 minutes in month one. No contract.
Set up in about 15 minutes.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.
Is there an answering service for garages and MOT centres?
Yes. Ansela is an AI phone receptionist for garages. She answers in your garage’s name while you’re under a car, takes the make, the reg and what’s wrong, books MOTs and services into your Ansela diary, and takes a message from anyone ringing about a car that’s already in. Plans start at £99 a month + VAT.
01
The MOT that came in with a knock attached
This is the kind of call a two-bay garage gets on a Monday. He gives the wrong reg first, adds a second job halfway through, and still lands in Thursday’s diary.
Example call; Hollins Lane Garage and the caller are made up.
This call may be recorded. Thank you for calling Hollins Lane Garage. Please hold for a moment while I connect you.Recorded, and played before she picks up.
Hi, this is Ansela. How can I help?
Morning. My MOT runs out on the twenty-fourth, and there’s a knock from the front when I go over speed bumps, so I don’t know if you can look at that and all.
We can do the MOT, and I’ll put the knock on the booking. Can I take your name?
Martin Hughes. It’s a Focus, KR17… no, that’s the wife’s. Mine’s KP67 VKP.
Let me find the first one free. The first MOT I’ve got is Thursday at half eight. Would that work, or is another day better?
Thursday’s good. Can I leave it all day? I get the bus in.
Yes, you can leave it and collect it after four. That’s booked for Thursday at half eight, with the knock noted.
Great. How much is the MOT?
It’s fifty-four eighty-five. Anything else you need while I’ve got you?
No, that’s everything, cheers.
Thanks for calling, bye for now.
02
What she does for a garage, and what she won’t
Everything comes from what you tell her: your MOT and service prices, how long each job takes, your opening hours and which calls you want put through.
- MOTs, services and diagnostic checks, booked into your diary at the length you’ve set.
- “How much is an MOT?” and “Do you do tyres?” answered from your own price list.
- The make, model and reg, read back so you know which car is coming in.
- “Is my car ready yet?” taken as a message with the reg, so you can ring them back from the bay.
- Won’t say whether a car is ready. She can’t see your workshop, so she takes a message.
- Won’t quote for a repair or diagnose a noise over the phone. She books it in for a look or takes the details.
03
What happens when a garage misses a call?
Someone whose MOT runs out on the twenty-fourth, or whose car has started knocking over speed bumps, rings round until a garage picks up. If yours rings out because everyone is under a car, the booking goes to whoever answered. Many callers are new, with no reason to ring twice.
The phone is busiest at the worst times: first thing, when people ring before work, and at lunch. A name scribbled on card later is a job to chase, not a booking.
04
What does an AI receptionist do on a garage phone?
She asks for the make, the model and the reg, and reads the reg back so you get the right car. Then she asks what it needs: an MOT, a service, tyres, or a noise. She offers the slots you’ve set, with the length you’ve given each job, and takes a name and number.
For fixed-price work, like an MOT, she gives the price from your own list. For a knock or a warning light she books a look and writes down what the caller said. She doesn’t work out the cause over the phone.
05
Can she tell customers when their car is ready?
No. She can’t see your workshop and has no way of knowing which car is on the ramp or waiting on a part. She takes a message with the reg and a number, so you can ring back from the bay.
A general line, such as “we usually finish MOTs by the afternoon”, she says exactly as given. It isn’t a promise about one car.
06
Can she book MOTs and services into my diary?
Yes, into your Ansela diary, which you can see and change from your phone. You choose the days, drop-off times and how long each job ties up a bay. A separate MOT bay can have a second diary on the Team plan: see pricing.
She doesn’t connect to garage management software, so if you keep jobs elsewhere, check both before you promise a slot.
Plans start at £99 a month + VAT: see what each plan includes. Paying a per-call service now? See how Ansela compares.
07
Where the phone usually is while the clutch is coming out
We built Ansela because we kept ringing tradespeople who couldn’t pick up, and then booking someone else. She isn’t a call centre. She answers in your name, says what you’ve told her to say, and writes down what the caller wanted.
If she gets a call wrong, forward us the recording.
Ansela[email protected]
08
How do you set up Ansela?
You choose a plan before your number goes live.
For garages and mot centres: keep your current number and divert it to Ansela, or take a new UK business number for your website and cards, or use both.
- Give her your website. She reads it and comes back with your MOT price, your services and your hours for you to check, and asks how long each job takes.
- Pick a voice and try her. Have the MOT call above with her yourself in your browser before she takes a real one. Give her the wrong reg first.
- Divert your mobile. We give you a UK number. One short code diverts your mobile to it when you don’t pick up. Another turns it off.
09
What does Ansela cost? Three plans, no contract
Starter suits most one- and two-bay garages. Team when there’s a second diary, like a separate MOT bay.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.
| Plan | A month + VAT | Minutes | Calls at once |
|---|---|---|---|
| StarterSole traders, one or two vans | £99 | 600 | 1 |
| TeamDiaries for up to 10 people | £279 | 1,800 | 3 |
| ScaleSet up with you, not self-serve | £499 | 3,500 | 3 |
Minutes are time she spends on the phone with callers. Extra minutes are 20p each, up to a limit you set.
First month £1.99 including VAT, with 60 minutes, on Starter. Card needed; nothing else to pay in month one. Cancel from your billing page and it stops at the end of the month you’ve paid for. Plan prices exclude VAT.
Not VAT-registered? With VAT that’s £118.80 a month on Starter, £334.80 a month on Team and £598.80 a month on Scale.
Scale is set up with you. Need her plugged into your own systems? Talk to us about Enterprise.
10
Questions garages and mot centres ask
Can she tell a customer their car’s ready?
No. She doesn’t know what’s happening in the workshop. She takes the reg and a number, and you ring back.
Can she book an MOT and a service together?
Yes. Tell her how long each takes and she books enough time in the diary for both.
Half my calls are “how much”.
For fixed prices, like an MOT, an interim service or a tyre fit, she gives your price. For repairs she books a look or takes the details for you to quote.
Can she book the MOT if the customer doesn’t know the reg?
She takes the make, the model and what the caller can tell her, and notes that the reg is missing so you can ask when they drop it off.
Do I have to change my number?
No. We give you a UK number and you divert your own to it with a short code (codes by network). Turn the divert off whenever you like.
What is a minute, and can she take two calls at once?
A minute is time she spends on the phone with callers. Starter includes 600 a month, extra minutes are 20p each up to a limit you set, and Starter takes 1 call at a time. A caller who rings while she’s busy can leave a voicemail, which doesn’t use your minutes.
Is there a contract, and what happens after the £1.99 month?
No minimum term. After the first month it carries on at your plan price plus VAT unless you cancel, which you can do from your billing page at any time.
Next time it rings with your hands in a gearbox, let her get it.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.