Calls during breakfast

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JunieBJones (JBJ)

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I get the call even though breakfast is on the move.
"Do you have any rooms available for next weekend?" she asks
I tell the caller we sure do, and ask if she has internet access so she can view the room photos on our website and...
"Yes I am looking at your website right now"
B&B House.com? I ask
"Yes."
"Ma'am I am in the middle of breakfast for guests, you can book online right there and save $10. You can see photos of the rooms and which ones are available"
"What about triple A? Don't you offer a triple A discount??"
"I offer $10 off right there on our website?"
"Oh okay...I will have a look."
Click.
(NOTE: If there is anything I can say about myself, I am an anti-triple-A-ite. I absolutely cannot stand triple A guests, these are the ones who strip every snack, even take the extra rolls of TP! NO I DO NOT OFFER A TRIPLE A discount. WE ARE NOT A ROADSIDE MOTEL! I offer discounts to EVERYONE but not for triple A. My pet peeve.)
 
This must be "the week" for stupid callers...my friends are fit to be tied. Tons of calls with people saying, " I am looking at your website right now"....then proceed to ask:
How many rooms do you have???
What are your rates?
Do you have rooms for Labor day weekend.
Hey STUPID..you are on the website..>READ!!!! It is all there in plain ENGLISH!!!!
 
In th epast so many people said they were on our website and were on some directory or other. So I always make sure and they tell me the url and sure enough they are there, just don't have a clue.
I say See the button on the top tool bar or bottom that says ROOMS click that, or the button that says RESERVATIONS click that. doh!
I stand by my original - GPS are coming down in price so we prepared for those guests.
 
..... that and the after 10:30 p.m. callers are pretty consistent this time of year and (especially) the late evening calls drive me crazy .... I've probably just donned my PJs and sat down for the first time that day. Most callers assume we're the "Night Staff".
I had a couple just come to look at rooms for October - of course I had late check-outs and three out of four rooms are new guests tonight so all the beds were stripped, my cleaning supplies tote sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor etc .....
OK - shouldn't be sitting here ..... but it feels so GOOD!!!
 
..... that and the after 10:30 p.m. callers are pretty consistent this time of year and (especially) the late evening calls drive me crazy .... I've probably just donned my PJs and sat down for the first time that day. Most callers assume we're the "Night Staff".
I had a couple just come to look at rooms for October - of course I had late check-outs and three out of four rooms are new guests tonight so all the beds were stripped, my cleaning supplies tote sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor etc .....
OK - shouldn't be sitting here ..... but it feels so GOOD!!!.
i get a lot of calls during breakfast ... prospective guest will say 'i decided to call NOW so i'd be sure to get you' ... ? ... yes, there is probably an assumption i have a staff.
sometimes, i am tempted to answer the phone
KITCHEN STAFF
or
WAITRESS
or
HOUSEKEEPING
or
BOOKKEEPING
or
GARDENER
like the big place in the next village. maybe have someone wait on the phone while they are connected to RESERVATIONS (me, after i wash my hands and go to the computer) ... no, they are caling on the toll free number, that would be silly ... but would feel good.
wink_smile.gif

 
..... that and the after 10:30 p.m. callers are pretty consistent this time of year and (especially) the late evening calls drive me crazy .... I've probably just donned my PJs and sat down for the first time that day. Most callers assume we're the "Night Staff".
I had a couple just come to look at rooms for October - of course I had late check-outs and three out of four rooms are new guests tonight so all the beds were stripped, my cleaning supplies tote sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor etc .....
OK - shouldn't be sitting here ..... but it feels so GOOD!!!.
i get a lot of calls during breakfast ... prospective guest will say 'i decided to call NOW so i'd be sure to get you' ... ? ... yes, there is probably an assumption i have a staff.
sometimes, i am tempted to answer the phone
KITCHEN STAFF
or
WAITRESS
or
HOUSEKEEPING
or
BOOKKEEPING
or
GARDENER
like the big place in the next village. maybe have someone wait on the phone while they are connected to RESERVATIONS (me, after i wash my hands and go to the computer) ... no, they are caling on the toll free number, that would be silly ... but would feel good.
wink_smile.gif

.
Maybe we should get answering machines that put you in virtual hell...you know, like everyone else!
Initially they could get all the info to get them their reservation, all the things you'd say to them if you had them on the phone, that they won't listen to anyway...
For housekeeping press 1
For Chef press 1, too (then they'll press 1 and 2 !)
For reservations press 1, also
For stupid questions you want to ask when we are in the middle of serving breakfast because you are calling at __am (insert time)
Press 1 and leave a message.
devil_smile.gif

 
If someone calls while I'm busy with breakfast I explain I'm busy at the moment, take their number and tell them I'll call back in 1/2 hour or whatever. End of story. People do not think. They don't compute they are impeding our work or they may even think we have staff. Often I leave the ringer off on my phone during breakfast so I'm not even tempted to answer it.
 
..... that and the after 10:30 p.m. callers are pretty consistent this time of year and (especially) the late evening calls drive me crazy .... I've probably just donned my PJs and sat down for the first time that day. Most callers assume we're the "Night Staff".
I had a couple just come to look at rooms for October - of course I had late check-outs and three out of four rooms are new guests tonight so all the beds were stripped, my cleaning supplies tote sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor etc .....
OK - shouldn't be sitting here ..... but it feels so GOOD!!!.
i get a lot of calls during breakfast ... prospective guest will say 'i decided to call NOW so i'd be sure to get you' ... ? ... yes, there is probably an assumption i have a staff.
sometimes, i am tempted to answer the phone
KITCHEN STAFF
or
WAITRESS
or
HOUSEKEEPING
or
BOOKKEEPING
or
GARDENER
like the big place in the next village. maybe have someone wait on the phone while they are connected to RESERVATIONS (me, after i wash my hands and go to the computer) ... no, they are caling on the toll free number, that would be silly ... but would feel good.
wink_smile.gif

.
Maybe we should get answering machines that put you in virtual hell...you know, like everyone else!
Initially they could get all the info to get them their reservation, all the things you'd say to them if you had them on the phone, that they won't listen to anyway...
For housekeeping press 1
For Chef press 1, too (then they'll press 1 and 2 !)
For reservations press 1, also
For stupid questions you want to ask when we are in the middle of serving breakfast because you are calling at __am (insert time)
Press 1 and leave a message.
devil_smile.gif

.
LOL - I like that.
 
OK, full disclosure...I do not cook/serve breakfast alone. If someone calls during breakfast, I answer the phone and take their reservation. If they are Chatty Cathy's then I excuse myself once I have the pertinent info and say I have to get back to making breakfast, the guests are hungry for (fill in the blank).
Or, I say, 'Oops, the cook is ringing the bell at me, gotta go serve those waffles.' (or something like.)
If I were alone, I wouldn't answer the phone in the middle of cooking or serving. But I would during a lull. (ie- everyone is served and they're all chatting.)
 
If someone calls while I'm busy with breakfast I explain I'm busy at the moment, take their number and tell them I'll call back in 1/2 hour or whatever. End of story. People do not think. They don't compute they are impeding our work or they may even think we have staff. Often I leave the ringer off on my phone during breakfast so I'm not even tempted to answer it..
i need to remember to say
'thanks so much for calling ... i am cooking and serving breakfast right now ... i can call you back at xxx oclock.'
just in case they think i am mrs. innkeeper just sitting down to breakfast at my big inn with my guests.
because how would they know?
wink_smile.gif

 
Calls during breakfast go to the machine where it asks them to go to our website to check availability. Since I'm cooking and serving don't have time to answer the phone and the questions that go along with it.
 
When I am making breakfast I have the phone put on do not disturb so it does not ring but the caller can leave a message. The message tells them they can go to our website and check availability and book a room there. Doing everything by myself and trying to get a three course breakfast prepared and served at 8:30 takes my full attention. I also don't answer while I am checking guests in or if someone is at the front door. I turn the phone off again at 9pm so I can sleep a full 8 hours.
 
When I am making breakfast I have the phone put on do not disturb so it does not ring but the caller can leave a message. The message tells them they can go to our website and check availability and book a room there. Doing everything by myself and trying to get a three course breakfast prepared and served at 8:30 takes my full attention. I also don't answer while I am checking guests in or if someone is at the front door. I turn the phone off again at 9pm so I can sleep a full 8 hours..
jason said:
When I am making breakfast I have the phone put on do not disturb so it does not ring but the caller can leave a message. The message tells them they can go to our website and check availability and book a room there. Doing everything by myself and trying to get a three course breakfast prepared and served at 8:30 takes my full attention. I also don't answer while I am checking guests in or if someone is at the front door. I turn the phone off again at 9pm so I can sleep a full 8 hours.
We all have our ways of doing things, but once in a while we break it, answer the phone, then kick ourselves and say "This is why we don't answer the phone!" I am barraged by telemarketers every day of the week and want to blow up my phone. I HAVE to let the machine get it 75% of the time now.
 
When I am making breakfast I have the phone put on do not disturb so it does not ring but the caller can leave a message. The message tells them they can go to our website and check availability and book a room there. Doing everything by myself and trying to get a three course breakfast prepared and served at 8:30 takes my full attention. I also don't answer while I am checking guests in or if someone is at the front door. I turn the phone off again at 9pm so I can sleep a full 8 hours..
jason said:
When I am making breakfast I have the phone put on do not disturb so it does not ring but the caller can leave a message. The message tells them they can go to our website and check availability and book a room there. Doing everything by myself and trying to get a three course breakfast prepared and served at 8:30 takes my full attention. I also don't answer while I am checking guests in or if someone is at the front door. I turn the phone off again at 9pm so I can sleep a full 8 hours.
We all have our ways of doing things, but once in a while we break it, answer the phone, then kick ourselves and say "This is why we don't answer the phone!" I am barraged by telemarketers every day of the week and want to blow up my phone. I HAVE to let the machine get it 75% of the time now.
.
I put our phones on the do not call list, even the B and B phone. I would have to say that I think the number of telemarketer calls are way down. I had not thought about it, just know that numbers are down.
 
When you either send your calls to voice mail/answering machines or direct the callers to your website, do you ever worry that you might have just lost the booking?
If so, does that bother you?
 
When you either send your calls to voice mail/answering machines or direct the callers to your website, do you ever worry that you might have just lost the booking?
If so, does that bother you?.
emspiers said:
When you either send your calls to voice mail/answering machines or direct the callers to your website, do you ever worry that you might have just lost the booking?
If so, does that bother you?
A couple of things...we miss a lot of calls because guests call after midnight. Yeah, I probably lost that one. Or guests call before I'm out of bed. Yeah probably missed that one, too.
Here's something to consider...have you ever been standing in a long line anywhere and it's your turn next and the clerk answers the phone and suddenly it's not your turn anymore? The folks on the phone get a cheery greeting and hand-holding directions for how to find the info they need while I am unavailable (for whatever reason). The folks in the dining room get a cheery innkeeper who is now delivering their breakfast rather than chatting on the phone to someone who isn't here.
You can't do it all and these are some of the choices that have to be made. 9/10 the ones on the phone don't book immediately. They want info and time to think things over and talk to their friends about it. Things they can do while looking at the website, which many of them didn't realize we had.
Better to not worry that 14 people in the dining room are ticked because you're not feeding them than to worry about one person on the phone who is probably a telemarketer anyway.
 
I had walk ins at 9 AM last week....just in the middle of the last serving. They booked a room for tonight.
They were so udderly dissappointed with the accommodations they had the night before, since the web site said it was newly rmodeled, which this was 15 years ago..haha
So, now they wanted to see first and booked.
At least they didn't waste my time :)
 
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