The problem
Function room enquiries for parties and events come in by phone, Facebook and email, and agreeing a viewing time takes several messages, then some people don't turn up. If you get 12 enquiries a month at 12 minutes each to agree a time, plus 3 no-show viewings wasting 45 minutes each, that's 144 + 135 = 279 minutes, about 4.7 hours a month.
What the AI does
Calendly is a scheduling tool: people pick a free slot from your calendar through a link. Its Standard plan adds unlimited event types, automations and reminders, and payments through Stripe or PayPal. Make an event 'Function room viewing' of 30 minutes, put the link on your website and Facebook page, and reply to every enquiry with it. The page doesn't give reminder timings, so check the settings. A viewing is not a booking: you agree the date, price and deposit in writing afterwards. Licensing details such as hours and capacity come from your premises licence, and any event-specific licence decision is yours and your designated premises supervisor's, not a booking tool's.
A worked example
A pub in Stockport with a 60-capacity function room gets about 12 enquiries a month for parties, christenings and club nights, and 3 of the booked viewings usually don't happen. The licensee sends the Calendly link in every reply.
Before
144 minutes of messages (12 x 12) plus 3 no-show viewings x 45 minutes = 279 minutes, about 4.7 hours a month
After
12 x 3 minutes = 36 minutes, plus 2 no-show viewings x 45 minutes = 90: 126 minutes, about 2.1 hours a month
What it's worth
About 2.6 hours a month saved (153 minutes), worth around £64 if the licensee's time is worth £25 an hour. The 2 remaining no-shows assume reminders prevent one of the three. Standard is $10 (about £8) a seat a month billed yearly, or $12 (about £9) billed monthly, so £8 to £9 for one seat.
How to set it up
- Choose the calendar you actually use for the pub and connect it to a Calendly account on the Standard plan.
- Create a 30-minute 'Function room viewing' event and block out service times and event nights.
- Turn on reminders for the event and read what a guest receives.
- Reply to every enquiry with the link, plus capacity, minimum spend and deposit from your own records.
- After each viewing, confirm the date, numbers, price, deposit and licensing arrangements in writing.
What goes wrong
- Standard is priced per seat; the free plan has no reminders and only one event type. Check whether you need reminders at all before paying.
- Reminders reduce no-shows but don't remove them, and the page doesn't say when they go. Test with your own number.
- Enquirers' names and phone numbers are personal data under UK GDPR. Use them for that enquiry and don't add them to promotions without consent.
- Don't promise opening hours, music or capacity in the booking page text unless they match your premises licence conditions.