When Bonnie cannot help a caller

Bonnie is built to handle most calls herself, but every venue has calls that need a person. This page explains Bonnie's decision process and how to make sure the right calls always reach the right person.

The decision flow

When a call comes in, Bonnie works through this order:

1. Answer the question using your FAQ and reservation system.
2. Try an alternative, for example suggesting a different time if the requested slot is unavailable.
3. Transfer to your team if the reason matches a transfer rule you have set up.
4. Use a fallback if the transfer fails (unavailable message, callback offer, WhatsApp with contact details).

Calls Bonnie always transfers immediately

You can configure Bonnie to transfer specific calls without trying to handle them first. Common examples:

• Caller asks to speak to a person.
• Complaint.
• Caller is calling in sick.
• Lost and found.
• Large group or event inquiry above your threshold.
• A topic you have explicitly put in your transfer rules.

Set these in the Transfer flows section on the Telephony tab. The more specific your transfer reasons, the better Bonnie routes. See Transfers & working schedule.

What Bonnie cannot do, by design

• Put a caller on hold: she cannot put a caller on hold and return later. If she cannot help and a transfer fails, she takes a message or offers a callback.
• Switch language mid-call: if the language is wrong at the start, the caller should hang up and redial. A language choice at the start of the call (keypad press) is the reliable fix. See Languages, voice & pronunciation.
• Accept payment: Bonnie never processes payments directly. For deposit bookings she creates the reservation and sends a payment link. See Deposit bookings.
• Modify Social Deal reservations: these must go through Social Deal directly. See Social Deal reservations.
• Access your team's calendars or internal systems: Bonnie only interacts with your connected reservation system.

Bonnie says something she should not

If Bonnie answers incorrectly or offers something unavailable, the cause is almost always missing instructions. Bonnie assumes something is possible if you have not told her it is not. Add a clear negative instruction for anything that causes problems, for example: "We do not offer takeaway. Do not suggest it." See Writing good instructions.

Bonnie interrupts the caller

This is a known limitation. Bonnie listens for a pause to know when it is her turn. If a caller pauses briefly to think, Bonnie may start early. This is not a setting you can change, our engineering team is continuously improving the detection. If it happens often on a specific topic, listen back to those calls and let us know.

Bonnie stops responding mid-call

This is rare and usually caused by a brief connection drop or a timeout while communicating with your reservation system. If it happens more than occasionally, send us the call-IDs and we will investigate. See Get help.