Types of Commonly Outsourced Restaurant Answering Services

You know that feeling when the phone rings in the middle of the dinner rush? It’s enough to make any restaurant owner break a sweat. Balancing a packed house with answering calls can feel like a high-stakes juggling act.

Now, imagine this: you never miss a reservation, those catering questions get answered expertly, and your customers feel taken care of from the moment they dial. That’s the power of restaurant answering services.

Think of it as gaining an extra set of hands (without the extra payroll!). Answering services give you more focus, happier customers, and maybe even boost your bottom line.

Ready to see how an answering service can change how you handle those calls? Let’s explore the benefits and the perfect fit for your restaurant!

The Challenges Restaurants Face with Phone Calls

Before we delve into the benefits of outsourced answering services, let’s explore some of the common challenges restaurants face when managing their phone calls:

• Missed opportunities

Customers call to make reservations, inquire about your menu, or check your hours. When phones go unanswered, you risk losing business or frustrating potential diners.

• Staff distraction

During peak hours, having staff answer the phone can divert their attention from in-person guests, impact their productivity, and slow down service.

• Lost leads

Inquiries about catering or large parties require dedicated time and attention that your front-of-house might not always have.

Answering Services in the Hospitality Industry and Their Benefits

Let’s examine the most common types of answering services outsourced by food and hospitality businesses everywhere.

1. Restaurant Answering Service

Restaurant answering services have live agents entertain calls from customers. This helps to avoid missed calls and allows you to place every reservation with ease. In this answering service, each ring is answered professionally, with the tone and spiel the way you see fit.

2. Party Reservations

Party and event reservations often bring significant revenue to restaurants and event spaces, and answering services ensure all inquiries and bookings are placed correctly, giving you one less thing to worry about but a lot more profit to expect.

3. To-Go Orders

To-go orders remain as popular now as almost every restaurant offers delivery services through websites and apps. Answering services makes sure to process orders and manage delivery accurately and on time, ensuring customers are always satisfied.

4. Customer Service

Hassles and mishaps are inevitable in every business, so it’s better to ensure that your customer service lines are always available to assist customers, which helps maintain a high customer satisfaction rate.

Types of Outsourced Restaurant Answering Service

There are different types of outsourced restaurant answering services to consider:

• Overflow Answering: Ideal for businesses needing help during peak hours or with limited staff.
• 24/7 Answering: Ensures someone is always available to answer customer calls.
• Virtual Receptionist: Offers a professional touch as calls are routed and screened, saving your staff time while providing callers with information swiftly.

How to Choose the Right Answering Service

Here are some key factors to consider when choosing the right answering service for your restaurant:

• Restaurant Industry Expertise: Find a service that gets the restaurant’s life. They should know about peak hours, reservation juggling, and the importance of making every guest interaction count.
• Customization: Every restaurant is unique! Look for a service willing to tailor their approach, whether it’s handling specific reservation requests or syncing with your software.
• Technology: Ditch the outdated systems. You want a service with tech that makes things easier, like integrating with your reservation platform or streamlining customer info.
• Reporting: Data is your friend. Make sure the service tracks calls and trends and gives you insights to help with staffing and marketing decisions.

Magellan Solutions Provides High-Quality Phone Systems for a Known Pizza Chain

Magellan Solutions provides high-quality, convenient voicemail and call-answering services for restaurants and food businesses. We offered the area manager of a large pizza chain a way to overcome persistent communication challenges and improve customer relations. You no longer have to rely on an extensive, time-consuming phone tree to communicate between stores.

We installed a group mailbox that allows managers to leave messages for all team members. Store managers receive text alerts when a new message arrives. For locations without online access, our voicemail-to-email function eliminates the need to call in for messages.

This solution has proven incredibly effective, based on positive feedback from restaurant management. They now save time by avoiding 20+ daily calls to relay information, freeing them to focus on big-picture issues.

Efficient Restaurant Answering Services with Magellan Solutions

Different restaurants have different needs. Magellan Solutions offers several flexible packages to accommodate a broader range of customers. Some of the ways we can help your business include:

• Setting up an automated voice mailbox where customers can leave reservation requests, make changes, or cancel an existing reservation. This level of convenience can help free your team to serve current diners instead.
• It installs voicemail-to-text or voicemail-to-email services to alert front-of-house staff when receiving a message automatically.
• Creating a toll-free number that serves as a single point of contact for reservation requests for a chain or franchise restaurant.

Ready to Elevate Your Customer Experience with Restaurant Answering Services?

Let Magellan Solutions, a prime provider of answering services in the Philippines, show you the wonders of hassle-free restaurant operations with top-notch answering services to ensure your customers are always entertained and coming back for more.

Let us lighten the load while you manage, market, and create a beautiful dining experience for your customers. Please contact us and leave a quote today by filling out the form below!