In this article, you will find everything you need to know about Phone: what it is, its benefits, how to configure it, and how it works for you and your team.
Summary
- What are the benefits of using Phone?
- How to set up Phone: two configurations
- Prerequisites for setting up Phone
- How to configure Phone
- What Phone can and can't do
- Automatic SMS when a call goes unanswered
- How does Phone change the lives of restaurateurs?
- Possible configurations
- Search order for configurations
- How does call history work?
- Support & Related Articles
1. What are the benefits of using Phone?
⏱️ Save time daily with automatic customer contact information entry.
👋 Adapt telephone greetings to the caller, whether it's a customer, company, or prescriber.
🔝 Personalize the customer journey with a summary of the customer record (status, number of reservations, cancellations, no-shows, reviews, etc.) and the context of their previous and/or next reservation, which is shown during the call.
🤖 Let an AI voice assistant answer calls automatically when your team can't pick up, take messages, and redirect to the restaurant when needed.
2. How to set up Phone: two configurations
You can choose between two ways to connect Phone to your restaurant's phone line:
- Replace your restaurant's number — Your restaurant's current phone number is replaced, and customers calling it reach the AI directly. If the AI cannot answer the guest's request, the call is automatically redirected to the restaurant.
- Keep your restaurant's number and redirect to the AI — Your restaurant keeps its existing number, and calls are redirected to the AI (for example when no one is available to pick up).
A dedicated AI phone number can be generated for your restaurant. This number is created either directly from the Zenchef back office, or by your Account Manager upon request,contact them to have it set up.
Note: Only one AI phone number is available per restaurant.
3. Prerequisites for setting up Phone
Phone relies on a patented technology that connects a telephone line to one (or several) Zenchef accounts. For the classic call-recognition setup, this connection is made by installing a small box between the phone and the restaurant's internet box, the only requirement is having a fixed phone line. For the AI voice assistant, a dedicated AI number is generated for your restaurant, as described above.
4. How to configure Phone
Go to Settings > Zenchef Assist to configure your Phone:
- Set up your AI phone number (or connect your existing number).
- Create a custom welcome message for callers.
- Define predefined questions and answers so the AI can respond to common guest requests.
5. What Phone can and can't do
- Included: up to 500 minutes of AI calls per month. Additional usage is subject to extra fees.
- Phone cannot take reservations for Experiences.
- Phone is not available for Takeaway orders.
- Phone is available on all Zenchef plans (Reserve, Manage, Grow), as a paid usage-based feature.
6. Automatic SMS when a call goes unanswered
If a call cannot be answered because Phone is not connected, Zenchef can automatically send an SMS to the caller. To use this, make sure the caller's phone number is displayed and recorded in your interface, this is what allows the automatic Zenchef SMS feature to identify and reach the guest.
7. How does Phone change the lives of restaurateurs?
📞 Someone calls your restaurant.
🔍 Phone searches your restaurant directory for a record (customer, influencer, or company) associated with the caller's phone number.
📋 A "pop-up" notification appears in real time on your Zenchef account, depending on the search result:
(pop-up visuals for company / prescriber / customer / unknown caller)
8. Possible configurations
Important: Phone does not target workstations/computers, but Zenchef accounts.
NOMINAL CASE — Linking a Phone box to a telephone line dedicated to a restaurant
Scenario: the restaurant has a dedicated telephone line. Installation: a Phone box is installed on the line and linked to the restaurant's Zenchef account. The pop-up appears on all workstations where the restaurant's Zenchef session is open.
SPECIAL CASE — Linking a Phone box to a telephone line dedicated to a group of restaurants
Context: a telephone line is dedicated to a group of restaurants [X, Y, Z]. Installation: a Phone box is linked to the Zenchef accounts of all three restaurants. The pop-up appears on all workstations where any of the group's Zenchef sessions are open.
Note: it is not possible to physically connect the same Phone box to several telephone lines. If a restaurant has several dedicated lines, a box must be installed on each line and linked to the same account.
9. Search order for configurations
NOMINAL CASE — Independent restaurant
- Company file
- Prescriber file
- Customer file (main number, then secondary number)
SPECIAL CASE — Group restaurant with "Group Customer File" activated
- Restaurant [A] Companies file
- Restaurant [A] Prescriber file
- Restaurant [A] Customer file
- Restaurant [B], [C], [D] Customer files
Note: the search stops as soon as a record is found.
10. How does call history work?
Access your call history by clicking on the "Phone calls" icon. View all calls made to the restaurant with the file identification, or the telephone number if it isn't attached to a file.
11. Support & Related Articles
Contact Our Support Team
For further assistance, feel free to contact Zenchef support via the chatbot available in your client dashboard or visit our Help Center.