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If your line uses a call flow, the flow decides what happens outside your hours, and the controls in this section step aside. The schedule is still what the flow reads: add a Business hours step and fill in its Open and Closed paths. See route by schedule and by caller.

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What are business hours

Business hours define when you’re available to take calls. Outside these hours, calls automatically route to voicemail, your AI Receptionist, or another destination. Benefits:
  • Professional boundaries
  • Automatic after-hours handling
  • No missed calls
  • Work-life balance

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Setup business hours

1

Open settings

Go to Settings in the Allo app
2

Access business hours

Tap “Business Hours” option
3

Activate feature

Toggle “Activate Business Hours” at the top
4

Set your schedule

For each day:
  • Toggle day on/off
  • Set opening time
  • Set closing time
  • Repeat for all days
5

Configure outside hours

Choose what happens when you’re unavailable:
  • Send to voicemail
  • Forward to another number
  • Route to AI Receptionist
  • Play custom message
6

Save settings

Changes apply immediately

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How it works

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During business hours

Calls ring normally:
  • Your phone rings as usual
  • You can answer or decline
  • Standard call handling applies

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Outside business hours

Calls route automatically:
  • No ringing on your phone
  • Caller hears your message
  • Call goes to chosen destination
  • You receive notification
Caller experience:
  1. Dials your number
  2. Hears greeting message
  3. Routed to voicemail or other destination
  4. Can leave message or follow instructions

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Configuration options

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Set different hours per day

Configure each day independently.Example schedule:You can also set split shifts if needed.

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Special configurations

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Holidays and exceptions

Temporary closures: Close for specific dates without changing weekly schedule. How to handle:
  1. Create custom voicemail message
  2. Temporarily disable business hours
  3. Re-enable after holiday
Dedicated holiday calendar coming soon.

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Multiple time zones

For distributed teams: Each team member sets their own business hours on their own phone numbers based on local time zone. Best practice:
  • Document team coverage hours
  • Use cascade routing across time zones
  • Set main number business hours to longest coverage window

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Bypass options

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Allow favorites through

Let important contacts reach you anytime. Setup:
  1. Business Hours settings
  2. Scroll to “Who can bypass”
  3. Choose bypass level:
    • All contacts
    • Favorites only
    • No one
Mark favorites:
  1. Open contact
  2. Tap star icon
  3. Now they bypass business hours

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Emergency access

For critical situations: Provide an emergency bypass number. Use IVR option:
“If this is an emergency, press 9 to reach on-call support.” Setup IVR menu

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Troubleshooting

If the line has a call flow, check the flow has a Business hours step. The schedule is only read by that step, so a flow without one rings at every hour. See route by schedule and by caller.Check:
  • Business hours are activated (toggle at top)
  • Schedule is saved
  • Time zone is correct
  • Current time falls outside set hours
Test: Temporarily set hours to closed now and call yourself.
Verify:
  • Contact is marked with star
  • Bypass setting is “Favorites only” or “All contacts”
  • Contact is saved in Allo (not just phone)
Re-add: Remove star and re-add to refresh.
If the line has a call flow, follow the path a real caller takes through it. A Contact property step sends unknown callers down No match, and a branch that goes straight to Voicemail never rings anyone. See call flow troubleshooting.Check:
  • Business hours show as “open” for current day/time
  • Phone is not on Do Not Disturb
  • You’re not on another call
  • Internet connection is active
Connection troubleshooting
Verify:
  • Destination number is correct
  • Includes country code
  • Number can receive forwarded calls
  • No typos in number
Test: Call destination number directly first.
Allo uses your device time zone:
  • Check phone Settings > General > Date & Time
  • Enable “Set Automatically”
  • Restart Allo app
For teams: Each member’s hours use their local time zone.

Voicemail

Customize your voicemail greeting

AI Receptionist

Intelligent after-hours handling

Call routing

Route calls to team members

IVR menu

Create press 1 for sales menu