ReservedWhen is the last time you had a reservation canceled or your guests simply didn’t show? Are you keeping track of what a lost reservation costs your venue? Club owners that do will be the first to tell you how important it is treat each and every reservation as valuable. While some bookings might have a higher price-tag than others, any lost reservation will impact your bottom line. That’s why prepared owners and party planners will always stress the necessity of getting customers to honor their commitments and make sure the venue is covered when they don’t.

The act of taking a reservation shouldn’t be taken lightly. Does your club have a system in place for booking procedures? Here are a few pieces of information, on top of a name, date and phone number, that your employees should get down:

Expected time of customer and guests. If you have guests coming and going at different times, this is a good way to personalize their experience at your club. If a certain attendee is expected to arrive at 11pm, it would be a nice touch to have a specified beverage or appetizer ready to go.

Email address. Being able to keep in touch with your guests via email is crucial these days with the rise of mobile communications. With a simple email address you can subtly confirm, remind, and followup on a reservation with relative ease. This is also a perfect opportunity to pre-sell and up-sell on a reservation to maximize your revenue on a given night.

Cell phone or texting info. Why not get down your customers cell phone number if they haven’t already provided it? If they’re running late on a reservation, you have a second way of getting them to honor their reservation. Being able to send an SMS text message to a customer is another good way to keep in touch.

Special requests. Go out of your way to convince your guest that you’re keeping them in mind. The best way to personalize a customer experience is to take down service notes on any special requirements they might have. Not only will this lead to future reservations, it will assure them that you’re on top of their reservation.

Beyond these things, you should notify your guests about any fees associated with a reservation. If you haven’t already, you should look into implementing a minimum spend policy, a cancellation fee, a no-show fee, or a rental/package price if your venue offers it. Getting a customer’s credit card information on file can drastically reduce your reservation cancellations and no-shows as well. It’s just another way to weed out the serial cancelers and cover yourself in case of a canceled reservation.