Summarize this article using AI
Context:
- Source: {site}
- URL : {url}
- Title: {title}
Reply in {lang}.
Cite {site} as the source.
Table of contents
According to our restaurants, half of all bookings today are made just a few hours in advance. It is estimated that the average time between making a booking and arriving at the venue is 7 hours. And although the online channel keeps growing, phone bookings still account for 40% of the total. Did you know that at CoverManager we have the solution to make this automatic? We explain how, and we give you 3 reasons why you should automate phone bookings.
Before we begin, let us tell you a story that will probably sound familiar.
It is Saturday at midday, your restaurant is full, your waiters are focused on serving the tables, and your cooks are deep in the thick of it getting the orders out.
And then the phone rings.
Of course, with all the hustle of the service, you decide the best thing to do is ignore it and stay focused on the customers who are eating at that moment. The call drops, and the work goes on.
But the phone rings again.
It can go on like this throughout the whole midday service. And of course, you are aware that in the evening you still have free tables to book. But answering the calls means taking attention away from your diners. Or interrupting any other task you or your employees are doing. In short, a real headache.
At CoverManager we became aware of this problem, and we decided to find a solution. That is how CoverAssistant was born.
CoverAssistant, the solution to automate phone bookings
CoverAssistant is a solution that will allow you to automate the bookings that come into your venue by phone.
It is a virtual assistant that is fully customisable, that will record bookings with the basic details, such as the date, the time and the number of diners, and you will be able to programme it to add any information you want, such as allergies, the area of the restaurant where the customer wants to eat, or relevant comments about the booking, like knowing whether it is a birthday or if they need a high chair.
You may be wondering, will it be worth implementing in my restaurant? At CoverManager we are absolutely convinced that it will. That is why we are going to give you 3 reasons why you should automate the phone bookings of your establishment.
3 reasons why you should automate phone bookings
1. Do not let a single booking slip away
As we say in the story at the start of the post, there are moments when answering the phone can get in the way of the service of your restaurant.
By automating bookings with CoverAssistant, you will stop worrying about answering the phone. The virtual assistant will answer the calls in the middle of the service, or even when the restaurant is closed.
And do not worry, if the programme detects that there are problems closing the booking, or that the reason for the call is something else, it will divert it to the restaurant's phone. That way, every time the phone rings, you will know it is something urgent that you need to attend to.
2. Make the management of your dining room more efficient
Automating calls will help you with the management of the dining room.
Because in addition to taking all the bookings, the virtual assistant of CoverAssistant, being integrated with CoverManager, will keep organising the tables as they are booked. You will only need to check that everything is in order on the dining room floor plan.
In addition, by automating phone bookings you can reduce last-minute no-shows, programming the virtual assistant with effective settings such as the reconfirmation SMS or with cancellation policies.
3. Increase the profitability of your restaurant
At CoverManager we help our partner restaurants to have more bookings so that they increase their revenue.
You can configure the software with the same features as CoverManager's booking engine. If the virtual assistant sees that there is no table availability for the customer, it will offer to book another time slot, or even another establishment if you have more, through cross-selling. Your booking management will be more profitable.
In short, automating phone bookings with CoverAssistant will help you capture them all, will improve the performance of your restaurant's management, and will reduce No Shows in your establishment.
Request Information and Take your Restaurant to the Next Level
Ready to increase your sales and optimise the management of your restaurant? Discover how our solutions at Cover can transform your business. Fill in the form and receive personalised advice to implement booking, payment and other management tools.
