How to Manage Reservations in a Restaurant

Managing reservations in a correct way is very important, because it is the first contact we will have with the client and as we all know, the first impression is important. If the reservation has been made online and we have not implemented a system that manages and accepts reservations automatically, it will be important to contact the client quickly to confirm or cancel the reservation, because if we delay it is possible that the guest has lost interest and opts for another option. This does not happen if we attend the reservations by telephone since we can consult at once the availability of our establishment and communicate to the client if he can come, if he will have to be half an hour later of what he wishes or if sadly he will have to remain with the desires since you are complete.



Another important aspect when answering the phone to manage the reservation and that we must take care of is to answer the phone as soon as possible, yes, I know, it is not always easy, but that call is a customer and we can not always afford to lose it. We must also try not to put him on hold, we have all called our telephone company and they have kept us waiting to be attended to for an eternity while that little ditty sounds... And no, it is not pleasant, so we will avoid doing the same to our customers. When answering the phone, we must be friendly, but cordial, we must identify the establishment so that you are sure you have called the right place, say a sentence as a greeting and offer our help for whatever you need. An example of an answer when managing the reservation could be

- Good morning, thank you for calling Bliscop's restaurant, how can I help you?

When it comes to managing the reservation, the tone of voice and the rhythm must show interest in the client. Answering with a dry "Yes" will not help us. We will pay attention to what he tells us, making him repeat everything constantly because we are not paying attention denotes lack of interest. We will use the language that the client uses, or if he is a foreign client we will opt for English, as it is the most widely known language internationally.

When you call, all the points must be clearly stated in order to make a reservation. We must know the exact day and time of the reservation and we will try to leave you a few minutes of courtesy on that day in case you are a little late. We must also note down your telephone number, in case we need to contact you, for example, in case you do not appear at the time of booking to call you before giving your table to another client as he may be about to appear at the door. We will also keep the number of guests to arrange the tables, the name associated with the booking and other notes such as whether it is a special event, whether you need a highchair for the children, whether you come with a pram, etc. When the day of the reservation arrives, we will have to receive the client and accompany him/her to his/her table, which must be correctly prepared according to the number of guests indicated when making the reservation.

The reservations can be recorded in a reservation book or if you have our management software for the restaurant you will have the possibility to centralize all the reservations in the application. Forget about that booking book and create new reservations or modify the existing ones using your mobile, computer or Tablet from any location. You will be able to know in real time the number of reservations you have on the day you want and with the multiple filters available you will be able to group the reservations as you consider indicating the total number of guests in each hour so as not to exceed the capacity and to organise your business in an optimum way. But Bliscop is much more, check out our website and we will help you in the process of digitalising your restaurant, enjoy a digital menu, automated stock control, graphic reports on your business performance and much more.