OpenTable FAQ

Answers to your burning questions about the Slang + OpenTable integration

With our OpenTable integration, there are sure to be questions! Read on to find the answer to the most frequently asked questions.

 

What features are included in the Slang + OpenTable Integration?

1. 1. Slang will now be able to Book, Change, and Cancel reservations on your behalf.

What tables can the Slang integration book?

1. 1. Tables that are listed as In-house + Available

 

What are the steps to align the integration with settings I have for online bookings?

1. 1. The integration doesn't know if you release online tables only 30 days in advance. Be sure to create a Special Day for holidays and make In-house "Unavailable" if you plan to adjust the shift in any way, or create an Experience in the future.
   2. If you have special dining areas like a PDR that you don't usually have open or prepped for seating, remove this from your daily In-house shift availability.
   3. If your hosts typically explain something about a particular table before they book it, remove this from your daily In-house shift availability.
   4. If you prefer seatings on the half hour only, adjust your flow settings to zero for quarter-hour intervals (7:15, 7:45, etc).
   5. If you restrict online bookings for large parties to the first and last seatings, adjust your shift to have three segments by utilizing "Peak Times," and restrict large party In-house availability during your busiest dining hours.

 

What about Large Parties?

1. 1. As long as your reservation cap is set properly on the Slang Concierge, any callers looking to book a table larger than is allowed will go down your Large Parties route, be it an email address, an event request form, or forwarding to your staff.

How will I know if a reservation was booked through Slang?

1. 1. Reservations booked through Slang will appear as "AI integration."

What if I require Credit Cards for some bookings?

1. 1. Not a problem! Please be sure your restaurant is Enabled for SCCE (Secure Credit Card Entry).
   2. Callers will hear that we are holding a table for them, but that following the link in their text message will allow them to secure the reservation by entering their card details:
      "Please note that reservations without payment information may be canceled or moved to the waitlist, so be sure to enter your card information as soon as you get the text."
   3. The reservation will land on your books right away, but in the meantime...
   4. Texts come from OpenTable with a link to capture credit card details, using aform that is linked to your Stripe integration.
   5. Texts are sent immediately, with reminder texts 1 hour later and 24 hours later if the diner hasn't yet used the link to add their payment details.

Are my guests going to be charged if they cancel their reservation with Slang?

1. 1. At this time, both the calls for canceling a booking and changing a booking that are subject to a cancellation policy will be escalated to your staff. Slang will not be performing any actions that would result in a diner being charged a fee.

Does your Integration respect my online Flow Settings?

1. 1. The OpenTable + Slang Integration should not book any tables that would put you over your kitchen pacing rules.

Will diners have to spell out their name when booking a reservation?

Callers without a Slang guest profile will need to spell their name in order to make a reservation. The next time they call in, we'll use the name on file!

1. 1. When we ask for a name on the phone, if the name + phone number combination already exists in your guestbook, the reservation will be saved on that diner profile in your Guestbook.
   2. If the name + phone number combination is new, we will create a new diner in your Guestbook.

 

Can guests leave special requests?

1. 1. Yes! After booking, the concierge asks “Would you like to add any notes or special requests?” Any spoken requests will appear in Open Table as a reservation note.

 

How can I disconnect the Integration?

1. 1. The OpenTable “My Integrations” page has a live status indicator and a button you can click on to “Disconnect Slang”

      

 

What about Experiences?

1. 1. At this time Slang is not able to serve Experiences bookings through the integration.
   2. If you are using Experiences to gather reservations for holidays coming up, please add those direct links to your “Seasonal Events” topic so that callers asking about the upcoming holiday can be connected with the information they need.

 

I have a TripleSeat integration turned on, too, do I need to do anything special?

1. 1. Currently, if you have a full buyout and TripleSeat has been configured correctly, the integration should block availability for phone reservations when you have an event.
   2. If the event is not a full buyout, you may want to make that a “Special Day” to ensure that the shift settings are correct.

 

I have opted-out of SMS messaging through OpenTable, will the integration still work correctly?

1. 1. There are several features that require the SMS messaging to be enabled via OpenTable, such as credit card deposit links and reservation confirmations sent via text. While the reservation functionality will be fine, your guests may not receive crucial information as a result of this setting.
   2. Be sure to check your settings via OpenTable and opt-in for SMS messaging!

Have Questions?

Need more assistance or have a question? Shoot us an email at support@slang.ai. Our dedicated support team is available to help with any questions you might have, so don't hesitate to reach out!