Bobcat’s AI Service Assistant Reaches 600 Dealer Technicians Daily

Shown as a prototype at CES 2026, the tool now handles nearly 1,000 conversations a day across Bobcat’s North American dealer network and is cutting reliance on traditional troubleshooting guides

Bobcat is putting artificial intelligence to work in the service bay. Bobcat Service Assistant, first shown as the Service.AI prototype at CES 2026, is now used by about 600 technicians each day across the company’s North American dealer network, helping them find service information and troubleshoot equipment faster. The company announced the rollout on 10 November from West Fargo, North Dakota.

What the tool does

The assistant brings relevant service information, diagnostic guidance and knowledge from Bobcat’s archive of historical service cases into a conversational interface. Technicians ask questions and get information that supports their diagnostic process. Bobcat is careful about the boundaries: the tool is meant to complement training and expertise, while the company’s established service procedures and safety requirements remain the standard for every repair.

The first numbers

Bobcat reports that in the first 60 days after launch, technicians averaged nearly 1,000 conversations per day with the assistant. It also points to about a 40% reduction in the use of traditional troubleshooting guides in My Machine, measured against the pre-launch monthly average for the year, and to a reduction of more than 25% in troubleshooting cases submitted for additional support compared with the prior year.

A 30-to-60-minute shortcut

The clearest example comes from White Star Machinery, an independent Bobcat dealer in Wichita, Kansas. A field technician had already checked several possible causes of an equipment issue when Trevor Simons, shop foreman at White Star Machinery, turned to the assistant. It surfaced another item to examine and helped locate the source of the problem. Simons estimated that finding the same information through traditional service resources could have taken an additional 30 to 60 minutes, although Bobcat notes that individual results will vary.

“Information is one of the best tools a technician can have, and Bobcat Service Assistant makes it easier to find the information we need to do our job, especially for a new technician.”

Skilled labor in the background

Bobcat places the tool in the context of the skilled-labor challenge facing equipment businesses, with the aim of helping both experienced and newer technicians reach service knowledge. Faster access to information, it argues, lets technicians begin repairs sooner and improves the efficiency of dealer service operations.

Eric Nardini, service director for Bobcat of New Hampshire, Boston, South Shore and Cape Cod, describes the effect in the shop:

“The speed of an answer or suggestion is huge. The tech is able to keep going instead of stopping to search for an answer.”

Rob Waletzko, Bobcat senior director of service, ties it back to the customer:

“Bobcat Service Assistant helps dealer technicians find answers faster and with confidence, so they can keep those machines productive and customers focused on their work.”

Bobcat says it will keep using technician feedback and usage data to improve the assistant and to explore further uses of AI in equipment, service and customer needs.

Bobcat’s AI Service Assistant Reaches 600 Dealer Technicians Daily published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.