AI Assistant
AI Assistant overview
Understand what the AI Assistant can help with, when to use it, and how your team stays in control.
What you will accomplish
You will understand how the AI Assistant helps your staff find records, answer everyday operational questions, and prepare draft work—while your team stays in control of what gets saved.
The AI Assistant is for staff using the dashboard. Customer portal users do not see it.
Your first five minutes (quick start)
If you are brand new to the assistant, follow this short path once. It takes about five minutes and builds confidence before you use it on a live customer call.
- Open AI Assistant from the sidebar
From Dashboard, click AI Assistant in the left sidebar (brain icon). The page title at the top may say Agent—that is the same tool.
Expected result: You see the start screen with a round voice button, blue suggestion chips, and a Type a message... box at the bottom.
- Try one lookup question
Tap a suggestion chip such as What's on the schedule today? or type Look up Alex Morgan's cars (use a real customer name from your Contacts list).
Expected result: The assistant answers in the chat. Nothing is saved until you confirm proposal cards.
- Start New Chat for the next person
Click New Chat in the left sidebar before you help a different customer.
Why this matters: Each thread stays easy to read and the assistant is less likely to mix up names.
When to use the AI Assistant
Use it when you know what you need, but want a faster path to the answer or the right page.
Good moments include:
- A customer calls and you need their vehicles quickly.
- You want today's schedule without opening every calendar filter.
- You need to know how many parking spots are open or where a car is parked.
- You want to draft a new customer, car, and appointment from one spoken or typed request.
- You want help wording a text or email before you send it from Inbox.
What the assistant can help with
- Look up records — customers, cars, appointments, parking spots, inbox threads, invoices, and quotes (based on your permissions).
- Answer operational questions — what is scheduled today, where a car is parked, or how many spots are free.
- Prepare draft work — new customers, cars, drop-offs, pickups, moves, events, and related notes shown as review cards.
- Open the right page — navigate to Cars, Contacts, Schedule, Parking Spots, Inbox, or Payments when you are ready.
- Draft messages — professional wording you can edit before sending from Inbox.
What the assistant does not replace
The assistant speeds up work. It does not replace your team's judgment.
Treat answers as drafts whenever they affect customers, vehicles, money, appointments, or outbound messages. If something looks wrong, stop and check the record in the dashboard.
Use the normal pages—not the assistant—for sensitive work such as finalizing contracts, changing payment methods, or deleting important records.
How your team stays in control
- Lookups show information only
Questions like “Look up Alex Morgan's cars” display results for you to read. Nothing changes until you edit records yourself or confirm a proposal.
- Changes use proposal cards
When the assistant prepares new customers, cars, or appointments, you see proposal cards and a Confirm All button. Review every card first. Read Review AI proposals before your first save.
- Permissions still apply
Staff only see areas their role allows—such as Cars, Schedule, or Payments. If access is missing, the assistant will say so. A team admin can adjust access in Settings > Team.
- Navigation is optional
Sometimes the assistant offers to open a dashboard page with Go now or Cancel. You choose whether to leave the chat. If you do nothing, the countdown may open the page automatically when it reaches zero—use Cancel if you only needed the answer on the phone.
- Success cards open records
After you confirm proposal cards, green success cards (for example Casey Brooks created) may appear. Click a card to jump straight to that customer, car, or appointment in the dashboard.
Web assistant vs iMessage group chat
Your facility can use the assistant in two places:
Web — AI Assistant — Full chat page with voice, Type instead, proposal cards, Confirm All, and optional Go now links to dashboard pages.
iMessage — team group chat — Text questions from a phone. Replies are short messages. An admin connects the group in Settings > AI Agent. See Connect iMessage to the AI Assistant and Use the AI Assistant in iMessage.
Recommended learning path
Follow these guides in order the first time your team tries the assistant.
- Confirm who has access
Managers: read Who can use the AI Assistant so each role has the right permissions.
- Learn the chat list
Start with Manage your assistant chats for New Chat, history, and deleting old threads.
- Practice everyday questions
Use Use the AI Assistant and Ask about schedule, parking, and records for lookups such as “Look up Alex Morgan's cars” or “What's on the schedule today?”
- Train for phone calls
Front-desk staff should read Use the assistant during a customer call.
- Prepare draft work
When your team is ready to create records, follow Prepare work with the AI Assistant.
- Review before saving
Always finish with Review AI proposals before you select Confirm All.
- Practice billing and deadline lookups (managers)
When your role includes Payments, read Ask about billing, contracts, and alerts. Practice one invoice question, then open Payments to confirm the answer before you quote a customer.
- Set up iMessage and memory (admins)
Connect a staff group chat with Connect iMessage to the AI Assistant, then add shared rules in Manage team memory for the AI Assistant.
- Who can use the AI Assistant — permissions and manager setup.
- Manage your assistant chats — New Chat, chat history, and deleting old threads.
- Use the AI Assistant — voice and typing, clear questions, and follow-ups.
- Fix voice and microphone problems — use Type instead when voice is blocked.
- Use the assistant during a customer call — lookups while someone is on the phone.
- Ask about schedule, parking, and records — today's work, parking, and customer or vehicle lookups.
- From AI draft to customer message — draft in the assistant, send from Inbox.
- Prepare work with the AI Assistant — multi-step requests that create proposal cards.
- When the assistant cannot help — errors, limits, and safe fallbacks.
- Review AI proposals — checklist before Confirm All.
- Connect iMessage to the AI Assistant — link a team group chat (admins).
- Ask about billing, contracts, and alerts — invoice and deadline lookups (verify in Payments).
- Use the AI Assistant in iMessage — ask questions from a staff group chat on your phone.
- Manage team memory for the AI Assistant — shared facts for web and iMessage.
Voice or keyboard?
On the start screen, the text box at the bottom is always available—type there when you need exact spelling for names, email addresses, or VINs. Tap the large microphone when voice is faster (for example “What's on the schedule today?”).
Inside an active chat, click the small keyboard icon if the screen is in voice mode. The tooltip says Type instead. Click it again (or use Switch to voice) to go back to the microphone.
If you see Speech recognition error: not-allowed, your browser blocked the microphone. That is common on shared computers. Click Type instead and continue with the keyboard—see Fix voice and microphone problems.
Important words in plain English
Chat means one conversation thread with the assistant.
Proposal or proposal card means a draft the assistant prepared for you to review before saving.
Confirm All saves every prepared card in that group at once—only use it after you check each card.
Lookup means searching existing records without creating new ones.
New Chat starts a fresh thread so the assistant does not mix up two different customers.
Who should read which guide
Front desk and phone staff — start with Use the AI Assistant and Ask about schedule, parking, and records.
Anyone creating new customers, cars, or appointments — read Prepare work with the AI Assistant and always finish with Review AI proposals.
Managers training the team — share Manage your assistant chats so each customer gets a fresh New Chat thread.
Quick links by job
| I need to… | Open this page | Step-by-step guide |
|---|---|---|
| Start a fresh conversation | AI Assistant → New Chat | Manage your assistant chats |
| Look up a customer or car on the phone | AI Assistant | Ask about schedule, parking, and records |
| Check today's appointments quickly | AI Assistant or Schedule | Ask about schedule, parking, and records |
| Find where a car is parked | AI Assistant or Parking Spots | Ask about schedule, parking, and records |
| Ask from a team iMessage group | iPhone Messages group chat | Use the AI Assistant from iMessage |
| Draft a new customer, car, and drop-off | AI Assistant | Prepare work with the AI Assistant |
| Save assistant drafts safely | Proposal cards in the chat | Review AI proposals |
| Answer a customer on the phone | AI Assistant | Use the assistant during a customer call |
| Word a text or email (without sending) | AI Assistant, then Inbox | From AI draft to customer message |
| Fix a blocked microphone | AI Assistant | Fix voice and microphone problems |
| Staff cannot see AI Assistant | Settings > Team | Who can use the AI Assistant |
Your first phone call with the assistant
Many front-desk staff open the assistant while a customer is on hold. This short path works well the first time:
- Open AI Assistant and start New Chat
Click AI Assistant in the sidebar, then New Chat so the thread is only about this caller.
Expected result: You see the start screen with suggested questions and Type instead.
- Ask one lookup question
Click Type instead and ask something specific, such as Look up Alex Morgan's cars or What's on the schedule today?
Why this matters: One clear question is easier to verify than several questions in a single message.
- Read the answer aloud to yourself
- Start New Chat for the next caller
When the next customer calls about a different person, click New Chat again.
Why this matters: Mixing two customers in one thread is the most common mistake new users make.
Related dashboard areas
After you are comfortable with the assistant, these sections work hand-in-hand with it:
- Cars for vehicle records and activity
- Contacts for customers and leads
- Schedule for appointments and team planning
- Parking Spots for floor plans and assignments
- Inbox for customer messages
- Settings > Team for who can access each area (including AI Assistant)
- Settings > AI Agent for iMessage linking and team memory
Troubleshooting
I do not see AI Assistant in the sidebar
You must be signed in as staff. Customer portal logins do not include the assistant. Ask a team admin to confirm your account is invited under Settings > Team.
The microphone does not work
Click Type instead on the start screen, or allow microphone access in your browser. Shared front-desk computers often block the mic—typing works just as well. See Use the AI Assistant.
The assistant says it does not have permission
Your role may not include that part of the dashboard (Cars, Schedule, Payments, and so on). A team admin can update access in Settings > Team.
I need the assistant on my phone
If your facility has iMessage enabled, follow Use the AI Assistant from iMessage. Otherwise use the dashboard AI Assistant in your mobile browser.
Answers about money or contracts look wrong
Always open the real record in Payments or your contracts area before you act. The assistant helps you find information faster—it is not a substitute for reviewing official records.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not use Confirm All without reading every proposal card—wrong names and times are hard to undo.
- Do not ask about a second customer in the same chat—click New Chat when the topic changes.
- Do not assume the assistant sent a message to a customer—sending always happens in Inbox.
- Do not trust invoice totals or contract details from the assistant alone—open Payments or the record page to verify.
- Do not skip the keyboard for exact spelling—use Type instead for names, email addresses, and VINs.
What success looks like
- Staff can open AI Assistant and complete a record lookup on the first try.
- Proposal cards are reviewed before Confirm All is used.
- Each new topic starts with New Chat so conversations stay easy to follow.
- Your team knows when to use the dashboard directly for sensitive billing or contract work.
AI Assistant vs Inbox Suggest with AI
Your facility has two helpful AI entry points. Use this table so staff pick the right one.
| I need to… | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Look up a customer, car, spot, or today’s schedule while on the phone | AI Assistant | Built for quick answers and optional navigation to the right page |
| Draft a new customer, car, and appointment from one spoken request | AI Assistant | Shows review cards before anything is saved |
| Reply to a customer who already texted or emailed | Inbox | The customer’s thread and send buttons live here |
| Get a reply draft inside an existing customer thread | Inbox → Suggest with AI | Draft stays tied to that conversation; you still press Send |
| Send the message to the customer | Inbox only | Neither AI tool sends customer messages automatically |
Troubleshooting
What to do next
Start with Manage your assistant chats, then practice one lookup in Use the AI Assistant.