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At Black Tie Casino Events, quality and professionalism are the table stakes. Based in San Diego, this team brings the energy and excitement of the casino floor to fundraisers, corporate gatherings, and private parties across the city. Their reputation rests on sharp attention to detail, top-notch tables, and staff who make every guest feel like a high roller.
But behind the scenes, Black Tie runs lean. Like many small businesses, the crew juggles busy day jobs alongside event planning and sales. That means incoming calls don’t always get answered in the moment. "One of the most important things in sales is being responsive and available," says Dave Ptak, the owner. "When the call comes in, if you miss it, and then you have to call them back, they often go on and find somebody else. The first person they talked to ends up being who gets the sale."
Challenge
Dave and his team knew they couldn’t afford to let opportunities slip by them, especially in a competitive event market. But with limited time and no full-time receptionist, keeping up with calls felt impossible. Their salesperson, who also works a regular day job, often couldn’t answer every inbound call. "We all do this on a part-time basis, so our salesperson has a day job. So, they weren't always responding to calls."
Other answering services they’d tried simply didn’t measure up. The responses felt generic, and the caller experience didn’t match the high standards Black Tie sets for their events. Plus, they needed a way to filter out unqualified leads—calls from outside San Diego, for example—without wasting time on callbacks or handoffs.
Solution
Enter Upfirst. With Upfirst’s AI-powered virtual receptionist, Black Tie Casino Events now has 24/7 professional call answering for a fraction of the cost of traditional services. Dave was impressed by how intuitive the system was—both to set up and for callers to interact with. "Yours was more intuitive, easier to use from the other ones we tried."
The team tailored their virtual receptionist’s knowledge base to include key details: service area (San Diego only), event types, and what information to gather from prospective clients. Now, when a lead calls, Upfirst’s AI greets them with warmth and professionalism, asks questions about their event, and determines if they’re a good fit. If so, the call is forwarded to a live team member. If not, the receptionist can politely end the call, saving everyone’s time.
"Once we started testing and getting some practice calls in, we just felt that your receptionists were better able to understand the caller and what their needs were and respond back with appropriate things," says Dave. "This way the AI could make some of those determinations for us, and then transfer that call to a live person, eliminating the wasted time."
Results
With Upfirst, Black Tie Casino Events no longer worries about missed calls or losing leads to faster competitors. Every caller gets a prompt, professional response, reflecting the high standards the company is known for. The team gets an email and text message after each interaction, complete with a summary and transcript, so they never miss important details.
Best of all, the switch has helped Black Tie double down on what sets them apart: a polished, attentive experience from the very first touchpoint. "In general, I just think we're upping our presentation game. The more professional you come across to clients, the better."
Dave sums it up simply: "We're happy customers and we're glad you're in business, and adding new things I notice all the time to make things even easier for us."
If you want to give every caller the VIP treatment (without hiring a full-time receptionist), give Upfirst a try.
Sign up now for a free trial and never let a caller reach a voicemail again.
