Out-of-hours answering
After-hours answering for when you clock off.
An out-of-hours answering service picks up your business calls once you've closed: evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Keep answering your own phone in the day. When you stop, Sayora answers instead, takes the details and sends you the lead by text or email.
£49 a month flat. Out-of-hours cover is included, not an extra.
Customers ring when they've finished work, not when you have.
The hours you're closed are often the hours your customers are free. Here are three calls an out-of-hours line gets. They're illustrations, not customer stories.
The evening enquiry
Someone gets home at half six and rings about a quote, a viewing or an appointment. You've shut, and they've only just got the time.
The weekend list
Saturday morning, working through the list: prices to check, appointments to book, a firm to choose. If nobody answers, the next number on the list gets the call.
The one that can't wait
A leak, a lock-out, a deadline tomorrow. The caller wants to know someone has the message tonight.
Days are yours. Evenings are Sayora's.
Sayora works as your after-hours virtual receptionist, and the handover is an ordinary call divert. Your phone rings first. If you don't pick up, Sayora does.
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Your phone rings first
Set your number to ring you, then hand over to Sayora if you don't pick up. On a mobile you choose how long it rings: 10, 15 or 20 seconds. It's an ordinary call divert, set with a short code, and your number stays with your provider.
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You stop answering when you close
There's nothing to switch on at closing time. Let a call ring out and Sayora answers. On a mobile, a call you decline, or one that arrives while your phone is off, can go straight to Sayora too.
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Sayora takes the call
In your business name, telling new callers it's AI. Sayora answers questions from your business information, takes the caller's details, and can book an appointment once your calendar is connected and bookings are set up.
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The lead is waiting for you
A summary by text, email or both when the call ends, with the recording and transcript in your Sayora app. Read it that evening or first thing in the morning.
Urgent calls get marked. They don't get put through.
When a caller needs help today or says it can't wait, Sayora marks the lead urgent in your text, your email and your Sayora app. What Sayora doesn't do is transfer the caller to you, or keep ringing until you wake up. So decide what your business promises out of hours, then pick the route that fits.
Urgent can wait for morning
Nothing to set up. Urgent leads are marked in your texts and listed first among the leads in your Sayora app.
You're on call some nights
Keep your text alerts on for those nights. The summary arrives when the call ends, marked urgent, and you ring the caller back.
You promise an emergency response
You need someone who can put the caller through to you. A human answering service with call transfer is the better fit.
Compare human servicesOut-of-hours call answering at the same flat price.
Sayora is £49 a month, whether that covers one evening call or a hundred. Evenings, weekends and bank holidays are part of the plan, with unlimited minutes under fair use. Your own phone provider may charge for diverting calls, so check your tariff.
Human services cover out of hours too, and some include it at their standard rates. If only a few calls reach you after closing, a pay-per-call plan can cost less than a flat subscription. Price the calls you'd divert with the cost calculator, and take the overnight buying checklist to any provider you're weighing up.
Not sure what an evening call is worth to you? Put your own numbers into the missed-call calculator. And if you'd rather have cover around the clock, read about 24/7 call answering.
Evenings, weekends, bank holidays
Whatever out of hours means for your business, it's in the plan. You decide when to stop answering; Sayora covers the rest.
Recordings and transcripts
Every call is recorded and transcribed in your Sayora app, so you can check the detail before you ring anyone back.
Diary booking
Connect Google Calendar or Cal.com and Sayora books evening callers into your real availability during the call.
Sales calls screened
Sayora ends calls that are selling to your business or playing a recorded message. Try a sales pitch alongside a real enquiry before you rely on it.
Out of hours, answered.
What is an after-hours answering service?
A service that answers your business calls once you've closed for the day: evenings, weekends and bank holidays. You'll also see it called an out-of-hours answering service. Some use people and some use AI. Sayora is AI, answering in your business name, taking the caller's details and sending you the lead by text, email or both.
Can I use Sayora for out-of-hours calls only?
Yes, and Sayora catches the daytime calls you miss as well. Your phone rings you first, so in the day you answer as normal. Sayora picks up whatever you don't answer, which after closing is everything.
Do I have to switch the divert on every evening?
No. Once your number is set to ring you first and then forward, there's nothing to switch: stop answering and Sayora picks up. On a mobile there's also a straight-away setting that sends every call to Sayora without ringing you. It's meant for a line you never answer yourself, so using it for evenings only means dialling one code when you close and another when you open.
What happens when someone rings at 9pm?
Sayora answers in your business name, in a real, warm British voice, and tells new callers it's AI. From there the caller gets their questions answered from your business information, gives their details and what they need, and can book an appointment once your calendar is connected and bookings are set up. The summary reaches you by text, email or both when the call ends.
What does Sayora do with an urgent call?
An urgent call is marked urgent wherever the lead reaches you: the text, the email and your Sayora app. A call counts as urgent when the caller needs help today or says it can't wait. There's no call transfer and Sayora won't phone you, so an urgent call waits until you read the message. If you promise an emergency response, keep your alerts on when you're on call, or choose a service that can put callers through.
Do weekends and bank holidays count as out of hours?
Yes. Whenever you're not answering, Sayora is, and weekends and bank holidays are included in the price.
What does an out-of-hours answering service cost?
Sayora is £49 a month flat, the same for evenings only or the whole week, with unlimited minutes under fair use. Some human services include out-of-hours cover at their standard per-call or per-minute rates, which can cost less if only a few calls reach you after closing. Our telephone answering service cost guide has an overnight and weekend section with the questions to ask.
How long does setup take?
Minutes to build, and you can be live the same day. Sayora builds your receptionist from your website, you ring it to test it, then you claim it and set the divert with a short code from your phone. The app can ring your line afterwards so you can check the divert works.
Finish your day. Sayora covers the night.
Build a receptionist for your business, ring it this evening, then decide who covers tonight.
£49/mo. Unlimited minutes. Cancel anytime.