Autobacs Franchise Partner IA Introduces Conversational Voice AI SaaS 'IVRy'
IA Co., Ltd., operating 30 Autobacs stores, implemented IVRy's AI SaaS to automate up to 60% of phone calls. This led to a 4x increase in app bookings and significantly reduced the workload of mechanics amidst a severe labor shortage.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 9, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 23:18 (467h 47m after Collected)
IVRy Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Ryoga Okunishi; hereinafter "the Company") is pleased to announce that IA Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa; hereinafter "IA"), which operates 30 stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Tokai area as a franchise partner of Autobacs, has introduced the conversational voice AI SaaS "IVRy."
By introducing IVRy, IA automated up to 60% of phone responses during peak seasons, improved the response rate from 50% to 90%, and increased the number of bookings through the app to approximately four times the level before introduction. In an industry facing a chronic labor shortage, they have realized a reform where management and the front lines work together, from optimizing the cost structure to ensuring the psychological safety of the workplace.
### Background and Challenges
According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (FY2024), while the average active job opening ratio for all occupations is 1.14, that for automobile maintenance and repair workers is extremely high at 5.09, indicating a serious and ongoing "labor shortage."
IA also faced challenges with recruitment difficulties and increasing workloads for employees, with "phone response" being a major bottleneck. A single reservation call took 5 to 10 minutes, and during peak seasons, there were days when the entire day was spent responding to phones. This pressured essential duties such as face-to-face customer service, work, and store maintenance. Furthermore, while the number of young staff members unfamiliar with landline phones is increasing, knowledge-rich veteran staff members were forced to handle specialized inquiries, leading to the personalization of call reception and the concentration of burden on specific staff members.
### Effects of Introducing IVRy
At IA, the introduction of IVRy has realized reforms where management and the front lines work together, moving beyond mere operational efficiency to include optimizing the cost structure and ensuring the psychological safety of employees.
1. **Reform of Cost Structure and Optimal Investment of Human Capital**
Despite the continuing recruitment difficulties in the labor market, IA has broken away from the manpower-intensive model dependent on personnel costs. By automating more than 60% of incoming calls, costs have shifted to SaaS fees and variable costs. This has created an environment where human resources can be concentrated on "sales opportunity creation," "customer satisfaction improvement," and "strategic operations."
2. **Maximization of LTV (Lifetime Value) and Digital Shift**
The telephone was designed not just as a means of communication but as an "engine for acquiring app members." Monthly app reservations quadrupled, and the annual number of members naturally increased by 100,000, achieving digital retention of repeat customers. While conventional "phone reservations" often ended as a one-time contact, by guiding customers to highly convenient app reservations through IVRy, customers can enjoy a smooth experience based on their own situation and past maintenance history. This "fixation on digital contact points" lowers the hurdle for future reservations, prevents attrition, and directly leads to the "maximization of LTV" where customers continue to choose the store throughout their lifetime.
3. **Reducing the Mental Burden on Employees and Deterring Customer Harassment**
The mental burden of having to answer non-stop phones in addition to one's own work has decreased. Furthermore, the recording function has suppressed customer harassment (kasuhara), simultaneously improving psychological safety and the quality of customer service.
### Mr. Toshiyuki Kurachi, Executive Officer, IA Co., Ltd.
"Before introducing IVRy, it was a common sight for the phone to be ringing constantly, whether we were serving customers or back in the office. After introduction, it became easier to judge that a 'ringing phone' is 'important and directly linked to sales,' and the time that can be devoted to customer service has definitely increased."
By introducing IVRy, IA automated up to 60% of phone responses during peak seasons, improved the response rate from 50% to 90%, and increased the number of bookings through the app to approximately four times the level before introduction. In an industry facing a chronic labor shortage, they have realized a reform where management and the front lines work together, from optimizing the cost structure to ensuring the psychological safety of the workplace.
### Background and Challenges
According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (FY2024), while the average active job opening ratio for all occupations is 1.14, that for automobile maintenance and repair workers is extremely high at 5.09, indicating a serious and ongoing "labor shortage."
IA also faced challenges with recruitment difficulties and increasing workloads for employees, with "phone response" being a major bottleneck. A single reservation call took 5 to 10 minutes, and during peak seasons, there were days when the entire day was spent responding to phones. This pressured essential duties such as face-to-face customer service, work, and store maintenance. Furthermore, while the number of young staff members unfamiliar with landline phones is increasing, knowledge-rich veteran staff members were forced to handle specialized inquiries, leading to the personalization of call reception and the concentration of burden on specific staff members.
### Effects of Introducing IVRy
At IA, the introduction of IVRy has realized reforms where management and the front lines work together, moving beyond mere operational efficiency to include optimizing the cost structure and ensuring the psychological safety of employees.
1. **Reform of Cost Structure and Optimal Investment of Human Capital**
Despite the continuing recruitment difficulties in the labor market, IA has broken away from the manpower-intensive model dependent on personnel costs. By automating more than 60% of incoming calls, costs have shifted to SaaS fees and variable costs. This has created an environment where human resources can be concentrated on "sales opportunity creation," "customer satisfaction improvement," and "strategic operations."
2. **Maximization of LTV (Lifetime Value) and Digital Shift**
The telephone was designed not just as a means of communication but as an "engine for acquiring app members." Monthly app reservations quadrupled, and the annual number of members naturally increased by 100,000, achieving digital retention of repeat customers. While conventional "phone reservations" often ended as a one-time contact, by guiding customers to highly convenient app reservations through IVRy, customers can enjoy a smooth experience based on their own situation and past maintenance history. This "fixation on digital contact points" lowers the hurdle for future reservations, prevents attrition, and directly leads to the "maximization of LTV" where customers continue to choose the store throughout their lifetime.
3. **Reducing the Mental Burden on Employees and Deterring Customer Harassment**
The mental burden of having to answer non-stop phones in addition to one's own work has decreased. Furthermore, the recording function has suppressed customer harassment (kasuhara), simultaneously improving psychological safety and the quality of customer service.
### Mr. Toshiyuki Kurachi, Executive Officer, IA Co., Ltd.
"Before introducing IVRy, it was a common sight for the phone to be ringing constantly, whether we were serving customers or back in the office. After introduction, it became easier to judge that a 'ringing phone' is 'important and directly linked to sales,' and the time that can be devoted to customer service has definitely increased."