Why after hours matters
People look for a business when they're free, not when you're open
A contact form sent at 9pm gets a reply the next day at best, and often later. When Harvard Business Review researchers sent test inquiries through the websites of 2,241 US companies, the ones that replied within 30 days took 42 hours on average, and 23% never replied at all. By then the customer has often asked someone else.
Phone answering services cover the phone, often billed per call or per minute: Smith.ai's AI receptionist plans charge by the call, and Ruby's live receptionist plans are sold in blocks of minutes. Ruby's website chat is metered too, sold by the chat. But plenty of people find you on your website first, and would rather type than call.
An after-hours assistant on your website answers the common questions straight away, takes the details of anyone who wants a quote or a callback, and hands you a clean list of leads when you open. You get each one by email the moment it arrives.
Sources (pricing pages read October 1, 2026): Smith.ai AI receptionist pricing; Ruby pricing; Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, "The Short Life of Online Sales Leads", Harvard Business Review, March 2011
How it works
What happens to a website inquiry at 9pm
It answers from your facts
Prices you publish, services, the area you cover, and your opening hours. It knows your business is closed right now, on an ordinary night or a holiday you've added, and says so.
It takes their details
Name, phone or email, and what they need, so you can call back without a round of questions. A customer who gives an email address gets a copy of what they asked, with when you next open.
You get the lead, without being woken
An alert goes out right away. Reminders wait until you next open, unless it's an emergency and you've asked to be woken.
What you get
Overnight coverage that knows it's overnight
Knows your hours
It works on your time zone, your opening hours and the holidays and one-off closures you add, so “are you open now?” gets a true answer on Thanksgiving too.
A copy for the customer
Anyone who leaves their details with an email address gets a short email: what they asked, that a person will follow up, and when you next open. Their reply comes to you. Turn it off in Settings if you'd rather send your own.
Emergencies first
For trades that take emergencies, urgent problems are marked urgent. A gas smell or sparks get safety advice to call 911 before anything else.
A morning list
Leads captured overnight are on your Leads page with the full conversation, and a morning reminder if nobody has picked them up.
No per-call billing
Plans are a flat monthly price with a message allowance, and no hidden charges. Reaching the allowance adds a charge only if you've switched on auto top-up.
Your callback promise
Set a promise like "by 10am" and it tells customers exactly that. Without one, it never invents a time.
Details even at your limit
Past your allowance, answers pause but the chat stays and shows a contact form, so visitors can still leave their details.
In practice
A Sunday-night inquiry to a law firm
- I think I need help with a custody arrangement. Are you open?
- I'm an AI assistant for the firm, not a lawyer, and chatting here doesn't make you a client. The office opens Monday at 9am. I can take your details so an attorney can get back to you. What's your name and the best number?
Says it's an AI and not a lawyer, and knows the office is closed
- Dana Brooks, (555) 010-0789. We're in Travis County.
- New lead (Brooks & Lee Family Law): Dana Brooks (555) 010-0789 / custody arrangement, Travis County
Alert sent now; reminders held until Monday morning
What it won't do
What it isn't
It covers your website overnight. Be clear about what else still needs covering.
- It doesn't answer phone calls or voicemail. Pair it with your phone setup.
- It doesn't dispatch a technician or call anyone on your behalf.
- It won't give advice your business shouldn't give in chat, like legal, medical or tax advice.
- It can only answer from your facts; anything else is waiting for you in the morning.
Questions
After-hours answering service questions
How much does an after-hours answering service cost?
Phone answering services are often billed per call or per minute. Ours is a flat monthly plan, from a Free plan to paid plans starting at $19 a month, with no per-call or per-minute charges. The only extra is auto top-up, 2,000 more messages for $20, and only if you switch it on. Compare the plans.
Is there an AI after-hours answering service?
Yes. Ours is an AI assistant for your website that answers questions and takes leads around the clock. It doesn't answer phone calls.
Will it wake me for emergencies?
Only if you ask it to. Turn on waking for emergencies and an urgent lead gets its reminder overnight too, and reaches your backup contact if you've added one; everything else waits until morning.
Does it know when we're closed for a holiday?
Yes, once you add the dates in Settings, as a closed day or a day with shorter hours. It tells customers, offers no appointment times on a closed day, and holds reminders about new leads until you next open. A date you haven't added is treated as a normal day.
Does it work for law firms and medical offices?
Yes, with rules for each. For a law firm it says early on that it's an AI, not a lawyer, and that chatting doesn't make someone a client. A dental practice's assistant never asks about symptoms. A medical clinic's assistant answers general questions only and collects no personal details at all, so it points people to your phone number or booking link. More for law firms and medical clinics.
What is an after-hours answering service?
A service that responds to customers when your business is closed. Traditionally that means answering phone calls. Ours answers your website chat, from your own facts, and takes customers' details for you.
Keep exploring
Related use cases and features
- Appointment bookingTurn questions into booked appointments.
- Lead generationTurn website visitors into leads you can call.
- Answers from your websiteReplies from your own pages and documents, and says when it doesn't know.
- Lead alertsNew leads emailed to you in seconds, with where they came from.
- Handoff to youPasses the conversation to you when a person should answer.