What happens to the calls you miss during service?

Every restaurant, bar and hotel knows the moment. The room is full, the pass is busy, someone is paying at the bar — and the phone rings. Nobody can get to it. The caller might leave a voicemail. More often they hang up and try the next place on their list.

Those calls are rarely complaints. They are people asking for a table tonight, a group booking, a function, whether you have a room free, whether you can cater for an allergy. In other words, they are the calls you most want to take.

Where missed calls go

When a call rings out, three things can happen. The caller leaves a message and you ring back later — if you get to it before they have booked somewhere else. The caller tries again later — if they remember. Or the caller simply books with whoever answers first. You never find out which, because a missed call leaves almost nothing behind.

Four ways to cover the phone

1. A dedicated person. The best experience, and the most expensive. Hard to justify for a small team, and that person still goes on breaks.

2. Voicemail. Free and familiar, but many people will not leave a message, and the ones who do still wait for a call back.

3. A human answering service. A remote receptionist answers on your behalf. It works well for many businesses; check the cost per call and how well they can learn your menu, rooms and policies.

4. An AI receptionist. Software answers the calls you forward to it, in your business name, takes down what the caller needs and gives them a next step. It does not get busy at 8pm on a Saturday.

There is no single right answer. Many venues mix them: staff answer when they can, and the calls they miss go somewhere useful instead of nowhere.

Keeping your number

You do not need a new phone number to use an answering service. Most phone providers let you forward calls when the line is busy, when nobody answers after a few rings, or outside opening hours. Your customers keep dialling the number on your website and Google listing; only the calls you choose are forwarded. Check with your provider which forwarding options your line supports.

What to agree before going live

Whatever you choose — person, service or AI — write down:

• which calls are forwarded, and when;
• the facts it may give out (opening hours, address, booking policy, dietary information you are happy to share);
• the questions to ask every caller (name, number, date, party size, reason for calling);
• how you get the message and how fast;
• what must always come to a human (a complaint, an emergency, a large event).

An answering setup should never make up an answer it has not been given. If it doesn't know, it should take the details and say someone will get back to them.

A quick checklist

• Do you know how many calls you miss in a busy week? Your phone bill or provider app may show it.
• Which of those callers would have booked?
• Which option above fits your team and budget?

FoxEra Receptionist is our answer to this problem: keep your number, forward the calls you miss, and every caller gets answered in your business name. See how it works →