Use case
Missed calls on a Friday night
Between 6 and 8pm on a Friday, whoever answers your phone is usually running the pass, so the phone gets dropped. Zogu is built to answer it. Start by counting what you miss now.
One person, two jobs
It's 7:40pm. Four people at the counter, two drivers at the door, a full ticket rail. The phone rings, and taking that order means a handset under your chin while nobody packs.
So some calls ring out, or get "hold on a sec" and a handset left on the counter. The next caller gets a busy line or voicemail. Some ring back. Others order somewhere else, and you never hear about it.
Count the calls you miss
Most missed-call percentages online come from companies selling phone answering, us included. Your own line has the only numbers that apply to your shop.
- Where to look: your phone provider's online call history, the handset's missed-call list (check it Saturday morning, before it fills up), and any mobile customers ring.
- Where not to look: the phone bill (it lists calls you made), and 1471 in the UK or *69 in the US (last call only).
- What to note: every missed call between 6 and 8pm on a Friday, and which of those numbers got through later. Do three or four Fridays.
- The gap: calls that got a busy tone never reach the handset. Ask your provider whether its report shows them.
- One more tally: for one busy night, mark each answered call as an order or not.
What the missed calls cost
| What to count | Where from | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Missed calls in your busy stretch, over a week | Call log |
| B | How many of those numbers got through later that night | Call log |
| C | Orders out of every 10 calls you answer | Your tally |
| D | Your average phone order | Till or POS report |
(A minus B) × C ÷ 10 is roughly the orders you missed. Multiply by D for sales. Made-up example: 15 missed, 6 rang back, 7 in 10 calls are orders, so about 6 lost orders a Friday, or 300 over 50 Fridays.
It's sales, not profit. And some of those callers ordered from you through an app instead, at the app's commission: see winning back direct phone orders from delivery apps.
When two people call at once
Each shop gets its own Zogu number, and every call runs on its own with its own copy of your menu. A second caller doesn't queue. They hear the same greeting, which says "this is the automated ordering assistant".
It asks only the questions an item needs ("which crust would you like? We have Thin Crust or Stuffed Crust."), reads the order back once and sends nothing until the caller says yes. More on how a call goes, step by step and how the read-back works.
Most shops forward their existing number to Zogu's. How many calls a line can forward at once is down to your provider.
What your staff do instead
Whoever held the handset stays on the pass. Orders arrive in your POS for you to accept or reject. Zogu doesn't wait for that: the caller hears the total, the ready time if you've set a prep time, and goodbye.
Still with your staff:
- Taking payment on pickup or delivery. Zogu never asks for card details.
- Telling a customer if you reject their order.
- "Where's my order?" calls and complaints. Zogu tells the caller to contact the restaurant directly.
- Serious allergy questions beyond the allergens on your menu.
Zogu doesn't transfer calls or promise call-backs, so decide how those customers will reach you.
What callers hear when something's off
- Switched off or not set up: "Sorry, phone ordering isn't available right now. Please call back later. Goodbye."
- Two failed turns in a row: "Sorry, I'm having trouble at my end. Please call back in a few minutes. Goodbye." One slow turn gets "One moment." and a retry.
- Your POS can't take the order: "Sorry, I couldn't send your order through. Please call back in a few minutes. Goodbye."
- Silence: after 12 seconds, "Take your time. Let me know when you're ready." A second silence ends the call.
- Closed: it says when you open again.
Questions and answers
Will callers know they're talking to an automated assistant?
With the standard greeting, yes: it says "this is the automated ordering assistant". Asked for a person, it says it can't connect them and carries on with the order.
Can my staff still answer the phone when it's quiet?
Yes. Many lines can forward only when busy or unanswered, which leaves quiet-time calls with you.
Does it work with my till?
Only if your till is Toast, Square, Clover, Oracle MICROS RES 3700 or Foodhub. Zogu doesn't connect to any other POS system.
What if the kitchen can't keep up?
Pause orders in your POS. Zogu treats the shop as closed until the time you set, and no order is placed.