What do people ask about New Year’s Eve?
The same questions, from October until the night itself:
- Is it ticketed, or can we just turn up?
- How much is a ticket, and what does it include?
- Can we book a table or a booth for eight?
- Is there a dress code?
- What time does it finish, and is there a late licence?
- Is there food, and until when?
- Can we get in if we only decide on the night?
Each question is simple. Answer it quickly and the group is far more likely to come to you. Leave it for a few days and many will have booked somewhere else.
Why is New Year’s Eve harder than a normal Friday?
Because the questions arrive at the same time as the Christmas rush.
- They start while you are still taking work Christmas party bookings.
- They come in through comments, messages, the phone, your Google listing and email, all at once.
- The answers change as tickets sell. One week there are booths left, the next they are gone.
- The person who knows the plan is usually serving or running the floor.
The result is the same question answered three different ways by three different people, or not answered at all.
What does a good answer look like?
- The answer, from the plan. Yes, it is ticketed. Entry is from nine. The ticket includes a drink on arrival. The bar is open until one.
- The next step. Here is the ticket link. Or, if you take table bookings, a name and a number for a booth, for your team to confirm.
- The same answer everywhere. The phone, your messages, your comments and your email should all give the same price and the same finishing time.
New Year’s Eve questions, three ways
| The team, during service | Checking the phone between rushes | An always-on agent (Sorino) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answered while they are still deciding | Rarely | Sometimes | Yes |
| Same answer on every channel | Depends who answers | Sometimes | Yes, from one set of details |
| Knows what is still available | If they check | Sometimes | Yes, from what you update |
| Gives the ticket link or takes a booth request | If they think of it | Sometimes | Every time |
| Takes someone off the bar | Yes | Yes | No |
How does an always-on agent handle it?
You give it the plan: whether it is ticketed, the prices, what the ticket includes, the booth and table options, the dress code, the times and the food. It answers on the phone, in your messages, on your website and by email, at any hour, in your bar’s voice.
It sends people the ticket link, or takes a name and number for a table or booth request, for your team to confirm. When something sells out, you update it once and it gives the new answer on every channel. You can see every question in one place, so you know how much interest there is long before the night.
What will it not do?
- It will not sell tickets itself. It sends people to wherever you sell them.
- It will not promise a booth, a table or an entry time you have not told it about.
- It will not make exceptions to the door policy or the dress code.
- It will not take a full buyout or a big private party on its own. Those go to your manager. There is a separate guide to private hire: Win more private hire.
- It will not argue with anyone. If someone is upset, it passes them to a person.
Christmas party bookings arrive in the same weeks.
Answer every festive enquiry →The same approach fills your quiz nights and match days the rest of the year.
Fill your quiz nights →What to do this week
- Decide the plan: ticketed or not, prices, what is included, booths, times, dress code.
- Write the answers to the seven questions above, once, and share them with the whole team.
- Make sure every New Year’s Eve reply ends with the next step: the ticket link, or a name and number for a booth.
- Check your message requests folder. Someone may already be waiting for an answer.
How quickly can it go live?
About six weeks. The first fortnight sets up your venue, your events and the rules for when a person takes over. Then the phone and website chat go live and get tuned to your voice, then email and social messages are added. It runs at £299 a month. Start this month and it can be ready before the New Year’s Eve questions peak.
Frequently asked
Can it sell our New Year’s Eve tickets? No. It answers from your plan and sends people to wherever you sell them.
Can it hold a booth? It takes a name and number for a booth or table request, and your team confirms it.
What happens when we sell out? You update it once and it gives the new answer on every channel.
Does it reply to comments? It handles messages, and comments where the platform allows it. Anything better answered privately is taken to a message or a person.
The short version
- New Year’s Eve questions start in October and run until the night.
- They arrive everywhere at once, during the busiest weeks of the year.
- A good answer comes from the plan, ends with a ticket link or a booth request, and is the same on every channel.
- The agent answers from one set of details, gives the new answer everywhere when something sells out, and keeps a record of what people asked.
- Ticket sales, exceptions, buyouts and complaints stay with your team.