"AI marketing agency" gets used to describe two very different businesses right now. One kind bolts a chatbot onto your existing website and calls it automation. The other builds the actual infrastructure underneath: lead capture, CRM, follow-up, and the AI layer that runs on top of it. If you run an auto body shop and you're evaluating who to hire, the difference matters more than the pitch decks let on.

## Start with what's actually broken

Before you hire anyone, name the specific leak. Most shops lose revenue in one of three places: calls that go unanswered, estimates that never get followed up on, or no system tracking which leads turned into booked jobs at all. An agency that starts the conversation with your tech stack instead of your actual problem is selling you their product, not solving your leak.

## What to ask a prospective agency

**Can I see the pricing before a sales call?** If the answer is "let's talk," that tells you something about how the rest of the engagement will go. Velora publishes every range on the site for exactly this reason, so you can compare it against another quote without booking a call first.

**Does the system integrate with what I already use for insurance and parts?** An AI receptionist or CRM that can't talk to your existing shop management software just creates a second system nobody updates.

**What happens to a call the AI can't handle?** A good system escalates to a person for anything outside its script, an insurance dispute, an unusual repair, a frustrated customer. If the answer is "it just tries its best," that's a red flag.

**What's the actual timeline?** Foundation systems, lead capture and CRM setup, should be running in weeks, not months. Full business architecture takes longer, but you should get a real number, not "it depends."

## What this costs

For reference: foundation systems (CRM, lead capture, tracking) run $1,000 to $2,500. AI automation, including a receptionist, runs $2,000 to $7,500. A full build combining both usually lands in the $6,000 to $12,000 range. Anyone quoting wildly outside those bands for comparable scope is either underpricing to win the job or padding it because you didn't ask.

## Related reading

For the specific pricing behind the AI receptionist mentioned above, see [how much an AI receptionist actually costs for an auto body shop](/blog/ai-receptionist-cost-auto-body-shop). And for a real-world look at what happens when an AI system optimizes for engagement instead of your actual outcome, the same failure mode showing up in AI dating apps right now, see [can AI actually match you better than traditional systems](/blog/can-ai-match-you-better-than-traditional-systems).

## Where to look next

The full [Service Investment Guide](/services) breaks down every system and its price range. If you'd rather start with a straight answer about where your shop is actually losing revenue, the discovery call is free and it's not a sales call in disguise.