From franchise development to store calls and product search, the specialty retailer is targeting practical problems with AI tools designed around the people who use them
For Batteries Plus, artificial intelligence isn’t a technology looking for a problem to solve. It’s a set of tools being developed around problems the franchise system already knows well: prospective franchisees need timely answers, store associates need to focus on customers in front of them, and finding the right product shouldn’t require navigating unnecessary complexity.
The specialty retailer is putting that approach into practice through three AI-powered tools: Savannah, which supports franchise development; Edison, a voice agent that answers calls to Batteries Plus stores; and Wattson, an intelligent search tool integrated with the company’s retail management system. Each has a different job, but the broader strategy is consistent: use technology to make the business easier to navigate for customers, associates, and prospective owners.
The effort brings together leaders across franchise development and technology, including Joe Malmuth, Chief Development Officer, Kranthi Malreddy, Chief Information Officer, and Angela Geib-Boland, Vice President of Technology and Strategy. Their work is the result of a deliberate choice to start with business needs, then identify where AI can make a measurable difference.
“Anyone can say AI, but that doesn’t mean it will be impactful,” said Jon Sica, President of Batteries Plus. The team first identified where AI could deliver the greatest value, then evaluated vendors and development approaches against those priorities. The goal was to solve specific problems, not add AI everywhere at once.
The timeline was ambitious: the team began evaluating opportunities in January of this year and the believed a fast pace was possible in part because Batteries Plus had already invested in its technology and data, including a product information management system implemented roughly two years earlier and a data lake already in development.
The official rollout for their agents was this past August and now, the Batteries Plus system from its franchisees to its customers are being introduced to this tech trio.
Edison gives associates more time with customers
Edison helps stores manage incoming calls while associates balance customer service, device repairs, and battery replacements. Before its introduction, Batteries Plus found that roughly 20% of calls went unanswered; others were put on hold while associates helped in-store customers. Spam calls added another drain on their time.
Edison answers with a consistent Batteries Plus greeting and can handle common requests such as store hours, directions and general questions. Crucially, the experience includes a human handoff: callers who ask for a person or manager can be transferred to the store. The intent is not to remove employees from customer interactions, but to reserve their attention for the conversations that need them.
The rollout began in corporate stores before expanding to franchisees. Early feedback captured the intended effect: stores felt quieter, and associates had more time for in-person customers. Batteries Plus also began testing Spanish-language interactions at a Miami-area franchise location.
Wattson makes product search more intuitive
Wattson addresses a different friction point: product lookup inside ProSource, Batteries Plus’ homegrown retail management system. The previous automotive search process could require associates to select multiple vehicle details, including engine size and submodel, to find the correct solution.
“While the previous search information was accurate, the process could be cumbersome, particularly for a new employee trying to help a customer quickly and confidently,” said Malmuth. “We needed to make it easier on the store associates to make it easier on the customers in the long run and Wattson is the solution.”
The company had identified a 17% failed-search rate in its existing search process. Wattson was designed to make the experience more intuitive by reducing unnecessary steps and surfacing relevant solutions without forcing associates to enter details that do not affect the answer. Where a vehicle’s engine or submodel matters, the search can still account for it and where it does not, the system can keep the interaction simpler.
The new automotive search is live across the system, with the previous search remaining available as a comparison point while Batteries Plus evaluates performance and feedback. The company is expanding Wattson category by category, using sales data and input from associates and franchisees to help prioritize what comes next. Updates to the e-commerce experience are progressing in parallel.
Savannah is franchise development for the future
The third tool, Savannah, focuses on franchise development. Built under Malmuth’s leadership, Savannah is designed to answer prospective franchisees’ questions, share information about the company’s history and business model, provide an application and help schedule a discovery call. The aim is to keep people engaged and make it easier for interested candidates to take a next step without waiting for every early question to be handled manually.
For Malmuth, Savannah is part of a broader effort to use technology to support the franchise-development process, not replace the relationships that make franchise ownership decisions personal. The tool can help with early information and engagement, while the development team remains central to conversations about the opportunity and whether it is the right fit.
The tools share a practical purpose: Edison handles routine calls, Wattson simplifies product search, and Savannah supports early franchise-development interactions. Each is designed around a specific task and the people who do it.
Batteries Plus’ experience shows how preparation behind the scenes can determine the pace of an AI rollout. Product data, systems, and operational knowledge helped turn a broad mandate into focused projects. Rather than treating AI as a single transformation, the company is building capabilities incrementally, learning from rollout feedback, and prioritizing the next applications based on business needs.
For a franchise network with hundreds of locations and consumer and commercial customers, the opportunity is not simply to automate more interactions. It is to make routine work easier, give employees better tools, and help the business respond more consistently as it grows. At Batteries Plus, AI’s value will be measured less by novelty than by whether it makes the everyday franchise experience work better.