Batteries Plus launches AI tools for franchising, store customer service
Batteries Plus is continuing to develop its artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The rapidly growing specialty battery retailer is releasing a platform of AI tools designed to strengthen its franchise development capabilities while improving its and in-store search and call-based customer service.
Batteries Plus is rolling out the following three AI solutions:
- Savannah: An SMS AI voice agent developed specifically for franchise development.
- Edison: An AI voice assistant to help answer customer calls to stores.
- Wattson: An AI-based search tool designed to help store associates and customers navigate products.
The retailer built these solutions through a combination of vendor partners, consultants, and its own in-house research. Deployment is underway across all Batteries Plus locations, with full system rollout expected to be completed by the end of September 2026.
More details on the functionality of each tool follow:
Savannah
Aspiring Batteries Plus franchisees can call into Savannah, an AI resource trained to answer any question related to the Batteries Plus franchising opportunity. At the conclusion of each call, the prospective owner receives a detailed email that includes a link to an overview of the Batteries Plus history and business model, a franchise application, and a franchise discovery call already scheduled on the calendar.
In addition, Savannah has outbound prospecting capabilities, SMS functions, and is compliant with all regulations.
Edison
Edison is designed to help answer customer calls to all Batteries Plus stores. The voice agent handles inquiries such as hours, directions using nearby landmarks, battery advice, and product and service inquiries. The solution offers conversations in both English and Spanish and was developed in partnership with SynthFlow AI.
Edison also intercepts spam calls to stores before aassociates lose time answering them. For customers who would rather not speak with an AI assistant, Edison listens for key words and phrases throughout the conversation, escalating the call to a human associate when necessary.
Wattson
Wattson, connected to the Batteries Plus POS system, assists store associates in finding products by stripping the drill-down into a item to only the questions that actually change the answer. If the solution is identical across a year, make, and model, the associate never sees the extra steps, resulting in a near-instantaneous answer.
The search tool of the Batteries Plus website has been simplified in tandem, surfacing additional specifications only when those details are genuinely the deciding factor in which battery a customer needs. Wattson launched with the automotive category and is live systemwide. Additional product categories will roll out through the end of the year, prioritized by sales volume.
Batteries Plus builds on next-gen AI foundation
For the past several years, Batteries Plus has been modernizing its enterprise architecture with the goal of transitioning core systems to a scalable, cloud-enabled and data-driven infrastructure that will support next-generation AI solutions.
As part of this transformation, Batteries Plus has delivered enhanced capabilities across key areas of the business including e-commerce, POS, payments, product information management, enterprise search, and partner integrations. The company is now building on this foundation with a series of AI-driven initiatives focused on improving decision-making, streamlining operations, and delivering more personalized customer interactions.
In 2023, Batteries Plus developed a group called the Center of Excellence to explore the possibilities of utilizing the latest AI platforms, with a focus on generative AI, in its business model.
[READ MORE: Batteries Plus dedicates initiative to generative AI]
"As a brand deeply rooted in the technology space, Batteries Plus is proud to be leading the charge in the age of AI," said Scott Williams, CEO of Batteries Plus. "This is not creating AI for the sake of breaking into the world of AI. This is creating tools that genuinely assist our entire proprietary business model, so that everyone from the corporate level to our store associates can work efficiently and confidently as the Experts in Charge dedicated to serving our customers."
Headquartered in Hartland, Wis., and owned by Freeman Spogli, Batteries Plus operates a nationwide network of more than 800 locations open and in development.
