Always Responsive, Always On-Brand: How Silchester Farm Modernised Guest Communication with AIVA

Silchester Farm is one of the UK’s most sought-after countryside wedding and event venues- but growth was starting to outpace capacity. Enquiries arrived at all hours across multiple channels, while the team was focused on delivering weddings, corporate events and luxury stays in-house. Messages got scattered, repetitive questions consumed valuable time, and the risk of slower, inconsistent responses threatened to cost bookings.

“We knew that if we didn’t change how we handled enquiries, we’d either have to keep adding headcount or start losing bookings to venues that responded faster. Neither option felt right.”

Amie Louise Haynes, Managing Director at Silchester Farm

The Solution

Silchester Farm turned to AIVA Revolution, an Intelligent Customer Experience Platform built specifically for venues like theirs.

Within weeks, AIVA was up and running across five channels including email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and webchat. The team worked with AIVA to build a comprehensive knowledge base, drawing on all the useful information about the farm – from ceremony options and accommodation, to menus, pricing, and the countless questions couples, guests and corporate event organisers ask along the way. This gave AIVA the knowledge to answer any question accurately, while responding in the farm’s own warm, natural tone, instantly and consistently across every channel customers use to get in touch.

From there, AIVA transformed how Silchester Farm engages with all their customers and how the team works behind the scenes.

Instant, personalised replies, day or night and immediate, accurate answers without waiting for office hours.

Guided enquiry handling- AIVA responds to every enquirer and guides them to the next step: booking a showround, checking availability, or requesting a brochure.

A smarter, more confident team- AIVA Empower gives staff instant access to accurate venue information, reducing onboarding time and improving consistency.

Real visibility for the first time – SmartAnalytics surfaces guest sentiment, enquiry trends, peak engagement times, and the most frequently asked questions across every channel.

“Over 94% of customers now self-serve through AIVA all the way through to booking a visit to the farm. It has saved hours of administrative work from our team and allows them to focus on what matters most which is delivering the best possible experience to guests.”

Amie Louise Haynes, Managing Director at Silchester Farm

Conclusion

For Silchester Farm, AIVA has been more than a digital assistant, it’s become a core part of how the business runs and grows. The venue can now deliver the responsiveness today’s customers expect, free up staff to focus where they shine, and use real data to make smarter decisions about content, marketing and growth.

The results speak for themselves: conversion rates have nearly doubled, the team saves hours every day, and the farm has visibility into its guest relationships it has never had before. 

“AIVA doesn’t just handle enquiries – it’s changed how we think about the business. We can see exactly when people are getting in touch, what they’re asking, and whether our marketing is actually working. This kind of visibility has made us better operators, not just faster ones.”

Amie Louise Haynes, Managing Director at Silchester Farm