Out-of-Hours Answering for UK Businesses
Your customers may need to contact you after your office has closed. That’s My Call provides flexible out-of-hours answering so important calls and new enquiries do not simply disappear into voicemail.
Choose AI answering for evenings, overnight and weekend cover, or combine it with our human telephone answering service during your normal working day.
Make sure important calls are still answered
Not every customer calls between nine and five. People may contact your business after finishing work, during the evening, over a weekend or when they need urgent help outside your normal opening hours.
An out-of-hours answering service gives callers an immediate response when your usual team is unavailable. Depending on the service selected, we can take a message, collect important details, answer approved questions and make sure the enquiry reaches your business for follow-up.
This helps you remain responsive without asking your internal team to monitor the telephone around the clock.
How does out-of-hours call answering work?
Your calls are diverted to the answering service when your office closes or at the times agreed during setup.
The caller hears your chosen company greeting and is guided through an agreed call-handling process. Their name, contact details and reason for calling can be collected, along with any additional information your business needs.
The completed message is then sent to your nominated email address so your team can respond at the appropriate time.
For evening, overnight and routine weekend cover, this service is usually provided through our AI telephone answering option. Human Saturday support may also be available by prior arrangement where a client has an ongoing requirement.
What can happen when someone calls out of hours?
Calls answered in your company name
The caller hears your preferred business greeting rather than reaching a generic voicemail message.
Accurate message taking
We can collect the caller’s name, telephone number, email address and reason for contacting you.
Approved answers to common questions
AI answering can provide agreed information about your services, opening hours, location and next steps.
Structured information collection
Specific questions can be included where your business needs more detail before following up.
Message delivery
The completed message is sent to the nominated email address agreed during setup.
24/7 availability
AI call answering can operate overnight, at weekends, on public holidays and whenever your regular team is unavailable.
Setting up your out-of-hours call cover
Step 1 - Tell us when you need cover
We discuss your normal opening hours and identify the periods when calls need to be answered.
Step 2 - Agree how calls should be handled
We prepare your greeting, questions, approved information and message requirements.
Step 3 - Choose human, AI or hybrid support
We explain which option is suitable based on the hours, call types and level of support required.
Step 4 - Connect your calls
Your telephone number is diverted or connected to the service at the agreed times.
Step 5 - Receive your messages
Caller information is collected and sent to your nominated contact for follow-up.
Which businesses benefit from out-of-hours cover?
Trades and emergency callout businesses
Capture urgent repair, maintenance and callout enquiries when you are working, travelling or asleep.
Property and facilities businesses
Collect details about maintenance issues, tenants, buildings and urgent problems outside office hours.
Legal and professional services
Make sure prospective clients can leave clear information when they call during evenings or weekends.
Healthcare and clinics
Provide approved general information and collect messages while the normal reception team is unavailable.
Businesses serving customers across different time zones
Capture enquiries from people whose working hours may not match your own.
Growing businesses
Extend availability without immediately employing an evening, overnight or weekend receptionist.
Flexible cover based on your opening hours
Out-of-hours answering can be arranged for:
evenings after your office closes
overnight calls
weekends
public holidays
annual shutdowns
staff training days
lunch breaks or team meetings
unexpected closures
periods when no internal receptionist is available
24-hour call cover
The service does not have to operate continuously. We can discuss the times when your business is most likely to need additional support.
Affordable 24/7 cover with an AI receptionist
AI telephone answering is the most practical option for businesses that need routine evening, overnight and weekend cover.
The AI can answer immediately in your company name, collect caller details and respond to common questions using information approved by you. It follows an agreed process consistently and can operate at any time of day or night.
Basic AI plans send the completed message to one nominated email address. More complicated call flows, integrations, appointment systems or multiple routing requirements may need a bespoke setup.
Learn more about our AI Telephone Answering Service
Human answering by day, AI cover out of hours
Many businesses still prefer a real receptionist to handle calls during the working day but want additional availability once the office has closed.
Our hybrid option combines human telephone answering during our live answering hours with AI cover during evenings, weekends and overnight periods.
This gives your callers a personal response during the day while helping your business capture enquiries around the clock.
Explore our Telephone Answering Service
Handling urgent and emergency enquiries
Before the service begins, we agree what information should be collected and how different call types should be handled.
An AI answering service can identify that a caller believes their enquiry is urgent, collect the agreed details and explain the next step based on the instructions you have provided.
The service should not be presented as a substitute for emergency services. Where there is an immediate risk to life, safety or property, callers should still be directed to the appropriate emergency service.
Any specialist escalation, call transfer or on-call routing requirement would need to be discussed and agreed as part of the setup.
When a caller wants to speak to someone
On an AI-only plan, the AI can explain that the caller’s details will be passed to your team for a response.
It does not transfer the caller to a That’s My Call human receptionist as part of the standard AI-only service.
Where your business needs human answering during the day and AI cover out of hours, a hybrid plan may be more suitable.
Call-handling experience behind every setup
That’s My Call Ltd has traded since 2015 and is owned by Becky Kelly and Cheryl Canning-Eaton.
Our out-of-hours services are created using extensive experience in telephone answering, customer care and message handling. We understand that a useful message needs more than a name and number. It should give your team enough information to understand why the caller contacted you and what needs to happen next.
We take the time to understand your business and build call instructions around the enquiries you actually receive.
Flexible out-of-hours answering plans
Our AI telephone answering plans start from £39 per month and can provide evening, overnight and weekend cover.
Businesses that want human answering during office hours and AI answering outside those hours can choose a hybrid service. Hybrid plans start from £75 per month, depending on message volume and requirements.
Bespoke call flows, integrations and more advanced routing may be quoted
Do you need Saturday telephone cover?
Human telephone answering may be available on Saturdays between 10am and 3pm by prior arrangement.
We are not routinely open every Saturday unless ongoing cover has been agreed with a client, so Saturday requirements should be discussed with us in advance.
For businesses that need consistent weekend availability, AI answering can provide call cover throughout Saturday, Sunday and overnight.
FAQ’s
Can calls be answered after my office closes?
Yes. Calls can be directed to the service during evenings, overnight, at weekends and at other agreed times.
Is the out-of-hours service provided by humans or AI?
Routine evening, overnight and weekend cover is normally provided through AI answering. Human telephone answering is available during our standard live answering hours, with Saturday support available by prior arrangement.
Can the service operate 24 hours a day?
Yes. AI answering can operate 24/7, including weekends and public holidays.
Will calls be answered in my company name?
Yes. We use the business greeting agreed during setup.
Can you take urgent messages?
Yes. The service can collect agreed information and identify that a caller considers the matter urgent. Any specialist escalation process must be discussed during setup.
Can the AI answer questions about my business?
Yes. It can provide approved answers about your services, hours, location and other common enquiries.
Can callers be transferred to someone on call?
This is not included automatically in a basic AI plan. Any call transfer or on-call routing requirement would need to be discussed as part of a bespoke setup.
How will I receive the message?
Basic plans send the completed message to one nominated email address.
Can I use human answering during the day and AI answering at night?
Yes. This is our hybrid telephone answering option.
Do you provide human answering every Saturday?
Saturday cover is available by prior arrangement. It is not a routine every-Saturday service unless ongoing cover has been agreed.
Ready to capture calls outside office hours?
Tell us when calls are being missed, what information you need from each caller and how you would like those enquiries handled. We will help you choose an out-of-hours answering option that fits your business.