Holdout is the AI receptionist tuned for the bay door. When the line rings out and the tech can't break away — Holdout texts the caller in seconds, collects the year, make, model, and the noise they're hearing, then books the estimate straight into the shop's calendar. No extra dispatcher on payroll.
// 01 · transcript
A real back-and-forth that collects the same details your service writer would — without putting a phone to a human ear or pulling the tech out from under the hood.
CALLER
Hey, my truck is making a grinding noise when I brake — can you take a look this week?
HOLDOUT · AUTO-SMS
Hey — sorry we missed you. What are we working on?
CALLER
2017 F-150. The grinding started Monday — gets louder when I slow down.
HOLDOUT · AUTO-SMS
Likely pads or rotors. Want me to slot you an estimate this week? I've got Wednesday 9 AM or Thursday 2 PM open at the Gravois shop.
CALLER
Thursday 2 works.
HOLDOUT · AUTO-SMS
Booked — Thursday 2:00 PM at 7424 Gravois. You'll get a text reminder the night before. Anything else I can flag for the tech?
// 02 · what it does
Three things every auto shop owner wishes the answering service did — and three things a human dispatcher can't sustain at $300/mo.
Can't pick up while the bay door is closed — the AI does. Holdout replies inside 45 seconds of the ring timing out, so the call doesn't walk to the next shop on the list.
Year, make, model, mileage, and what the customer is hearing — captured in plain text before a human ever picks up the phone. The callback is a 30-second close, not another 5-minute intake.
AI offers open slots, locks one in, and texts a confirmation. Writes to Google Calendar, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, or Jobber — whichever the shop already runs.
built for the bay door · not a generic answering line
// 03 · try the demo
Drop the basics — shop name, best callback number, and the call you're losing the most. Reply within one business day with a calendar invite to walk through the script your shop actually runs.
Stop letting the line ring past 5 PM