A part can stay on order for weeks while a watch waits in the drawer. If the customer hears nothing, the phone starts ringing with “is my watch ready?” and each call pulls you off the bench.
Short answer: set up AI to draft a short update each time a repair changes stage, from received to ready for pickup, and press send yourself on every one. The draft uses only the facts on the job and your own wording. You can keep your POS, repair software, spreadsheet or paper envelopes, because the updates come from what you already track. Our jewelers and watch repair page covers what LUR sets up.
Key takeaways
- AI can draft an update at each stage of a repair. You read it and press send.
- Diagnosis, estimates, promise dates and appraisals stay with you.
- Drafts come from the job and your past messages, so they read like you.
- You do not have to switch repair software. An export or a short daily note can feed the drafts.
- Texting needs consent. FCC rules require it before autodialed texts to a cell phone.
Why do repair customers call to ask about their watch?
When nothing arrives between take in and pickup, the only way to learn where a repair stands is to call. Each of those calls lands while you are at the bench. A short update at each stage answers the question before it gets asked.
You can keep your own system and your own words, and press send yourself.
Which stages should get an update?
Start with the stages a customer would otherwise call about. Rename them to match your tickets.
Stage table
| Stage | What the draft says | What you check |
|---|---|---|
| Received | The piece arrived, with the take in notes | The condition notes match your photos |
| Estimate sent | Your estimate and a question to approve it | The amount and date came from you |
| Approved | Thanks, plus the promise date you set | The date |
| Parts on order | A part is on order, with your updated date | The new date, sent before the old one slips |
| On the bench | Work has started | Nothing promised beyond your notes |
| Ready for pickup | It is ready, with any instructions that traveled with the job | Those instructions were followed |
| Shipped back | It is on the way, with tracking | The tracking number |
What does the AI need from me?
- The job status, from an export of your current system or a short note at close.
- Take in photos and notes, including instructions like “keep original parts”.
- A few customer messages you wrote in the past.
- Which stages get an update, and which channel each customer agreed to.
- Who presses send, if it is someone other than you.
Tell the AI to use only the facts on the job. If a customer asks something the job does not answer, the draft should leave it for you.
Hi Mr. Reyes, a quick update on your watch. The crown we ordered is still on back order, so the new promise date is Friday the 14th instead of the 7th. I will message you as soon as it arrives. Nothing else about the repair has changed.
Elena, Main Street Watch Repair
How do you set it up, step by step?
- Write down the stages your shop uses. The table above is a starting point.
- Pick how status reaches the AI: a POS export, a shared spreadsheet, a repair software report or a one line note at close.
- Give the AI a few past messages so drafts sound like you, plus any phrases you never use.
- Decide which stages get an update and which channel each customer agreed to.
- Each day, read the drafts and press send on the ones you approve. Fix any detail about the movement or parts that does not match the job.
- After a month, look at which drafts you sent without changes and adjust the wording.
Can I text repair updates to customers?
Yes, with consent. The FCC says its rules ban autodialed texts to a cell phone unless the owner gave consent beforehand. It also says commercial texts require written consent, while consent for informational texts may be oral. A customer can opt out in any reasonable way, even after giving consent.
A status update on a repair the customer ordered may fall on the informational side, but ask an attorney before you decide. Ask what the consent line on your take in ticket should say, and honor every request to stop.
This is not legal advice.
How does LUR set this up for a repair shop?
The LUR setup drafts the update a customer would otherwise call about at each stage, from received to shipped back. You read it and change what you like before you press send. Diagnosis, estimates, promise dates and appraisals stay with you.
It runs in your own workspace under written limits and reads only what you connect. We start from what your shop already uses, whether that is a POS export, a spreadsheet, paper envelopes or a daily note from you. Text messages need a business texting line. Carlos Argueta sets it up around your repair counter and trains you to adjust it. Each month we check in. We look at which drafts you changed and adjust the wording.
Where do I start?
Pick one stage, such as parts on order, and try it for a week. For custom work, the custom inquiry reply sheet covers the first reply, and the quiet consult sheet covers follow up without pestering anyone. The written limits post shows how to write down what the AI may and may not do.
The same habit runs on our pages for contractors and home service, sales teams, realtors and the GTM system setup. Hiring help? Read how to hire someone to set up AI.
If you want to talk about setting this up around your own repair counter, start the intake or email carlos@prmode.ai.
FAQ
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