Two peaks a year, and an unmanageable phone

Winter tire requirements in Quebec, and on designated British Columbia highways, concentrate demand into two short windows. Through those weeks three things happen at once: the phone saturates, the shop runs at full capacity, and customers who do not show leave bays empty that you have no time to reassign.

The real cost never appears in the books, but it is there: unanswered calls that go to a competitor, overloaded days finished late, and bays lost at the worst time of the year.

Spread demand before the peak, not during

The only moment you can act on the rush is before it starts. An automatic seasonal follow-up, sent to your customers based on the service done the previous season, fills your calendar through the quiet weeks that precede it.

Kairos triggers those follow-ups off each vehicle's history: a customer whose winter tires you fitted last year gets an appointment proposal before the first snow, with a link to book themselves. Anti-spam guardrails apply throughout: consent required, minimum delay between messages, an 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. sending window, STOP honoured immediately.

The goal: a share of your changeovers happens two or three weeks earlier, in slots you would otherwise have left empty.

Slots computed from your real capacity

In peak season, a calendar offering free time boxes will have you accept more vehicles than you can process. Offered slots have to account for:

  • your number of genuinely available bays;
  • the typical duration of a changeover, distinct from a balance or a repair;
  • vehicles already on site, which hold a spot until marked ready;
  • a buffer per job and a target fill rate (85% by default in Kairos) to absorb the unexpected and walk-in emergencies.

Filling a peak day to 100% guarantees finishing late and degrading every customer after the first slip.

Recovering lost bays in peak season

A no-show in July is annoying. A no-show on the first Saturday of November is a billable changeover you could have sold ten times over.

The lever is the reminder the customer can reply to: YES confirms, NO cancels and frees the slot for someone else, RESCHEDULE sends a link to pick another date. A cancellation received the day before can be reassigned; a customer who simply does not turn up is never recovered.

See the auto repair shop software comparison to place this layer against shop management systems, and what changes in the Canadian market.

Frequently asked questions

How do I spread the winter tire rush?

With automatic seasonal follow-ups sent before the peak, based on the service done for each vehicle the previous season, and a link letting the customer book themselves. A share of changeovers shifts into slots that would otherwise have stayed empty.

Can online booking overload me in peak season?

Not if slots are computed from real capacity: bay count, typical changeover duration, vehicles still on site, a buffer per job and a target fill rate of 85% by default.

Does Kairos manage tire inventory?

No. Kairos is a customer communication layer: booking, SMS reminders, status, Google reviews and follow-ups. Inventory and invoicing stay in your shop management system, which Kairos plugs into.

Do the follow-ups respect SMS rules?

Yes. Consent is required before any send, STOP is handled at top priority, a 24-hour minimum applies between two non-transactional messages, and sending runs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the shop's local time.