Phone Systems for Restaurants, Pubs & Hotels

Feature by feature: why SwitchboardFREE works for restaurants, pubs and hotels

Every SwitchboardFREE account comes with over 40 features. These are the ones that make the biggest difference to restaurants, pubs and hotels, and why.

Ring groups

In the middle of service, the person nearest the phone is carrying three plates. Ring groups ring the host stand, the bar and the manager's mobile at once, so whoever has a free hand answers, or ring front of house first and the office next.

Cordless VoIP phones

A phone fixed to the wall behind the bar is no use when front of house is on the floor. A cordless VoIP handset, such as the Yealink W73P, can be carried around the restaurant or kept at the host stand, and arrives set up to plug into your broadband.

DepartmentsStandard & Unlimited plans

Table bookings, private dining, functions, room reservations and supplier calls all need different people. With departments, "press 1 to book a table, press 2 for private events, press 3 for anything else" sends event enquiries, which are worth the most, to the manager rather than a busy host.

Time-of-day routing

Lunch service, the quiet afternoon, evening service and closing time each need different call handling. Time-of-day routing rings the floor during service, the office in the afternoon, and plays your opening hours and a link to book online once you are closed.

Voicemail to email

When nobody can answer, a caller can leave their name, date, time and party size. Voicemail to email sends the message as audio with a written transcript, so whoever does the bookings can add it to the diary and confirm without playing a recording in a noisy kitchen.

Callback SMSPaid add-on

When you miss a call from a mobile, Callback SMS automatically texts the caller with your own message, such as "Sorry we missed you, book online at our website or we will call you back after service". Guests who just want a table can book there and then.

Missed call alerts

A missed call on a Friday night is often a table for six that went somewhere else. Missed call alerts email you the caller's number straight away, so someone can ring back as soon as the rush is over.

Call queuing

Christmas party season, Mother's Day and sunny bank holidays bring a rush of booking calls. Call queuing holds callers in line with queue position announcements instead of an engaged tone, so they wait for the next free person rather than trying the place down the road.

A local number for every venue

A group with several restaurants, pubs or hotels can give each venue its own local number with its own greeting and opening hours, all on one account with extra numbers through the paid multi-number package. Head office can see every venue's calls in one place.

Telephone Answering ServicePaid add-on

On your busiest nights, trained receptionists can answer in your venue's name and email you each caller's name, number and reason for calling, so you can confirm bookings once service ends. The Telephone Answering Service has no monthly fee: you pay only for the calls it answers.

Call recordingPaid add-on

Disputes over deposits, cancellation charges, dietary requirements and what was agreed for a function often come down to what was said on the phone. The call recording add-on records all or some calls; tell callers when calls are recorded.

Keep your number

Your number is on Google, booking sites, menus and years of regulars' phones. Transfer it to SwitchboardFREE free, with £50 credit, usually within 7 to 14 days. If it is a traditional copper landline, it has to move anyway: the old phone network is due to finish switching off on 31 January 2027.