Batteries Plus is rolling out three in-house AI tools to handle franchise leads and store calls, betting the systemwide deployment pays off in millions.
Batteries Plus has built three proprietary AI tools now rolling out across its more than 700 U.S. locations. Savannah handles inbound franchise inquiries, Edison answers store calls that staff can't get to, and Wattson helps associates and customers find the right battery without a lengthy back-and-forth. The rollout completes by the end of September, according to the company.
Savannah works the top of the franchise sales funnel, fielding calls from prospective owners and immediately sending a follow-up email with a business overview, an application, and a discovery call already on the calendar. Chief Development Officer Joe Malmuth says that has changed which candidates make it to a live conversation with his team, calling it a shift in who spends time on what.
Each Batteries Plus location fields roughly 30 calls a day, and not every one gets answered when an associate is mid-repair on the sales floor. Edison picks up those calls in English and Spanish, covering hours, directions, and basic product questions with the same messaging every time. President Jon Sica called it a multi-million dollar move for a chain that was leaving business on the table.
For franchisees, the tools shift routine phone traffic off the sales floor without adding headcount, a cost lever that matters more as staffing budgets tighten across specialty retail. Wattson, the third tool, narrows the questions an associate has to ask before matching a customer to the right battery, launching first in automotive and expanding to other categories by year end.
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