AI assistant for forklift importers, dealers and service technicians

An AI assistant answers fault codes, inspection items and part numbers from the importer's workshop manuals, inspection checklists and parts catalogues. Technicians ask it on WhatsApp beside the truck; the parts counter and new staff use the same knowledge base.

A forklift that stops in a distribution centre blocks the aisle behind it. The technician on site needs the fault code, the right part for that serial number and the inspection items, and usually phones the service desk for them.

By Tom Joseph · Last updated: 28 October 2026

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In short

An AI assistant for a forklift importer or dealer answers four groups from one set of documents. Fleet managers ask what a display warning means. Technicians ask for fault code checks, torque values and service intervals. The parts counter asks which part fits which serial number range. New service desk staff ask how things are done here. All get answers from the workshop manuals, parts catalogues, inspection checklists and datasheets you already have. Live stock, warranty claims and service planning need a custom integration. The document side is what SimplyBoost, our own product, does.

Examples

Five questions this assistant answers in a forklift dealer network

Illustrative examples; the answers come from your own documentation.
Warehouse manager, after an overnight charge: "Our electric counterbalance truck shows a battery symbol and E-xx this morning. Can we keep driving it?"
Answer: The operator manual lists this code under charging. Check that the charger plug is fully seated and the charger shows a completed cycle, then restart. If the code returns, park the truck and send the serial number from the type plate; I pass it to the service desk.
Source: operator manual, chapter "Battery and charger"
Dealer, quoting a reach truck: "Customer wants 1,000 kg pallets at 8.5 m in a 2.8 m aisle. Which mast?"
Answer: Only the triplex mast reaches 8.5 m on this model; the load chart shows its residual capacity at that height with standard forks. Check the working aisle width for your pallet orientation in the aisle table before you quote.
Source: datasheet, load chart and aisle width table
Technician, mast drifting under load: "Mast creeps down with a load on, about 5 cm in ten minutes. Where do I start?"
Answer: Run the drift test: rated load at 1 m, oil at operating temperature, drift over ten minutes against the limit in the table. Over the limit, check the lowering valve for contamination before the lift cylinder seals.
Source: workshop manual, chapter "Hydraulics, lift circuit"
Parts counter, cylinder repair: "Seal kit for the free-lift cylinder, serial ending 4471, built 2019."
Answer: That serial falls in the second range for this model, after the mast change, so the kit is position 12 in the later exploded view; the earlier range takes a different kit. Shall I pass an order request to the parts team?
Source: parts catalogue, exploded view "Free-lift cylinder", serial number list
New service desk colleague, first week: "Customer says the truck stopped in the aisle and will not lift. What do I ask before planning a technician?"
Answer: Ask for the serial number from the type plate, the code on the display, whether the truck still drives and whether a load is raised. A raised load gets priority. Log the call with the site address and an on-site contact.
Source: internal procedure "Breakdown calls"

Who asks what

Five groups of questions, answered from the service documents

Who asks	Typical question	Answered from
Customers and fleet managers	What does this display warning mean, and may the truck keep running?	Operator manual, fault code list
Dealers and sub-dealers	Which mast and battery options does this model offer, and what capacity remains at full height?	Datasheets, option lists, load charts
Technicians in the field or workshop	Hydraulic fault on a reach truck: what do I check first?	Workshop manual, fault code tables, service bulletins
The parts counter	Which seal kit fits the lift cylinder on this serial number?	Parts catalogue, exploded views, serial number ranges
New service desk and parts staff	How do we log a breakdown call, and what does the periodic inspection cover?	Internal procedures, inspection checklists, the same manuals

Technician helpdesk

Technicians ask on WhatsApp while the truck is still on the floor

A service technician at a customer site works with a fault code, a type plate and a serial number. Without an assistant, the next step is a call to the service desk or to the one colleague who knows that model. With an assistant on a WhatsApp Business number, the technician types the code and model and gets the checks from the workshop manual, the interval from the service schedule or the torque from the procedure. During a periodic inspection the same line gives the lift chain wear limit and how to measure chain elongation. Replies come in Dutch, French, German, Spanish or English.

The assistant answers from documents only; it does not read the truck controller or the service history. A repair beyond the manual or a warranty decision goes to the service desk in Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias or Slack, with the conversation attached.

Parts questions

Which part fits which truck, from the parts catalogue

Forklift parts depend on model, build year and serial number range, and a mast or drive unit can change within one model run. That knowledge sits in parts catalogues and exploded views that only experienced counter staff read quickly. Upload them with a CSV linking models to serial number ranges, and the assistant answers which part number belongs to which serial number, with the figure and position from the exploded view.

Dealers ask the same questions in your signed-in dealer portal, where the assistant recognises them by verified email address. An order request goes to the parts team with the serial number and the conversation. Stock checks and placing the order need a link to the ERP or dealer management system: a custom build.

Training the internal team

New service desk and parts staff learn by asking the knowledge base

A new colleague at the service desk or parts counter needs months to learn the models, the fault codes and how your company logs a breakdown. Until then, every question goes to a senior colleague. An internal assistant answers from the same manuals and catalogues plus your own procedures: how a breakdown call is logged, which items an inspection covers, how a warranty request is prepared for the importer. A new counter colleague who needs a lift chain for a 2018 triplex mast finds the mast type in the serial number list and the chain in the exploded view, without walking to the workshop.

Each SimplyBoost account includes three AI agents: one for customers on the website, one for dealers and technicians in the portal or on WhatsApp, one for the internal team. The senior colleague keeps the difficult cases.

SimplyBoost or a custom build

What runs on documents, and what needs your live systems

Need	SimplyBoost, our own product, from documents	Custom Crux build, from live systems
Fault codes, procedures, service intervals	Answered from workshop manuals and service schedules	Only needed if answers must come from telematics or controller data
Parts identification	Answered from parts catalogues, exploded views and a serial number list	Stock and price from the ERP or dealer management system
Orders and warranty claims	Handed to your team with the conversation	Claim created in the warranty system, serial number checked in the registry
Service planning	Request collected and handed over	Slots read and booked in the service planning
Who owns what	The importer or dealer owns the documents and the account	Your IT partner keeps managing the systems; Crux builds the integration and hands over the code
Read more	SimplyBoost for forklift dealers	AI customer service for dealer networks: buy or build; AI audit €2,500, Production-ready MVP €20,000, production from €50,000, excl. VAT

Rules in the Netherlands and Belgium

Inspection, operator training and the Machinery Regulation

Netherlands, inspection. Under article 7.4a of the Arbobesluit, work equipment that deteriorates with use is inspected periodically by an expert, and written proof is kept at the workplace for the Labour Inspectorate. The assistant gives a technician the checklist; the expert still carries out and signs the inspection.
Belgium, inspection. The Codex, book IV title 4 names forklifts among equipment for lifting loads, and lifting equipment is checked by an external service for technical inspections (EDTC) under ARAB articles 280 and 281, as FOD Werkgelegenheid explains.
Belgium, drivers. Codex article IV.3-7 allows only workers with adequate training to drive self-propelled mobile equipment; it prescribes no specific certificate.
EU, new trucks. The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces Directive 2006/42/EC from 20 January 2027 and allows instructions for use in digital format, which the assistant can read as they are.

Other trades

The same approach in other dealer networks

The same assistant works for other dealer and installer networks. Overview: AI assistant for dealer networks.

Heat pump brands · Solar and home battery brands · Robot mowers and garden machinery · Hot tubs, swim spas and saunas · Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs · Trailer manufacturers and importers · Electric car importers · Microcar and scooter importers · E-bikes and speed pedelecs · Agricultural and groundcare machinery · Caravans, motorhomes and boats

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can technicians use the assistant at a customer site?

Yes. With a WhatsApp Business number connected, a technician asks by message beside the truck what a fault code means, which checks come first, or which torque value or interval applies. The assistant answers from the workshop manual and service schedule in Dutch, French, German, Spanish or English. Anything outside the documents goes to the service desk with the conversation.

Can it tell which part fits a specific truck?

Yes, when the parts catalogue and a list of models and serial number ranges are uploaded. It gives the part number for that serial number range from the catalogue and the exploded view. It does not check stock or price. An order request goes to the parts team, and live stock needs a custom link to the ERP or dealer management system.

How does it help train new service desk and parts staff?

New staff ask the internal assistant instead of a senior colleague. It answers from the same manuals, catalogues and checklists, plus your internal procedures for breakdown calls and warranty requests. The senior colleague keeps the difficult cases, and the new colleague learns the models by asking real questions.

Do we need SimplyBoost or a custom build?

Start with SimplyBoost, our own product, when the answers live in documents such as manuals, catalogues and checklists. Choose a custom Crux build when the answer has to come from a live system, such as stock in the ERP, a warranty claim status or the serial number registry. Crux builds that alongside your IT partner, who keeps managing your systems.

Does it work for a dealer that sells several brands?

Yes, because it answers from what you upload. A multi-brand dealer uploads the documentation each brand allows it to share. With three AI agents per account, a dealer can keep separate assistants for customers, technicians and the internal team, each with its own documents.

Can the assistant carry out the periodic inspection?

No. It gives a technician the inspection checklist and the procedure for each item from your documents. The inspection itself is carried out and recorded by the expert in the Netherlands, or by an external service for technical inspections (EDTC) in Belgium.

See it answer from your own manuals

Bring one workshop manual and one parts catalogue to a free consultation. We show how the assistant answers from them and which questions need a custom link.

Book a free consultation →