By Matt Blackmer, Owner of Detroit Tint Studio in Sterling Heights, Mich., and Founder of 313tint.com
You’ve likely crossed paths with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your daily life. Maybe you’ve used ChatGPT to craft consumer-focused blog content for your shop’s website. Maybe it sparked ideas for your latest marketing campaign. Maybe it helped you kill time during a slow season that felt like it would never end. Maybe you’ve even been fooled once (or twice) by a social media post featuring AI-generated audio that was just a little too convincing.
Yeah, you’ve experienced it … but how does it actually work?
The Lowdown
If you’re not already in the Loop (see what I did there?) on how AI works, here’s the gist: AI starts with a digital input, like a text, an image, or speech. Then, just like giving instructions to a person, you tell it what you need, and voilà, it delivers.
At Detroit Tint Studio, we’re using AI for more than just marketing campaigns and blog posts, though. A few months ago, I had a phone call with a client while tinting a car. It was a routine call to book an appointment, nothing unusual. But after the call, I checked my computer and was blown away. Our new AI program had worked!
The customer’s name, vehicle details, project details, and a call summary were all there, already filled out, from that one phone call without me stopping to jot anything down.
I created an AI program because I was frustrated with how scattered my communication systems had become. Phone calls, texts, social messages, emails. It felt impossible to keep up. I wanted to streamline everything and, at the very least, stop missing important messages.
The first step was consolidating all our communication channels into one place. Once that was done, we introduced a simple automation: whenever we missed a phone call, the customer received an immediate text apologizing and asking how we could help. But we didn’t stop there.
We began iterating quickly. We asked, "Where else can this technology be used?" That question led to an ongoing process of linking and automating countless small tasks.
Today, our systems are more efficient than ever. Check-in forms now automatically generate invoices. Customers receive personalized quotes based on their vehicle details and service needs. And if someone hasn’t booked an appointment, automated follow-up messages help ensure we don’t lose touch.
Think about how you currently use apps and technology. You bounce between them, completing tasks. AI acts as the link between all those apps, reshaping how they function and making workflows more seamless.
AI is not going to tint a car for you, but it’s automating those small, time-consuming tasks that add up over time. The result? A more efficient, streamlined business that lets you focus on what really matters. That, to me, is the real magic of AI right now.
A Surprising (and Creepy) Use of AI
One surprising way I saw AI used was in a coffee shop security system. The system monitored how many cups of coffee each barista served. It provided instant insights into top performers, the number of cups tossed, and likely a dozen other metrics.
As a business owner, that kind of data is gold. It helps you optimize operations in ways that weren’t possible before. Sure, it’s a little creepy, but the potential for efficiency is huge.
Reshaping How We Work and Think
AI isn’t just changing how we work. It’s transforming how we think about our businesses. It’s freeing us to focus on the creative and skilled aspects of our craft while leaving the tedious tasks to technology.
If you’ve been hesitant to explore AI, now’s the time. I’ve set up a few demos you can try right from your phone, by texting and calling (313) 458-4420.
Text Our Messaging Bot: See how it schedules appointments seamlessly.
Call and Leave a Voicemail: Get a transcription to see how accurate it is and how much info can be captured.
The future of AI is here, and it’s ready to make your business smarter, faster, and more efficient.
