The ideal call, line by line
Greet with the restaurant name. Ask for the date, time and party size. Ask for a name and a phone number. Repeat it all back. Say what happens next. That is the whole call, and it should take about a minute.
Where the agent asks, confirms and repeats
Mistakes happen with numbers and names. A good agent repeats the date, time and number of guests, and asks the caller to confirm before it books.
When it passes the call to a person
A good agent says so plainly, for example that the question needs someone on the team and it is passing the call over. It does not go quiet, and it does not make up an answer.
Common mistakes
Skipping the read-back. Booking a time with no free table. Leaving the caller waiting in silence. Not asking for a phone number.
Hear it yourself
Use Talk to Novi on any page for a live conversation. See the restaurant page for what Novi handles, and the pricing page for plans.
Keep reading
- Tableline pricing
- Phone answering for restaurants
- Reducing restaurant no-shows: what you can ask on the booking call
- Holiday rush and your phone: preparing for the calls before a busy holiday
- Who answers the phone during service? Five ways restaurants cover it
- Missed calls at a clinic: why patients call elsewhere and how to cover the phones
- Phone or online booking for a salon: why you still need someone to answer
- Garage phone calls: booking service slots when the whole team is under a car
- Choosing a restaurant phone system: landline, VoIP, answering service or AI
- AI phone answering or voicemail: what happens to the caller who wants a table
- Taking reservations by phone: a simple process that does not lose bookings
- Handling allergen questions on the phone: what staff should say and when to hand over
- Slang, Loman, Hostie, Bite Buddy or Tableline: how to compare restaurant phone agents
- AI receptionist for dental and physio clinics: handling booking calls
- AI receptionist for salons: stop losing bookings while your hands are busy
- AI phone answering for auto repair shops: booking slots and quote calls
- Voice AI for restaurants: what it does and what it does not
- What happens to a booking call you miss during a Friday rush: a checklist
- How to set up call handover to a human: a checklist
- AI receptionist pricing: what a restaurant should expect to pay
- AI phone answering or a human answering service? A plain comparison for restaurants
- What happens when a restaurant misses a call
- What a good phone handover looks like
