Success story: Mitchells & Butlers

Before implementing Collins Call Evo, M&B relied on a combination of: 

• Legacy touchtone IVR systems 
• Old‑style voicemails 
• Operators manually inputting bookings into the existing Collins Evo platform 

This meant that during peak trading hours phones were ringing off the hook, staff were unable to answer while serving guests, guests abandoned calls or left voicemails that weren’t always picked up promptly, and lost bookings moved to competitor venues 

Not only this, but M&B noticed key shifts in guest expectations: 

• More guests phoning “day‑for‑day” or within an hour of arrival 
• Growing reliance on digital booking journeys 
• Higher demand for real‑time confirmations 
• Reduced willingness to wait for callbacks or voicemail responses 

This resulted in lost sales, frustrated guests, and operators stretched thin. 

As a hands‑on beta partner, M&B tested the system across multiple venue types: late‑night bars, British pubs, suburban community venues and premium dining. 

Together with Access Collins Evo, they: 

• Stress‑tested real guest scenarios 
• Identified friction points 
• Provided operator‑led insight for refinement 
• Helped shape early feature development 

A key example: improving how the AI handles withheld numbers and landlines by prompting guests for mobile numbers to ensure confirmation texts are always received. 

The outcome of Access Collins Evo and M&B’s development was an AI-powered phone booking system that effectively handled: 

• Standard bookings 
• Large group enquiries 
• Email and contact collection 
• Deposit payments via automated secure links 

Booking rules already set in Collins were automatically enforced, so there was no need for retraining or process changes, which aided smooth adoption across every brand and demographic.  

Having the support of Collins Call Evo reduced noise and disruption front‑of‑house, allowing operators to be more focused on service.