The phone system that survives the workshop.
Built for noisy bays, busy parts desks and after-hours tows. One number that follows your team. Voicemail-to-text on a phone you can read with greasy hands. Hands-free Bluetooth so you don’t crawl out from under a car for a quote call.
You can’t answer the phone while you’re under a hoist.
Most independent workshops we audit are losing 6–12 booking calls a week to voicemail, busy tones and missed Bluetooth rings. At an average $450 service ticket, that’s $140k–$280k a year walking next door.
The "phone’s ringing, hands are dirty" call
Service writer is on a quote, parts desk is on hold to the supplier, mechanic is under a Hilux. The customer calls, hits voicemail, calls the next workshop on Google. Hunt groups + mobile twinning fix this — the call rings everyone’s phone at once.
The "I rang yesterday and no one called me back" call
Voicemail-to-text lands every missed call as a readable message on your phone within 30 seconds. The text shows the caller’s number, name (if known) and a transcription of what they said — no holding a phone to your ear while the compressor runs.
The 6:47pm tow / breakdown call
Auto-attendant answers after 5pm: "Press 1 for emergency breakdown." Press 1 rings the on-call mechanic’s mobile through a roster you set in the admin. Press 2 leaves a voicemail-to-text for tomorrow morning. No customer thinks you’re shut, no mechanic gets calls on their day off.
The "couldn’t hear the phone over the rattle gun" call
Add a $290 Algo 8128 loud bell to the workshop ceiling, wired to the cloud phone system — rings physically loud across the shop. Plus the mobile app on every mechanic’s phone via Bluetooth headset means at least one device is going to be heard.
Features that actually map to how a workshop runs.
Multi-number routing
One number for service bookings, one for parts, one for tow/breakdown — all on one plan, each with its own greeting and hunt group. $5/month per extra number.
Bluetooth-headset friendly
Mobile app pairs to any Bluetooth headset (Plantronics Voyager, Jabra Evolve2, even cheap retail buds). Answer with a button press, hands stay on the spanner.
Workshop-software friendly
Inbound caller-ID matches to your IppyComms contact book. Works alongside Workshop Software, AutoIT, MechanicNet, MaxxTraxx — we don’t replace them, we make them ring better.
External loud bell
Add an Algo 8128 IP bell ($290) to the workshop ceiling. Rings physically loud across the shop, drowns out air tools and music. Ships pre-configured.
Call recording for warranty disputes
Optional $5/user/month. Every quote, every diagnosis, every "I told you it’d be $X" conversation. 7-year retention, encrypted, exportable. Pays for itself the first time a customer challenges an invoice.
On-call mechanic roster
Different mechanic on-call each week? Auto-attendant routes press-1 emergency calls to whoever’s rostered, automatically. Update the roster in 10 seconds. No more Steve getting Friday night tow calls when it’s Dave’s week.
Brassall Auto & Tyre — recovered $112k of lost bookings in year one.
Independent 4-bay workshop on Brisbane Road. Pre-IppyComms they were on a basic Telstra landline with no hunt group and no voicemail-to-text — calls hit the front counter, rang out, went to a voicemail no one checked until close of business.
We moved them onto IppyComms Business ($29/user × 4 users = $116/month), set up a hunt group (front counter → service writer mobile → workshop bench phone → voicemail-to-text), added an Algo 8128 loud bell in the workshop, and configured an after-hours auto-attendant with a press-1-for-tow option routed to the on-call mechanic.
First month they logged 47 voicemail-to-text messages they would’ve missed under the old system — 31 turned into bookings. Average ticket $358. That’s ~$11,100 of recovered revenue in month one for a $116/month phone bill. Extrapolated over 12 months: $133,200. Cost: $1,392. ROI: 95x.
"The voicemail-to-text alone changed the business. I read missed-call texts at the lights between jobs, ring them back from the truck, book them in for next week. Stuff that just used to disappear."
The Algo bell in the workshop was the killer feature. Even with the impact gun running, the boys hear it and grab the closest phone. We don’t miss calls anymore. Period.
| Plan cost (4 users) | $116/mo |
| Algo 8128 loud bell (once-off) | $290 |
| Bookings recovered (mo 1) | 31 |
| Avg ticket value | $358 |
| Mo 1 revenue recovered | $11,098 |
Stuff mechanics actually ask us.
Can I take a call while I’m under a car?
Yes — pair a Bluetooth headset to the IppyComms mobile app and you can answer with a tap on the headset button, hands-free, without crawling out from under a vehicle. Most of our mechanic customers run Plantronics Voyager or Jabra Evolve2 headsets.
What happens to calls when the parts desk is on the phone already?
Calls roll to a hunt group: parts desk first, then service writer, then the workshop mobile, then voicemail-to-text. You set the order in the IppyComms admin in about 30 seconds. No more "busy" tone losing you a booking.
Does it work with Workshop Software, AutoIT, or MechanicNet?
Yes — we don’t replace your workshop management system, we work alongside it. Inbound caller ID lands in the IppyComms mobile/desktop app with the customer name pulled from your contacts. For deeper integration (auto-popping the customer file on inbound calls) we use a lightweight bridge — ask us and we’ll quote.
Can I have the workshop bay phone ring louder than the front counter?
Yes. You can set per-device ring volume, plus add an external loud bell (Algo 8128, $290) wired to the workshop ceiling so even with the compressor running, no call is missed.
Do you handle after-hours messages and emergency call-outs?
Yes. After 5:00pm the auto-attendant kicks in: "Press 1 for emergency tow / breakdown, press 2 to leave a message for service, press 3 for parts." Press 1 routes to whichever mechanic is on-call that week (you set the roster) and rings their mobile. Everything else lands as a voicemail-to-text in the morning.
Can I get a separate number for tow-truck dispatch?
Yes. You can have multiple inbound numbers (one for service bookings, one for tow/breakdown, one for parts) all routing through the same plan, each with its own greeting and queue. Numbers are $5/month each.
How does call recording work for insurance / warranty disputes?
Optional add-on at $5/user/month with 7-year compliant retention. Every call (or just inbound, or just outbound — you choose) is recorded, encrypted at rest, and accessible only to authorised admins. Critical when a customer claims "you said it’d be $400 not $1200".
Will my old workshop number port across?
99% of Australian landlines port to IppyComms in 5–10 business days. We coordinate the cutover so calls keep arriving on the old carrier until the exact second they switch. Existing 07/02/03/08 numbers and 1300/1800s all welcome.
What about the apprentices — do they each need a plan?
Only if they need to make/receive calls. Most workshops put the senior mechanic, service writer and parts manager on Business plans ($29/user/month), and the apprentices share the front-counter handset. Per-user billing, mix and match.
Is there a contract?
No. Month-to-month, cancel any time on 30 days notice. We’ll even port your numbers out for free if you leave. We make our money keeping you happy, not trapping you.
Typical 3–6 bay workshop kit.
Business plan × 3–5 users
$29/user/month. Service writer, parts manager, owner’s mobile, optional workshop bench. Unlimited Australian calls.
Algo 8128 loud bell
$290 once-off. Wired to the workshop ceiling, rings loud across all bays. We ship pre-configured.
Yealink T31G × 2 desk phones
$149 each. Front counter + parts desk. Speed-dial keys for tow companies, suppliers, the local rego inspector.
Total typical setup: ~$680 hardware once-off + ~$145/month. Most workshops break even in week one on recovered bookings.
Stop losing calls to the next workshop on Google.
10-minute discovery call. We’ll port your number, ship pre-configured kit, and set up the hunt groups and after-hours flow before go-live. $0 setup, month-to-month, cancel any time.