An AI receptionist for your golf venue: what it should and shouldn't do
An AI receptionist can take a lot of work off an indoor golf venue. It can also annoy customers if it's set up badly. Here's where we draw the line at Bunkerbay.
What it should handle
- Answering every call, day or night, on your existing number. Voice matters: plenty of golfers still ring.
- WhatsApp and text, from the same knowledge, so the answer's the same however they ask.
- The routine questions: opening times, prices, what's free, directions, parking, how to get in.
- Booking questions, checked against your booking system. It should send the booking link rather than take payment in a chat.
- Bay faults: recognising "the screen's frozen" and restarting the right bay.
- Regulars: recognising returning customers by phone number, so they don't repeat themselves.
What it should always pass to you
- Complaints, and anything where the customer is upset
- Refunds and money decisions
- Group, party and corporate bookings, which are worth your call
- Anything it isn't sure about. A good system knows when it doesn't know.
When it hands over, you should get the whole conversation on WhatsApp or text, so you can pick it up without asking the customer to start again.
Make it warm, not just quick
When we read 806 Google reviews of UK sim venues, the most praised thing wasn't the tech. It was a friendly welcome from staff, mentioned in more than half. An AI receptionist is often the only "person" your customer deals with, so it has to carry some of that: use their name, mention their bay, keep the tone human. Help first-timers too. Several reviews mentioned new or older golfers struggling to get started. More in what 806 reviews say customers value.
Be upfront that it's AI
Customers don't mind talking to an AI if it's quick and useful. They do mind finding out later that they thought they were talking to a person. Say so in the greeting, and make it easy to reach a human.
If calls are recorded or transcribed, tell callers at the start, and make sure your privacy notice covers it. Your venue is responsible for your customers' data, and your supplier should sign a data processing agreement with you.
Questions to ask any supplier
- Does it answer phone calls, or only messages?
- Does it connect to my booking system, or just send people a link?
- What happens when it can't answer, and how do I find out?
- Can it do anything about a frozen bay, or does it just apologise?
- Where is the data stored, who can see the conversations, and will you sign a data processing agreement?
- Can I read every conversation and change what it says?
- What does it cost per month as I add bays or sites?
How it's gone at Bunkerbay
In Bayi's first three days live at our own venue, it handled 15 customer support requests with none needing a person, including two remote bay restarts.
Hear it answer a call
On the demo you can ring BAYi yourself, report a frozen bay and watch it restart. Twenty minutes, by video.