Automate Restaurant Marketing & Booking with Excel, VAPI Voice Agent & Calendar

This n8n template demonstrates how to create a comprehensive marketing automation and booking system that combines Excel-based lead management with voice-powered customer interactions. The system utilizes VAPI for voice communication and Excel/Google Sheets for data management, making it ideal for restaurants seeking to automate marketing campaigns and streamline booking processes through intelligent voice AI technology.

Good to know

• Voice processing requires active VAPI subscription with per-minute billing
• Excel operations are handled in real-time with immediate data synchronization
• The system can handle multiple simultaneous voice calls and lead processing
• All customer data is stored securely in Excel with proper formatting and validation
• Marketing campaigns can be scheduled and automated based on lead data

How it works

Lead Management & Marketing Automation Workflow

1. New Lead Trigger: Excel triggers capture new leads when customers are added to the lead management spreadsheet
2. Lead Preparation: The system processes and formats lead data, extracting relevant details (name, phone, preferences, booking history)
3. Campaign Loop: Automated loop processes through multiple leads for batch marketing campaigns
4. Voice Marketing Call: VAPI initiates personalized voice calls to leads with tailored restaurant offers and booking invitations
5. Response Tracking: All call results and lead responses are logged back to Excel for campaign analysis

Booking & Order Processing Workflow

1. Voice Response Capture: VAPI webhook triggers when customers respond to marketing calls or make direct booking requests
2. Response Storage: Customer responses and booking preferences are immediately saved to Excel sheets
3. Information Extraction: System processes natural language responses to extract booking details (party size, preferred times, special requests)
4. Calendar Integration: Booking information is automatically scheduled in restaurant management systems
5. Confirmation Loop: Automated follow-up voice messages confirm bookings and provide additional restaurant information

Excel Sheet Structure

Lead Management Sheet

Column

Description

lead_id

Unique identifier for each lead

customer_name

Customer's full name

phone_number

Primary contact number

email

Customer email address

last_visit_date

Date of last restaurant visit

preferred_cuisine

Customer's food preferences

party_size_typical

Usual number of guests

preferred_time_slot

Preferred dining times

marketing_consent

Permission for marketing calls

lead_source

How customer was acquired

lead_status

Current status (new, contacted, converted, inactive)

last_contact_date

Date of last marketing contact

notes

Additional customer information

created_at

Lead creation timestamp

Booking Responses Sheet

Column

Description

response_id

Unique response identifier

customer_name

Customer's name from call

phone_number

Contact number used for call

booking_requested

Whether customer wants to book

party_size

Number of guests requested

preferred_date

Requested booking date

preferred_time

Requested time slot

special_requests

Dietary restrictions or special occasions

call_duration

Length of VAPI call

call_outcome

Result of marketing call

follow_up_needed

Whether additional contact is required

booking_confirmed

Final booking confirmation status

created_at

Response timestamp

Campaign Tracking Sheet

Column

Description

campaign_id

Unique campaign identifier

campaign_name

Descriptive campaign title

target_audience

Lead segments targeted

total_leads

Number of leads contacted

successful_calls

Calls that connected

bookings_generated

Number of bookings from campaign

conversion_rate

Percentage of leads converted

campaign_cost

Total VAPI usage cost

roi

Return on investment

start_date

Campaign launch date

end_date

Campaign completion date

status

Campaign status (active, completed, paused)

How to use

1. Setup: Import the workflow into your n8n instance and configure VAPI credentials
2. Excel Configuration: Set up Excel/Google Sheets with the required sheet structure provided above
3. Lead Import: Populate the Lead Management sheet with customer data from various sources
4. Campaign Setup: Configure marketing message templates in VAPI nodes to match your restaurant's branding
5. Testing: Test voice commands such as "I'd like to book a table for tonight" or "What are your specials?"
6. Automation: Enable triggers to automatically process new leads and schedule marketing campaigns
7. Monitoring: Track campaign performance through the Campaign Tracking sheet and adjust strategies accordingly

The system can handle multiple concurrent voice calls and scales with your restaurant's marketing needs.

Requirements

• VAPI account for voice processing and natural language understanding
• Excel/Google Sheets for storing lead, booking, and campaign data
• n8n instance with Excel/Sheets and VAPI integrations enabled
• Valid phone numbers for lead contact and compliance with local calling regulations

Customising this workflow

• Multi-location Support: Adapt voice AI automation for restaurant chains with location-specific offers
• Seasonal Campaigns: Try popular use-cases such as holiday promotions, special event marketing, or loyalty program outreach
• Integration Options: The workflow can be extended to include CRM integration, SMS follow-ups, and social media campaign coordination
• Advanced Analytics: Add nodes for detailed campaign performance analysis and customer segmentation