The phone rings on a new hire’s first Saturday. Front desk booking software should let them take that call one question at a time, and show you afterward exactly what happened to the booking.
Front desk booking software for the phone on a busy Saturday
It is Saturday at 11. The lobby is loud, the phone is ringing, and the person nearest to it started on Thursday. The caller wants four people on the track this afternoon.
A phone booking on a screen built for your most experienced manager is a lot to face in that moment. Every tab is a chance to miss something. Front desk booking software has to work for the person who books twice a week as well as the person who books all day.
VenueChief now has two ways in. The full booking editor is still there for complex work. Guided booking is for busy moments and for staff who book now and then.
What guided booking does
Guided booking asks one question per screen, in the order a caller answers them:
- What. Tap a package, simulator time or a kart class. A venue that sells one thing skips this step.
- How many. Tap the number of people. For simulator time, also pick how long.
- When. Pick a day, then tap a time. Only times with room for the whole group are offered.
- Who. Find the customer by name, phone or email, or add a new one.
- Extras. Package add-ons and a food and drink credit, when there are any.
- Check and book. Read the sentence back, check the price, then take payment or finish the booking.
Book a demo and we will take a practice call in guided booking.
Read it back before you book it
The last step gives staff a sentence to say out loud, such as “That’s Arrive & Drive for 4 people on Saturday from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM.” It goes on with the name and email it is booked under, and the total. The caller hears it, a wrong day or a misspelled email gets caught, and the new hire sounds like they have done this for years.
The same step shows the activity’s age and height rules to tell the customer. Staff can take payment, let the customer pay at the venue with a reason, save, or send a quote. If the save is refused, the screen stays put and offers a button to the step that fixes it. After booking, a Done screen shows the confirmation and what is still to pay.
The same rules as the full editor
Guided booking is not a shortcut around your policies. It uses the same booking engine, so a guided booking sends the same request the full editor would send.
Payment timing, deposits, age and height rules, the guardian rule for minors, business hours, prices, member pricing and promo codes all apply the same way. Karting rest gaps apply, and only races with enough karts are offered. Closed blackout days are not offered. If your venue requires each guest’s details before booking, the Who step asks for them.
When a caller wants something guided booking does not do, Switch to full editor is one click from any step, and every answer comes along.
Who changed this booking?
The other half of a calm front desk is being able to answer that question. A guest says they were promised a different time. A manager wonders why a price dropped.
Edit Booking, History lists changes to a booking, newest first: who created it, moved it, re-priced it, checked it in, canceled it, took a payment, refunded it or handed it to a new booker, and when. Staff are shown by name. Nobody has to opt in, because the history is written where the booking is saved. The top of the tab also resends the confirmation to the customer’s own email, and each send is logged.
This booking change history is a plain record, not a tool for blame. It gives you something to read when two people remember a call differently.
Who it suits
Karting tracks with a weekend crew, sim centers with a part-time desk, and golf, batting and escape room venues where the person answering the phone also runs the floor. It also helps owners who step in on a busy night and do not book every day.
What it changes on a busy day
- A new hire can take a phone booking without a manager standing behind them.
- The caller hears the booking back before it is made.
- A disputed change has a name and a time on it.
Availability and fine print
Guided booking is for new bookings made by staff. It is not guest-facing, and it does not change an existing booking. Rooms booked on their own are not one of its choices, and neither is combining several activities with their own times. The full editor handles those.
Add Booking opens the full editor until someone picks guided booking from its arrow. The button then remembers that choice on that computer, so each new browser starts on the full editor. No setup is needed.
History entries are kept for 400 days. A booking changed before the history arrived shows its key moments instead: created, checked in, started, completed and the last change. See pricing for what your plan includes.