Guide
Phone alerts and live check: what staff do
When someone asks to book online, your venue may want an answer fast. The staff app puts new requests in front of you and lets you reply in one tap.
Watch: Phone Alerts and Live Check
Get booking alerts on your phone, reply with one tap, and learn what the Live check switch does. 73 sec
Read the transcript
When someone asks to book online, they want a quick answer. The Tablez staff app puts new requests on your phone, so you can reply in one tap. On your phone, open your venue's Tablez address ending in slash staff, and log in. On an iPhone, use Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, Chrome offers to install it. Scroll down to Notifications and press Enable notifications. Allow them when your phone asks. Then press Send a test to check it works. Phone alerts need the Standard plan or above. New requests show under Waiting for a reply, with a beep. Press Accept to confirm the booking. If you can't fit them in, press Decline, choose a reason, and press Decline and email them. The guest gets an email either way. At the top is the Live check switch. When it's on, the guest is waiting on the booking page, and the request shows a countdown. Switch it on when you're on shift and watching your phone, and off when you leave the floor. Be quick and kind. A polite decline with a reason beats silence. Start free at tablez.co.uk.
Set up your phone
- Open the staff app link in your phone's browser and log in.
- On an iPhone, open it in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen, and open it from your home screen. On Android, Chrome offers to install it.
- Scroll down to Notifications and press Enable notifications. Allow them when your phone asks.
- Press Send a test to check it works. Test sound checks the beep.
If your venue is not on a paid plan, you will not get phone alerts. The page still beeps when a request arrives while it is open.
Answer a request
New requests show under Waiting for a reply with a sound. Press Accept to confirm the booking. Press Decline if you cannot fit them, choose a reason, add a message if you like, and press Decline and email them. The guest is emailed either way.
What the Live check switch is
At the top of the staff app is a switch called Live check. When it is on, the guest is waiting on the booking page for a quick answer, and the request shows up with a countdown. Any staff login can flip the switch. If your venue uses live check, switch it on when you are on shift and watching the phone, and switch it off when you leave the floor. If nobody answers in time, the booking falls back to a normal request, as the owner has set.
The switch only does something if the owner has chosen live check under Booking rules. If it looks greyed out, that is why.
Be quick and kind
Guests sitting on the page are waiting. Answer within the countdown if you can. If you cannot say yes, a polite decline with a reason is better than silence.
Watch the video
Prefer to see it done? Watch The staff app and booking alerts on our video guides page. You may also like the owner guide to the staff app and booking rules and live check. Plans and prices are on the pricing page.
FAQ
Common questions
Do I need to download it from an app store?
No. It runs in the browser and installs from there.
I am not getting alerts. What do I check?
Check your venue is on Standard or above, that you pressed Enable notifications, and that your phone has not blocked them. On an iPhone it must be opened from the home screen.
Can I stop alerts when I am off shift?
Yes. Turn notifications off on your own phone, or log out of the staff app.
What if two of us answer the same request?
Only one can win. The second person gets a message that the booking is no longer waiting.