Back to case studiesThe Grapevine
The Grapevine sells wine and gifts from two London shops and online, and a third of its calls come from the US. Before holidays and in busy seasons it gets over 100 calls a day. Liam, its AI receptionist, now answers on 7 lines, opens support tickets and keeps callers out of the queue. The Grapevine belongs to the same group as The Whisky World, where the pilot started.
The challenge
Before holidays and special seasons, calls spike to over 100 a day, on top of a pile of emails. The team is busy with orders, so callers waited 15 or 20 minutes in a queue just to get an answer. A third of the calls come from the US, so long waits hit overseas customers too.
The solution
Liam answers when the team cannot. He sounds natural, so callers talk to him like a person. He asks for the order ID and the problem, flags it and opens a support ticket with every detail, so the team can start work at once. Sales, online orders, gifts, accounts and the director's line are covered: 7 lines in total.
- Order problems, turned into support tickets
- Sales for both shops
- Online orders and gift requests
- Accounts and director messages
“After 10 days, we made the call to expand it across our other shops. Soon December hits, and calls will spike again; having Liam already in place across the business will make the holiday rush genuinely manageable.”
Results
90%
less waiting time
From a 20-minute queue to a ticket in 1 to 2 minutes. Fewer callers hang up.
100+
calls a day at peak
Holiday spikes handled without hiring.
£0
spent on a call centre
A few hundred pounds saved every month across the group.
1 in 3
calls from the US
Overseas customers get the same quick answer.
- Waiting time cut by 90%: a support ticket in 1 to 2 minutes instead of a 15 to 20 minute queue
- Over 100 calls a day at peak, handled without extra staff
- No more paying a call centre: a few hundred pounds saved every month across the group
- US callers served as quickly as UK callers
- Expanded across the other shops after 10 days
