How Fanshawe Driving School answers every call — without pulling an instructor off the road
A driving school in London, Ontario, where every instructor spends the day in a car with a student. Since May 11, 2026, Olivia has picked up the phone for them — 24/7, in any of 10 languages — and dropped a summary of every call into their inbox.
2,106
Calls answered since May 11, 2026
27%
Of calls came in after hours or on a weekend
1,187
Different callers — 431 of them called more than once
8
Languages other than English, across 101 calls
Aggregate figures from this account's call log, May 11, 2026 to September 21, 2026. No individual caller data.
The problem
A driving school runs on instructors, and instructors are in cars. When the phone rang at Fanshawe Driving School, the person who could answer it was usually mid-lesson with a nervous new driver at the wheel. Calls went to voicemail. Most callers didn't leave one — they phoned the next school on the list.
The calls didn't stop at closing time, either. Parents call after work. Students call on weekends and between shifts. And in a city with a large newcomer population, plenty of callers would rather ask about lessons in a language other than English.
What changed
Fanshawe Driving School put Sowa on their line. Olivia — the AI receptionist — picks up on the first ring, at any hour, and answers the questions a front desk answers all day. When a caller is ready to book, she texts them the school's booking link before they hang up. When someone needs a person, she takes the message.
Every call lands in the inbox as a transcript and a plain-English summary: who called, what they wanted, what to do next. The team reads it between lessons instead of dialling into voicemail.
Callers who speak another language are answered in that language — no menu, no “press 2.” Since May 11, 2026, 101 calls have come in across 8 languages other than English.
The numbers so far: 2,106 calls answered, 1,187 different callers, and 431 of them called more than once. More than one in four calls came in after hours or on a weekend — calls that used to be voicemail. That's 3,751 minutes of conversation the school didn't have to staff.
What it costs
Sowa Answers starts at $79 CAD/mo — 7-day free trial, credit card required. A Canadian phone number, business data stored in Canada, PIPEDA-aware. Full pricing.
Your instructors stay in the car. Olivia takes the call.
Start a 7-day free trial from $79 CAD/mo, or call +1 226 271 8422 and hear Olivia answer live.