Why after-hours calls matter
Many people call a business outside working hours because that's when they have time: after work, in the evening, at the weekend. Others call because something has just gone wrong. A recorded message tells both groups to try again later, and some of them will call someone else instead.
An assistant that answers, understands the request and promises a call back keeps those customers, and gives you what you need to call back well prepared.
What the assistant does after hours
- Tells callers your opening hours, including holidays and closed dates you set.
- Answers common questions from the information you write: services, prices, address, policies.
- Takes a message with the caller's name, number and reason for calling, and emails it to your team.
- Flags urgent requests, so they're the first ones you see in the morning, or the ones the person on call sees at once.
- Gives the emergency guidance you wrote, for example the emergency number or an on-call service.
- Books appointments in free slots for the following days, if you use booking (Growth and Pro plans, see appointment booking).
Set it up for after hours only
You don't have to hand over all your calls. Keep answering during the day and forward calls to RingLily only outside opening hours, or only the calls nobody picks up. Most phone systems and mobile networks let you set this up in a few minutes; our guide explains how to forward your calls.
The after-hours template sets the assistant up for exactly this job: short, clear conversations, your hours, your emergency guidance, and a message for the team.
Transfers only when someone is there
On Growth and Pro, the assistant can pass a call to a person. With "only during opening hours" turned on, it doesn't try to transfer at night: it takes a message instead. That way nobody gets woken up by a routine question, and urgent messages still arrive by email straight away.
What it costs
Plans start at $49 or €45 a month with 150 minutes included, and only answered calls count, rounded up to the next minute. There's a 14-day free trial and no long-term contract. See pricing, or compare with human services in AI receptionist vs answering service.