After-hours answering for contractors: what callers need at night
Most calls a contractor gets after 5 pm are one of three things: a problem that can’t wait, a homeowner asking for a quote while they finally have time, or a customer checking on a job. Voicemail loses most of them. Here is what each caller needs and how to answer without picking up the phone yourself.
Who calls after hours
| Caller | What they need tonight | What can wait until morning |
|---|---|---|
| A problem that can’t wait (leak, no heat, no power) | To know someone has their details and when they’ll hear back, or an emergency number | The visit itself, if it isn’t a real emergency |
| A new customer asking for a quote | A real answer and a booked time, before they call the next company | The estimate |
| An existing customer | Their question answered, or a message taken | A call back from the person on the job |
Four ways to answer after hours
- Voicemail. Free, but many callers hang up without leaving a message and call someone else.
- Your own phone. Nobody is missed, but you’re on call every night.
- An answering service. A person takes a message from a script and sends it to you. See AI receptionist vs. answering service.
- An AI receptionist. Answers in your business’s name, answers questions from your own information, takes the message and can book the visit.
Setting it up in Maurie AI
- Set your business hours. They’re shared with Bookings, so the receptionist knows when you’re closed.
- Choose “after hours”. The receptionist answers only when you’re closed. During the day your team answers as usual.
- Add your emergency line, if you have one. Put it in the receptionist’s instructions, for example “For a burst pipe, call our emergency line at …”. After hours the receptionist doesn’t transfer calls, because nobody is there to pick up.
- Tell it what to ask. Add the questions you need for a callback, like the address or what’s wrong. It asks them and saves the answers.
- Turn on booking (Starter and up). It checks your Google Calendar and books the next open slot, even at night.
What you see in the morning
- Every caller as a contact in your CRM, with the call’s recording, transcript and summary.
- A call-back task for every message.
- A notification with the caller’s name for each call.
- Robocalls and sales pitches marked as spam, so they don’t fill your list.
QUESTIONS
Common questions
Can it transfer real emergencies at night?
No. After hours it takes a message, because nobody is there to answer a transfer. If you run an emergency line, add the number to its instructions so callers who need someone right away hear it.
Will it book appointments at 2 am?
Yes, on Starter and up, into the open slots on your Google Calendar.
Does it cost more at night?
No. Minutes are counted the same any time of day. See How much does an AI receptionist cost?