7 Phone System Features That Boost Restaurant Efficiency

Your restaurant’s phone line is often the first point of contact for customers, whether they’re making reservations, asking questions, or taking orders. A poor experience can drive customers away fast, making a well-managed phone system critical to your business’s success.

Certain voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone system features will be far more valuable to your restaurant than others, from smart auto attendants that route calls to the correct department, to integrations with the best restaurant point of sale (POS) systems that let you track orders and customer history in real time.

To help you keep the plates spinning, we’ve outlined seven VoIP features your restaurant should be using, and included advice on setting them up. We also detail which third-party integrations can help you maximize your efficiency, keeping your guests and bottom line happy as a result.

7 Restaurant Efficiency-Boosting Phone System Features

VoIP systems have the power to drastically improve your restaurant’s communication, as long as you know how to use them to their full potential. Here are seven capabilities that should be on your radar.

1. Smart auto attendant

A smart auto-attendant is a virtual receptionist that automates a wide range of tasks for businesses. It answers calls, gives callers clear menu options, and then routes customers to the right team member department, whether it be the kitchen, the reservation desk, or the restaurant manager. 

Smart auto attendants work 24/7, ensuring you never miss an order and that no customer queries go unanswered. You can even customize the greeting with branded messages, important business information, or promotions to create a professional first impression and keep customers engaged while they wait. 

How can my restaurant use a smart auto attendant? 

Here’s how to set up and operate a smart auto attendant, in simple steps: 

1. Decide on your auto attendant’s goals
2. Create a simple menu map, with four-to-five choices
3. Create custom greeting and record scripts
4. Route each menu option to the right destination
5. Test it and troubleshoot problems 

Which VoIP provider offers the best auto attendant feature?

According to our research, RingCentral boasts the best auto attendant phone system. It’s a powerful multi-level auto attendant that integrates with leading POS and CRM systems, and even offers multi-location support for chain restaurants. You can also trial the feature out at no cost using the provider’s free plan. 

Learn more about the provider’s features and pricing in our in-depth RingCentral review.

2. Call queuing 

Call queueing is a VoIP feature that places incoming calls in a line when staff are busy, preventing callers from hanging up when they hear the busy tone. When placed in the queue, restaurants can play personalized messages, important business information or music to customers as they wait for the next available team member to become free.

How can my restaurant use call queueing?

Here’s a step-by-step rundown of how your restaurant can set up and use a VoIP call queueing feature:

1. Set your business’s opening hours 
2. Allocate rules for opening and closing times
3. Record a short greeting message 
4. Add additional messages, like special offers, estimated wait times or alternative ordering options
5. Set up call routing options 
6. Test your setup before busy times

Which VoIP provider offers the best call queuing feature?

Several of the best VoIP providers offer call queueing, including RingCentral, Net2Phone and Vonage. Yet, according to our research, Nextiva’s call queuing features take the crown, as they’re highly customizable, support call music and recorded announcements, and are easy to set up and amend via web browsers.

Learn more about the social media-friendly phone system in our Nextiva Review.

3. Call forwarding

Call forwarding features automatically direct incoming calls to another number or device, helping your restaurant ensure that no phone call is missed. Calls can be forwarded to the manager’s mobile, a different restaurant branch or even a third-party answering service, to handle orders or enquiries when the line is busy, or when the restaurant is closed.

When paired with mobile access, this feature lets managers and staff take phone calls from anywhere, keeping customers content even when no one is present at the restaurant. 

How can my restaurant use call forwarding?

Perfect your restaurant’s call forwarding flow by taking these simple steps:

1. Plan where your calls should go during opening times, after hours, and when phone lines are busy
2. Record your greetings and after-hours messages
3. Notify employees and train them on their phone duties
4. Adjust settings via your VoIP dashboard
5. Test your system to ensure it’s been programmed correctly 

Which VoIP provider offers the best call forwarding feature?

Call forwarding is a core functionality of many VoIP systems, but we found that RingCentral offers one of the best features on the market. Restaurants can customize call forwarding rules by time, device and location, and the feature can be managed through its desktop app or mobile dashboard. 

Are you comitted to not missing a single call? Learn how to set up a phone system to handle more takeout orders in our guide.

4. Mobile access 

Mobile access lets managers and staff make and receive business calls directly from mobile devices, like smartphones or tablets. When used in tandem with call forwarding features, the capability allows staff to take orders and handle customer enquiries on the go, instead of being tied to a physical location. 

This helps to ensure that callers are answered promptly, even after hours, without needing any extra staff at the restaurant.

How can my restaurant use mobile access?

Setting up mobile access is straightforward. All you have to do is:

1. Get staff to install the VoIP app on their mobile devices
2. Forward calls to the right devices
3. Enable push notifications for incoming calls on select devices
4. Train staff on how to use the app effectively
5. Test the setup to make sure it works correctly 

Which VoIP provider offers the best mobile access options?

Lots of VoIP providers offer their own dedicated app to facilitate remote access. However, Dialpad’s VoIP stands out due to its user-friendly interface, iOS and Android compatibility, and unified communication features, which combine voice calls, video calls and instant messaging into a single platform.

5. Voicemail-to-text 

Voicemail-to-text features automatically convert customer voicemails into email or SMS messages, ensuring no customer restaurant inquiries get missed, even during peak hours or closing times.

The capability is particularly useful for restaurants that accept high-value requests, like catering or event orders, and don’t want to risk losing lucrative opportunities due to unanswered calls. 

Requests can be managed from any device on which the feature is enabled, allowing staff to take action whether they’re at the restaurant or on the go.

How can my restaurant use voicemail-to-text?

Enabling the voicemail-to-text feature is simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Enable email or SMS notifications for new voicemails 
2. Assign recipient addresses, e.g. a manager email or staff member mobile number
3. Record a professional voicemail greeting
4. Test the system to ensure it works correctly
5. Respond to voicemails promptly 

Which VoIP provider offers the best voicemail-to-text options?

RingCentral provides a robust voicemail-to-text transcription service that automatically converts voicemail messages into texts, emails, or app notifications, depending on your preference.

The feature is powered by AI algorithms, ensuring transactions are accurate and grammatically correct, and users can even search through past messages using targeted keywords.

6. Call recording 

Call recording is a VoIP tool that records incoming and outgoing calls automatically, before storing them as digital files to be reviewed later.

Restaurants can use this feature to train staff on phone etiquette, upselling techniques, and handling difficult customers effectively. Keeping call records as clear references also helps restaurants resolve disputes professionally, reducing cases of miscommunication. 

How can my restaurant use call recording?

Improve your restaurant’s customer service using call recording in the following simple steps:

1. Choose between automatic or on-demand recording
2. Decide where to store records (i.e. in the cloud or locally)
3. Inform staff and customers that calls may be recorded
4. Search and play recordings through your VoIP dashboard
5. Review calls for training purposes and to identify areas for improvement 

Which VoIP provider offers the best call recording options?

Most VoIP services offer call recording features, but we were particularly impressed with RingCentral when we tested it out ourselves. It provides both automatic and on-demand call recording options, and we thought the recording quality was crisp and really captured the voice well. 

Vonage also offers excellent call recording features, as well as other useful training tools like call whisper and call barge.

7. Reporting and analytics

VoIP reporting and analytics features can unearth detailed data about restaurant operations, helping managers understand how their phone lines are performing and how to make data-driven changes to improve efficiency. 

For instance, analytics platforms reveal crucial metrics, like peak caller times, missed or abandoned calls, and hold times, allowing managers to streamline call handling and ensure no customer enquiries are overlooked.

How can my restaurant use reporting and analytics?

You can measure your restaurant calling metrics by following these steps:

1. Select which metrics you will track (e.g. number of calls answered, average hold time or peak call periods)
2. Schedule daily, weekly or monthly reports
3. Export data to other business platforms, like POS or CRM systems
4. Implement changes based on your insights

Which VoIP provider offers the best reporting and analytics options?

While lots of VoIP services offer reporting and analytics features as a paid add-on, Vonage provides them as part of its basic packages.

The platform lets you create customizable reports, view live call metrics, and track staff performance and call trends, all without paying extra, making it a great value option for busy restaurants looking to improve their efficiency and customer service. 

Check out our Vonage review to learn more about the VoIP provider.

Top Restaurant VoIP Integrations You Should Consider

VoIP systems are versatile standalone products, but when integrated into other parts of your restaurant’s ecosystem, their potential can be amplified even further. Here are some third-party integrations to consider:

Should You Consider Switching VoIP Providers?

Every food business is unique and faces distinct challenges — from keeping track of different ordering channels to managing high call volumes during rushes. If your VoIP system doesn’t offer features that help you overcome these roadblocks, it might be time to consider switching.

We’ve researched, rated and reviewed the best systems for you, based on our independent research. Take a look at how the best VoIP providers compare on features and costs below: