How an Iconic Sydney Venue Embraced Voice AI

Missed calls = missed revenue

For Doyle’s Restaurant Manager, Karen Swain, it was clear that calls were getting missed. She explains: 

“Like many venues, we don’t have a static person who stands at a reception desk. There are always one or two managers on duty, but often we’re being pulled in different directions, helping behind the bar or whatever it may be, so we would hear the phone ring, but simply could not get to it.

We have an office manager who is here during the week, but we knew a lot of functions enquiries were coming in outside of hours, and so those just got missed. For customers, we knew it was frustrating to call and not be able to get through, so we sought to change that.” 

The Doyle’s team discovered Sadie when looking at voice solutions with a strong, direct integration to their online booking platform, OpenTable. 

Netting more bookings than ever

Since implementing Sadie, Karen says that the restaurant has reeled in significantly more bookings, and that the experience for customers calling in has significantly improved, saying: 
 

"We have picked up a lot more reservations that we'd previously been losing, simply because we couldn't get to the phones. It gives us a lot of peace of mind, knowing that the phones are covered, even outside of hours."

"And the customers are so happy, they never need to call back, the feedback from them so far is that they love Sadie, because every time they call, she can make them a booking or answer any general enquiries.” 

For other venues considering Sadie, Karen says: “Sadie is one of the best things we’ve tried; she’s like having another team member on, 24/7, and I think most people would be surprised as to how much she helps.” 

A practical solution

During their busy summer period, Doyle’s phones ring off the hook, sometimes with multiple lines coming in at once. The impossibility of managing this with staff alone, when there is a sea of other tasks commanding their attention, made it apparent they needed a solution to extend their operational capacity. 

For Doyle’s, adopting a Voice AI solution wasn’t about replacing people or being on the cutting edge of technology. The problem was simple: managers couldn’t be in multiple places at once and couldn’t cover the phones 24/7. 

Karen explains: “We didn’t go into this trying to reduce headcount. Rather, we recognised we couldn’t efficiently handle the phones, and wanted a more personal approach, not just outsourcing to a call center. For us, it was about creating a better experience for our customers, even before they’ve arrived at the venue." 

"Internally, it allows our team to focus on what they do best. Our office manager is still here, but now he’s not tied up answering general enquiries; he can focus on more valuable tasks, such as managing events."

"Sadie helps us do more with the resources we have. AI isn’t going anywhere. The reality is, you can use it and be part of the journey as it becomes more proficient, or you can be left behind.” 

Smooth sailing with onshore support

As a family-owned business, Doyle’s sought a solution that offered onshore support, where they could talk to real people, if they need to. Right from the start, Karen says the support from Sadie has been incredible.  

“The Sadie team have been wonderful to deal with, right from the start, whenever we have needed support, we can get it straight away. We’ve even had team members come to physically see us in the venue, and it is so nice to actually meet up in person to work through our needs.” 

Operationally, the results for Doyle’s have been fantastic. The venue is capturing more bookings than ever before, and have confidence that every customer calling the venue gets the attention they deserve.  

What has exceeded expectations is the reaction from the customer base. Servicing a more advanced demographic, and with a large number of returning customers and regulars, the Doyle’s team had some concerns about how customers would respond to an AI.  

These concerns were very quickly put to rest, with Karen explaining Sadie’s popularity among their customers. 

“The customers just love Sadie, the majority of feedback has been really positive. Even from our regular customers who have been coming for years. They love that she answers their call straight away, takes the booking, has a chat if that’s what they’re after. 

Sadie is so warm and personable, she's incredibly lifelike. It’s quite funny to listen back to calls and hear a customer talking to someone in the background saying ‘oh wow this AI sounds just like a real person!’”