Letting the AI Take Bookings Outside Hours
By default, many businesses configure the AI to accept bookings only during operating hours. But if you want callers to be able to make reservations or appointments even when you're closed, you can enable after-hours booking.
Why allow after-hours bookings?
Customers often think of calling when they're planning — which might be in the evening, on a Sunday, or during a holiday. If your AI can take a booking at 10 pm for a Saturday dinner reservation, you capture that intent before the customer forgets or books elsewhere.
After-hours booking is especially valuable for:
- Restaurants where customers plan ahead.
- Service businesses where appointment slots are limited and customers want to secure one early.
How to configure it
The after-hours booking behaviour is controlled by your AI configuration. Check the following settings:
- Operating hours: Your AI's operating hours determine when it behaves as "in hours" vs "after hours." Review these in the Hours / Availability section of your AI receptionist.
- After-hours greeting: Your greeting should let callers know whether the AI can help them book. If the AI can take bookings, say so: "Although we're closed, I can take a reservation for you."
- AI booking capability: The AI booking tool must be enabled for this to work regardless of hours. Check the AI Tools configuration.
What the AI does with an after-hours booking
If a caller books after hours, the booking is created in your system immediately — exactly as it would be during business hours. It appears in your dashboard calendar the next morning when you check in.
You'll see the booking with the source (Voice AI) and the time it was created.
Setting expectations with callers
If you allow after-hours bookings, your after-hours greeting should be explicit: "We're currently closed, but I can still take a booking for you." Otherwise, callers may assume the AI can't help and hang up.
💡 Tip: Even if you allow after-hours bookings, don't allow after-hours transfers (since nobody will answer). Configure the AI to handle after-hours calls fully through the booking flow, without relying on human transfer.
⚠️ Important: After-hours bookings will appear in your dashboard unreviewed. Check your dashboard each morning for any bookings made overnight to ensure staff are prepared.