The call goes unanswered
Line busy, nobody free, a call outside opening hours: as soon as a call goes unanswered, it's forwarded to Heep, which detects it and switches to writing.
Your restaurant never misses another call.
During service, nobody can pick up every ring. Heep messages the guest you missed, on WhatsApp or by SMS, within seconds, then handles their request all the way to the booking.
A message within secondsWhatsApp, with SMS as fallback500 free messages, no commitment
MD
Marion D.+44 7 ··· ··· 44 · WhatsApp
Mark as handledMissed call · 8:41pm
Hi, you just called Marcelle. We are in the middle of service, so I am picking this up here. How can I help?
Sent · WhatsAppHi! A table for 4 tonight around 8:30pm?
We still have 8:45pm for 4. What name should I put on it?
Sent · WhatsAppMarion D., thanks.
Booking confirmed · Zencheftonight · 8:45pm · 4 covers
All set, Marion. See you shortly!
Sent · WhatsAppWrite a manual reply…AI onSend
Missed call7:52pm · mobile
caught · bookingAnswered by the team8:06pm · 1 min 12
team07 ··· ··· 44missed call · 8:41pm
caught · bookingtonight
8+1
Missed calls caughtThe problem
An unanswered call is often a lost booking.
Your team is on the floor, in the kitchen, in the thick of service. The phone rings. Nobody can pick up. The guest hangs up and tries the restaurant next door.
01It isn't carelessness, it's the reality of service: calls come in exactly when you can't answer. One owner told us about a call a minute for two hours, some evenings.
02Guests rarely leave a voicemail. And when they do, they're rarely called back the same evening.
03Heep takes over in writing and keeps the guest with your restaurant.
How it works
How Heep does the work for you.
Three steps, nothing for your team to do.
The guest receives a message
Within seconds, they get a WhatsApp message in your restaurant's name, or an SMS if their number isn't on WhatsApp. They know someone is looking after them, even though nobody picked up.
Heep handles the request
Booking, change, cancellation, a question about opening hours or the menu: Heep replies like a member of your team, following your rules, and writes the booking into your software.
What Heep handles
Much more than an automatic reply.
Take a bookingDate, time, party size, name: the booking is written into Zenchef, SevenRooms, TheFork or your own software.
Change a bookingA guest goes from 4 to 5 covers or moves an hour later: your diary is updated.
Cancel and offer another dateThe table is freed up in time, and the guest leaves with another slot rather than a no.
Answer frequent questionsOpening hours, menu, directions, parking, terrace, vegetarian options, based on what you've taught it.
Qualify group enquiriesDepending on your rules: Heep books, or asks the right questions and hands over to your team above a certain size.
Hand over when it mattersAn allergy, a request outside your rules, a decision that's yours to make: Heep alerts you and waits for your answer.
The recovery message is only the start
The guest who hung up receives a message in your restaurant's name. They reply as they would to a friend: “a table for 4 tonight, around 8:30?”. Heep checks your availability, offers a slot, confirms, and writes the booking into your software. If the guest mentions an allergy, a pushchair or a wish to sit on the terrace, the information is noted on the booking.
Everything happens in your Heep inbox, on the web, in the mobile app or in the desktop app. Every conversation that started as a missed call carries the “missed call” label, and you can take over at any time. Bookings, reminders and follow-ups are covered in detail on the Bookings page.
What you need to prepare
Two things: call forwarding with your phone provider, and a WhatsApp Business number (provided by Heep, or your own). The Heep team handles the Meta verification with you, and you test on your own phone before opening it up to guests. Count on a few days end to end, including one to two days of Meta verification.
To estimate what your missed calls represent and how many Heep can recover, see our pricing.
Analytics · Missed calls
You finally see how many calls you recover, and which ones.
Every missed call is counted, timestamped and followed through to the booking. You know when the phone rings unanswered, what Heep did about it, and what it brought in.
244missed calls · 30 days
21287%recovered by message
96bookings from missed calls
8,940€in estimated revenue at average spend
Copilot31% of your missed calls come from landlines or withheld numbers: a message can't reach them. They're in your call log for a callback.
Peak hours for missed calls30 days
service peaksrest of the day
Full transparency
What Heep does, and what it does not.
We would rather tell you before the demo.
Recovered by message
- Calls from a mobile, in France or from abroad
- WhatsApp first, SMS if the number isn't on it
- During service, outside opening hours, on closing days
- In the guest's language, with your rules and your tone
The conversation appears in your Heep inbox like any other, labelled “missed call”.
Out of a message's reach
- Calls from a landline
- Withheld or unknown numbers
Heep recognises a landline and never sends it an SMS. These calls are still counted and listed in your call log, so your team knows which ones deserve a callback.
The way you work
Heep adapts to your restaurant, not the other way round.
You stay in control
You decide what Heep handles on its own and what it passes to you. On a complex request, it notifies you and hands over. You pick up the conversation from the inbox or the mobile app, without the guest changing thread.
No technical skills needed
You explain to Heep how your restaurant works by writing to it, as you would to a new colleague. Opening hours, booking rules, tone: that's it.
Nothing changes for your team
Heep works in the background. You keep your number, your phones ring as before, and your reservation software remains the source of truth.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we hear most.
How does Heep know a call was missed?
You set up call forwarding with your phone provider, on no-answer and on busy, to your restaurant's Heep number. It's done with a code such as *21* or in your VoIP system's settings, with every provider. You keep your number and your phones ring as before. As soon as a call is forwarded to Heep, it's counted as missed and the guest receives a message.
Does Heep answer the phone?
No. Heep doesn't take the call: it recovers it in writing. The guest receives a WhatsApp message or an SMS straight away, and Heep handles their request in that thread. It's a deliberate choice: in writing, the guest keeps a record, replies when it suits them, and you can reread and pick up the conversation.
SMS or WhatsApp? And can I change the message that's sent?
WhatsApp if the number can be reached there, SMS otherwise. The guest replies in the channel they already use, and the conversation carries on in the same place in your inbox. The first message is yours: restaurant name, tone, a mention that service is under way, the question asked. Heep then applies your rules for what follows.
What if the guest calls from a landline?
A landline can't receive a message. Heep recognises the line type and never sends an SMS to a landline. These calls are still counted and visible in your call log and your analytics, so your team can decide whether to call back.
What does Heep do if the request is complex?
It doesn't guess. For an allergy, a group enquiry outside your rules or a decision that's yours to make, it alerts your team with a notification and waits for your answer. You pick up the conversation without the guest changing thread, and you can pause the AI on any exchange at any time.
Does it work at night and on closing days?
Yes, 24 hours a day. Heep applies your opening hours: it can offer the next open service, take a booking for another day or simply answer questions. You can also restrict Heep to certain time slots, for example only during service or only outside opening hours.
How quickly does the guest get a message after a missed call?
Within seconds of the unanswered call. The guest is looked after while their phone is still in their hand, even though nobody could pick up on the floor.
The sending delay is set venue by venue. Some restaurants leave the team a moment to call back, others send the message straight away.
How does Heep detect a missed call?
We give you a dedicated number. On your line, you switch on call forwarding to that number when nobody answers, after a set number of rings. As soon as a call goes unanswered, Heep sees it and writes to the guest on WhatsApp, or by SMS if it is a mobile without WhatsApp.
A call from a landline is never chased by SMS: Heep checks the line type before sending. Calls your team answers trigger nothing.
Does it work with every telecoms provider?
Yes, with every provider that offers call forwarding on no answer, which is very nearly all of them in France and across Europe: Orange, SFR, Bouygues, business providers and company phone systems.
You switch it on by dialling a code from your handset or from your provider's customer area. We give you the exact procedure for your line. If several handsets ring in your restaurant, we set the forwarding up with you.
Go further
One feature among others.
Free trial
Try Heep on your own restaurant.
Heep writes to you on WhatsApp exactly as it would write to your guests, with your hours and your rules. You judge it on the evidence, then start whenever you are ready.
- 500 free messages, no commitment
- Bookings written into Zenchef, SevenRooms or TheFork
- Our team stays with you until you are live