Taking calls after hours: voicemail and callbacks
How to decide what callers hear after hours, and what happens the next business day, so no call is lost.
When a call that comes in after hours simply ends, the caller is left with nothing. If you decide in advance how after-hours calls are handled, the next business day goes more smoothly too.
Start by stating your business hours
Open the after-hours message with your business hours. Just knowing when to call back tells the caller what to do next.
Let callers leave a voicemail
If you take voicemail, ask callers to say their name, a number to call back and the main point of their request, so you do not have to ask again. Decide who listens to the recordings, and when.
Take callback requests
Some people would rather not leave a recording. Taking only a callback request, with someone calling back the next business day, is another option.
Plan the next business day
Decide who checks after-hours requests first thing the next business day, and in what order, so nothing slips through. Agree internally in advance on how urgent requests are handled.
Setting it up in Call
In Call, you can set up a voicemail box for each queue and take callback requests from an option in your phone menu. The after-hours message follows your business-hours settings.