Batteries Plus is putting three AI tools across more than 700 stores

Batteries Plus is rolling out three AI tools across its network of more than 700 stores, with full deployment expected by the end of September. The tools cover three separate parts of the business: franchise development, inbound store calls, and product search.

Savannah handles inbound franchise inquiries and can move prospects toward a scheduled discovery call. Edison answers store calls that employees do not get to. Wattson helps associates and customers identify the right product more quickly.

Why this matters for operators

The useful part is the scope. Batteries Plus has not picked one broad AI transformation project. It has picked three repetitive workflows where delay or inconsistency shows up at scale.

That is the more practical model for multi-unit operators. Look for the same task happening hundreds of times across locations, then ask whether software can handle the first response, the search, or the routing before a person gets involved.

Store calls are especially interesting. A missed phone call at one location feels small. Across hundreds of locations, the same leak becomes a network-level operating problem.

What to watch

The question is whether these tools actually change store-level behaviour once the novelty wears off. For operators, the useful signals will be things like fewer missed calls, faster response times, less employee time spent searching for products, and better conversion from franchise inquiries.

The rollout also gives other franchise systems a useful benchmark: AI adoption becomes easier to judge when every tool has one narrow job and one measurable outcome.