Customising the After-Hours Message

Your after-hours greeting is what callers hear when they call outside your business hours. A well-written after-hours message tells them you're closed, when you'll be open next, and what they can do in the meantime.

Where to configure it

Go to AI Receptionists → [Your AI] → Voice & Languages → Greetings (or the Greetings section within AI settings). Find the After-Hours or Business Hours greeting section.

There are typically two greeting types:

  • Standard greeting — plays during operating hours.
  • After-hours greeting — plays outside operating hours.

Writing an effective after-hours greeting

Your after-hours greeting should answer the most pressing question a caller has: "Why isn't anyone answering?"

Include:

  • An acknowledgement that the business is currently closed.
  • When you'll next be open (or point to a variable that fills this in).
  • What the caller can do right now (e.g. book online, leave a message, call back tomorrow).

Keep it:

  • Brief (15–30 seconds when spoken aloud).
  • Friendly — the caller is disappointed they can't get help right now. Empathy helps.
  • Actionable — give them something useful to do.

Using the `{{after_hours_message}}` variable

You can configure a separate After Hours Message (a short text string) and reference it in the greeting using {{after_hours_message}}. This lets you update the message text in one place without rewriting the full greeting.

For example, your greeting might say: "We're currently closed. {{after_hours_message}} We look forward to speaking with you during our next opening."

And your After Hours Message might be: "Our next opening is Tuesday from 9am. You can also book online at our website."

Variables available for the after-hours greeting

When writing the greeting, you can use:

  • {{business_name}} — your business name
  • {{location_name}} — the location name
  • {{ai_agent_name}} — the AI's configured name
  • {{after_hours_message}} — your configured after-hours message text
  • {{recording_disclosure}} — your recording consent notice

💡 Tip: Update your {{after_hours_message}} whenever your hours change (e.g. holiday periods). This keeps callers informed without requiring a full greeting rewrite.