An after-hours answering service that never sleeps
Customers do not only call between 9 and 5. Ruqaya AI answers your business line at night, on weekends and on holidays, in your business name, and emails you the details of every call so you can follow up in the morning.
What an after-hours answering service does
An after-hours answering service picks up your calls when your office is closed. Instead of a caller hearing a long ring or a full voicemail box, someone answers, takes a message and makes sure you get it.
Ruqaya AI does this with an AI receptionist. It is not a call center with people reading scripts. It is a natural-sounding voice assistant that is trained on your business. It tells every caller that it is a virtual assistant and that the call may be recorded. It never pretends to be a person.
How our after-hours answering service handles a call
When a call comes in after hours, the receptionist:
- Greets the caller in your business name
- Answers common questions from your FAQs, like hours, service area and services
- Collects the caller's name, callback number, address and what they need
- Asks your own screening questions
- Checks your rules for what counts as urgent
- Offers your appointment windows and writes down the time the caller wants
- Emails you a clean summary as soon as the call ends
On the Growth and Pro plans, calls you mark as emergencies can be transferred live to your mobile, with a backup number in case you do not pick up. On Starter, urgent calls are marked clearly in your email.
Why after-hours calls matter
Many calls come in when you are closed, because that is when customers are home and have time to deal with a problem. A leaking pipe, a broken furnace or a legal question rarely waits for Monday morning.
When nobody answers, a lot of callers do not leave a message. They hang up and call the next business on the list. An answering service gives every one of those callers a real conversation, so you get the chance to win the job instead of losing it to a missed call.
It also protects your evenings. You do not have to keep your phone in your hand all night. Routine calls become tidy emails you can handle in the morning, and only the calls you choose as urgent reach you right away.
What it does not do
We want you to know exactly what you are buying:
- It does not book into your calendar yet. It takes appointment requests and your team confirms them.
- It does not send text messages to callers. You get call details by email and in your dashboard.
- It does not connect to CRMs today.
- It has no human receptionists. Urgent calls go to your own phone on Growth and Pro.
- English is fully supported. Spanish is in beta.
How to set it up
- Answer a few questions. Your services, hours, service area, FAQs and what counts as urgent. It takes about 5 minutes.
- Get your number. After payment your receptionist number is usually live within minutes.
- Forward your calls. Keep your existing number and forward it to the receptionist when you are busy or after hours. Your phone company usually does this with a short code.
- Read your emails. After every call you get a summary with the caller's details and a call-back button. Recordings and transcripts are in your dashboard.
After-hours answering service pricing
Ruqaya AI has three plans: Starter $39/month (150 minutes, about 60 calls), Growth $79/month (350 minutes, about 140 calls, adds live transfer of urgent calls) and Pro $129/month (700 minutes, about 280 calls, adds a monthly call review). Prices are in US dollars. There is no contract, and new customers get a 14-day money-back guarantee on the first month. See the pricing page for every detail.
Every plan answers 24/7, so the same receptionist can also pick up during the day when you are busy on a job or with a customer.
Who uses an after-hours answering service
It suits any small business that gets calls outside office hours, especially:
- Plumbers, for burst pipes and leaks at night
- HVAC companies, for no-heat and no-cooling calls
- Electricians, for power problems
- Roofers, for leaks and storm damage
- Cleaning companies, for evening quote requests
- Law firms, for new client enquiries
Common questions
Does Ruqaya AI answer calls at night and on weekends?
Yes. Every plan answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including nights, weekends and holidays, in your business name.
Will callers know it is an AI?
Yes. It introduces itself as a virtual assistant and says the call may be recorded. It never pretends to be a person.
Can urgent after-hours calls reach me?
On Growth and Pro, calls you mark as emergencies are transferred live to your mobile, with an optional backup number. On Starter, urgent calls are marked clearly in your email.
Do I need a new phone number?
You get a new local number for your receptionist, and you forward your existing business number to it after hours or when you are busy. You keep your number.
How much does an after-hours answering service cost?
Ruqaya AI plans are $39, $79 or $129 per month for 150, 350 or 700 minutes. There is no contract and a 14-day money-back guarantee for new customers.
Read more: Missed calls in a small business · Emergency call answering · Answering service cost · Pricing
Hear it answer a call
Call our demo line at (229) 949-4846, then set up your own receptionist in about 5 minutes. Plans from $39/month, no contract, 14-day money-back guarantee.