The decision this workflow supports
A lost-property caller needs a clear route to staff, while the restaurant needs enough detail to search. Reading an inventory of found objects aloud can make it harder to establish whether a claimant is describing their own item.
Put the review process in place
Collect the caller’s description before staff compare it with anything found. Ask for the approximate visit date and area, not unnecessary identity documents. Route the inquiry to the staff member who checks lost property and leave collection arrangements for that person.
Worked example for your team
For a trial, a caller reports leaving a dark umbrella after lunch yesterday. The note should contain that description, the approximate visit period and a return contact. It should not offer a list of umbrellas staff may have found or suggest that the item is definitely waiting for collection. Add a second caller describing a similar item on another day. Staff must be able to distinguish the inquiries and perform their own identification process. The assistant’s useful contribution is an accurate search request, not a judgment about ownership.
Sample wording to approve
“I can take a description and ask the team to check. Please describe the item and when you visited. Staff will contact you about identification and any collection arrangements.” This wording is a draft for the restaurant owner to approve before use.
Fields for the staff handoff
Staff need item description in caller’s words, visit date, approximate area, callback method, and lost-property owner. Mark uncertain details explicitly and keep the requested action separate from anything restaurant staff have already confirmed.
Acceptance tests before use
The assistant never lists stored found items. Two similar inquiries remain separate. The staff handoff contains the description but does not promise that an item was found. Record the observed result, assign any mismatch, and repeat the affected scenario after correction.
Further reading
Catering inquiry value calculator ↗
Try Ava with your business’s public information ↗