Poradnik
Nabsie vs a paper diary
A paper diary has served pubs for decades, and there is nothing wrong with it. The question is whether it still covers everything you need. Here is a fair comparison.
Quick answer. A paper diary is free, needs no wifi and anyone can use it. It cannot take bookings while you are closed, send reminders or show you who has booked from your phone. Nabsie does those things, and the Free plan covers up to 50 bookings a month. You can run both side by side to start.
What a paper diary is good at
- It costs nothing and never needs charging.
- Everyone knows how to use it.
- It works when the internet is down.
- It is quick to scribble a booking during a phone call.
Where it falls short
- People can only book when someone answers the phone.
- There are no reminders, so no-shows are harder to prevent.
- The diary is in one place. Staff at home or the owner on holiday cannot see it.
- Handwriting, crossings out and missed lines can lead to double bookings.
- You have no guest list to message when you have a special offer.
What Nabsie adds
- A booking page that works 24 hours a day, with a link and QR poster.
- Email confirmations and a reminder the day before, on every plan.
- A calendar and day view you can open on any phone.
- Staff can still type in phone bookings. On the Free plan these count towards your monthly limit, on Standard and Pro they do not.
How to switch without a big change
- Sign up on the Free plan. It takes a few minutes and needs no card. Add your opening hours and tables.
- Keep the paper diary for now. Carry on writing bookings in it while you test the system.
- Put your link and QR poster up. Share them on Facebook, your menu and your door. Online bookings start arriving.
- Enter phone bookings in the staff app. Type phone calls straight in, so everything is in one place.
- Retire the diary when you are ready. Once the day view is the one you trust, stop writing in the paper one.
Your Free plan has up to 50 bookings a month. If you grow past that, see which plan do I need.
FAQ
Częste pytania
Do I have to stop using paper?
No. Plenty of venues keep the diary beside the phone and enter bookings into Nabsie afterwards. Do what suits your team.
What if the wifi goes down?
You will not be able to open the system until it is back, so keep a phone number or a copy of today's bookings to hand. The day's list can be sent to you by email as a backup on Standard and above.
Can I put my old bookings in?
Yes. See our import bookings guide.
Is it hard to learn?
Most owners are set up in about ten minutes. Our quick start guide goes through it.