Phone
The phone rings when you haven't got a hand free.
Friday evening, full house, and the phone goes for the fourth time. Someone walks away from a table to take a reservation. Here's how that can go instead.
De Korenbeurs, good evening.
Good evening. Do you still have a table for four tonight?
Let me look. We're full until half nine. I can seat you at 20:45, or tomorrow at 19:00.
20:45 is fine.
Noted. What name should I put it under?
Bakker.
Thank you. Tonight at quarter to nine, four people, under Bakker. You'll get a text to confirm shortly. See you then.
What happened meanwhile
- Reservation is in the system
tonight 20:45, four people - Confirmation text sent
to the guest, within a minute - Nobody left the floor
the phone in the dining room never rang
The staff never heard this call.
Sample conversation. The salon and the restaurant are not real and these scripts are written out in advance. The tone is real though: plain language, and it says so when it doesn't know something.
What this takes
This is the heaviest thing we build
We'd rather say that upfront than afterwards. A WhatsApp flow is up in weeks. This takes longer and more goes into it.
Speed
An answer that takes longer than a second feels broken on a phone call. That's where most of the work sits, and it's why this isn't an off-the-shelf package.
Dutch speech, including in a noisy room
People call with an accent, from the street, with music behind them. That doesn't work equally well everywhere. We test it at your place before we promise anything.
A number you're able to forward
And a line that can carry it. We arrange that with your telephony provider.
Written agreements on recordings and data
Signed before anything goes live. Who hears what, what gets kept and for how long.
Who this works for, and who it doesn't
Yes: short, predictable calls
Reservations, booking an appointment, opening hours, 'is my car ready'. A lot of the same thing, at pace.
No: advice and complaints
Anything where the person on the line has to judge or calm someone down. There you want a human, and we'll say so.
Not sure?
Then we'd rather start with WhatsApp. It's up faster, costs less, and within a month you'll see whether it earns its keep.
Let us take half an hour to look.
We call or come by. After that half hour you know what really makes a difference in your business, what it costs and when it will be up. Even if that turns out not to be with us.
Rather send an email? That works too. info@nochannels.com