Eight fifteen, eggs in the pan, phone in the hall
The dining room is full, you are frying eggs for room 3, and the phone rings in the hall. You cannot leave the pan. It rings out to the answerphone. The caller does not leave a message. Ten minutes later it rings again, and again you are carrying plates.
At half ten, with breakfast done, you look at the phone. Two missed calls from mobile numbers, no messages. You ring them back. One does not answer. The other says they have booked somewhere else, thanks.
In the afternoon you are in room 2 with a duvet cover half on, and the house phone rings downstairs, and the same thing happens.
Why calls get missed
Many B&B guests still prefer to phone, especially older guests, returning regulars and people booking at the last minute. And the owner is almost always busy with something that cannot be dropped.
- Calls come when you are cooking, cleaning, shopping or showing guests to their rooms.
- Many callers do not leave voicemail; they just try the next place.
- The house phone is in one place, and you are everywhere else.
- Missed calls are not logged anywhere except the phone's own list, which forgets them.
- Calling back later reaches people who have already sorted themselves out.
What missed calls cost
Bookings, straightforwardly. The person who rang at quarter past eight wanted a room, and they wanted it from you. Last-minute callers are often ready to book on the spot, and they will book whoever answers first.
It also costs a bit of peace. Knowing the phone might ring at any moment, and that missing it might mean losing a booking, makes it hard to concentrate on the guests in front of you.
Returning guests are often the ones who phone, because they know you and want the same room as last time. A regular who rings three times without getting through may assume you are full, or worse, that you have closed, and quietly book somewhere else. You never find out that they tried.
Carrying the house phone around is not really an answer either. It rings in your apron pocket while you are holding a hot pan, or while you are showing new guests to their room, and taking the call there is not the welcome you want to give.
How we build a call catcher on your number
- Your existing number is kept. Calls are forwarded through a telephone service such as Twilio when you do not answer, or at times you choose, such as during breakfast.
- The caller hears a short, friendly message in your voice saying you are with guests and will ring back, and that a text with a link is on its way.
- If they are calling from a mobile, a text is sent straight away with a link to check availability and book, and your website and number.
- Every call, answered or not, is logged with the number, time and whether a message was left. Voicemails are turned into text so you can read them.
- When you have a moment, you see missed calls in order, with any message, and call back in one tap. Callers who have since booked through the link are marked.
- Known numbers, such as regular guests or your helper, can be recognised so you know who rang.
| Call | What happens | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| 8.15am, mobile, no message | Text with booking link sent | Missed call, text sent, not yet booked |
| 8.25am, mobile, voicemail | Text sent, message turned into text | Wants a double for Friday, call back |
| 2.40pm, landline | Friendly message played | Missed call, landline, call back |
| 3pm, regular guest | Recognised | Mrs Evans rang, call back |
A breakfast shift without the dread
The phone rings while you are frying eggs. You let it go. The caller hears your message, gets a text, and books the garden room for Friday on your website before you have served the eggs.
At half ten, your phone shows three missed calls: one already booked, one voicemail asking about dogs that you have read, and one with no message. You make two calls instead of guessing at five.
Do calls go unanswered?
- The phone rings while you are cooking or cleaning.
- Callers do not leave messages and you do not know what they wanted.
- You call back to find they have booked elsewhere.
- Your missed call list is the only record of who rang.
- Last-minute guests are the ones you lose most.