How do I set business hours and after-hours call routing?

To set business hours and after-hours call routing, you usually configure two parts in your phone system or contact center:

1) Define business hours

Set the days and times your team is available, for example:

• Monday–Friday: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
• Closed on weekends and holidays

2) Create routing rules

Then tell the system what to do:

• During business hours: route calls to a queue, specific agents, or an IVR menu
• After hours: send calls to voicemail, an on-call phone number, answering service, or a different queue

Typical setup steps

1. Open your phone system/admin portal
2. Find Hours of Operation, Business Hours, or Call Flow
3. Add your regular hours
4. Add an after-hours rule
5. Choose the destination for after-hours calls:
   • voicemail
   • message with office hours
   • emergency/on-call number
   • callback form or SMS option
6. Save and test with a sample call

Best practices

• Include holiday schedules
• Use a short after-hours greeting
• Make sure voicemail or overflow routing has a clear response process
• Test both business-hour and after-hours paths

If you tell me which platform you’re using (e.g., RingCentral, Zoom Phone, Five9, Genesys, 3CX, Teams, etc.), I can give you the exact steps.