24/7 Table Booking Automation for Restaurants

Learn how to automate table bookings for your restaurant using Pabbly Chatflow and Pabbly Chatflow. Step-by-step guide to create a WhatsApp booking chatbot. Master conversational marketing with practical techniques for creating chatbots that engage visitors at exactly the right moment in their journey.

Watch Step By Step Video Tutorial Below

1. Getting Started with Pabbly Chatflow

To automate table bookings for your restaurant, the first step is to access Pabbly Chatflow. This platform allows you to create chatbots that can handle reservations via WhatsApp. Start by visiting the Pabbly Chatflow website, where you can sign up for a free account to explore its features.

Once logged in, you will receive 100 free credits every month to create chatbots. If you want to use the platform without worrying about credits, consider purchasing a yearly or lifetime subscription. With Pabbly Chatflow, you can set up your WhatsApp number and begin creating your booking chatbot effectively.

2. Creating the WhatsApp Booking Chatbot

The next step involves creating the actual WhatsApp booking chatbot within Pabbly Chatflow. Once inside the dashboard, click on ‘Add Flow’ to start a new project. Name your flow, for example, ‘Spice Garden Table Booking Bot’. This name will help you identify your bot later.

• Click on the trigger event and select ‘Keyword or Regex Match’.
• Add keywords like ‘booktable’ to trigger the chatbot.
• Connect the trigger to a welcome message sent to the user.

After setting up the trigger, configure the welcome message that users will see when they initiate the booking process. This message should include options such as ‘Book a Table’, ‘Cancel Reservation’, and ‘Talk to Team’. Each option will guide the user through the booking process.

3. Collecting User Information for Reservations

Once users select the ‘Book a Table’ option, the next step in Pabbly Chatflow is to ask for essential information. The bot should prompt users for their name, contact number, preferred date, time of booking, guest count, and any special requests. You can achieve this by using the ‘Ask Question’ feature.

• Use the ‘Ask Question’ action to collect user details.
• Map each response to custom fields for later use.
• Confirm the booking details with the user before finalizing.

After collecting all necessary information, send a summary of the booking details back to the user for confirmation. This ensures that the user is satisfied with the details before finalizing the reservation.

4. Integrating with Pabbly Connect

To manage the booking data efficiently, Pabbly Connect is utilized to store user responses in a Google Sheet. After the user confirms their booking, you need to set up an API request in Pabbly Chatflow to send this data to Pabbly Connect. This integration automates the data entry process, ensuring no bookings are missed.

To do this, create a new workflow in Pabbly Connect and select Pabbly Chatflow as the trigger app. Choose the event ‘New Message Received’ to capture the booking details. After setting up the connection, copy the webhook URL provided by Pabbly Connect and paste it into your API request in Pabbly Chatflow.

5. Finalizing the Booking Process

Once the API request is configured, the final step is to send a confirmation message back to the user via WhatsApp. This message should inform them that their table has been successfully reserved. Use the ‘Send Message’ action in Pabbly Chatflow to accomplish this.

Additionally, if a user wants to cancel their reservation, the chatbot should guide them through the cancellation process, updating the Google Sheet accordingly. This ensures that your restaurant’s booking system is efficient and user-friendly, allowing for seamless operations.

Conclusion

By implementing Pabbly Chatflow for your restaurant’s table booking automation, you can ensure that no reservation is missed. This integration with Pabbly Connect and WhatsApp allows for a streamlined booking process that enhances customer satisfaction.