What does after-hours answering cost with Line?

Molly is included on every Line plan. Plans start at £4 a month, and you pay for the minutes she spends on calls. There's no separate evening or weekend rate.

Can my team answer during the day and Molly at night?

Yes, and that's the most common set-up. The Time Rule sends open-hours calls to your team and closed-hours calls to Molly. You can also send daytime calls to Molly when nobody picks up.

How does the on-call person get urgent calls?

Molly transfers them to the number you give her, usually a mobile. Change who is on call by changing that number in the workflow. If nobody answers, Molly takes the details, tells the caller what happens next and flags the call in the inbox.

Can weekends be covered differently from weekday evenings?

Yes. A Time Rule branches by day as well as time. Weekday evenings can go to Molly while Saturday mornings ring a skeleton team. Add as many branches as your week needs.

Do I have to use AI out of hours?

No. Send closed-hours calls to a recorded message and voicemail, and let Line text each caller with your opening time or booking link. You can add Molly later on the same number.

What happens to texts, WhatsApp messages and web chats overnight?

They arrive in the same inbox as your calls. Molly can reply straight away from your knowledge, or leave a draft for your team to check and send in the morning.

Will Molly promise things we can't deliver?

No. She answers only from the knowledge you give her. When she doesn't know, she says the team will confirm, takes the details and flags the call. She never invents a price or a time.

Can I keep my existing number?

Yes. Port your UK number to Line and the out-of-hours route runs on it. Your customers ring the same number they always have.

After-hours answering

Close at half five. Keep answering the phone.

Your hours end. Your customers' problems don't. Line switches your number to Molly or an out-of-hours message the moment you close, puts real emergencies through to whoever is on call, and leaves everything else in the inbox with a transcript for the morning.

Get started See pricing

From £4 a month. Pay only for the calls and texts you use. No minimum term.

Days someone answers

Phones on from

Phones off at

75%

of the week nobody answers: 125.5 of 168 hours

Hours answered: 42.5 h
Weekday nights: 77.5 h
Weekends: 48 h

Business name

Time

Link

Sorry we missed your call. Ashby Heating opens again at 8am and we'll ring you back then. Book online any time: ashbyheating.co.uk/book

SMS · 135 characters · 1 text

What is an after-hours answering service?: Something that answers your business calls once you've closed. With Line it's Molly, the AI receptionist, or a recorded message and a text back, on the number your customers already have.
How does Line know we're closed?: A Time Rule in your call workflow holds your opening hours. A Date Rule covers bank holidays and the Christmas shutdown. When either says closed, calls take your out-of-hours route.
Can urgent calls still reach a person?: Yes. Tell Molly what counts as urgent. She puts those calls through to whoever is on call and deals with everything else herself.

The phone stays open when the office doesn't

Three things change when you close: who picks up, who gets disturbed, and what's waiting for you the next day.

Hours that switch themselves

Set your opening hours once in a Time Rule. At 17:30 the route changes, and at 09:00 it changes back. Nobody remembers to flick a divert.

Bank holidays planned in advance

Add Easter Monday, the summer bank holiday and the week between Christmas and New Year to a Date Rule. The holiday route runs on the day.

Molly takes the evening shift

She answers from your services, prices and FAQs, takes the caller's details, and books callbacks or appointments straight into your calendar.

Only real emergencies reach you

You decide what's urgent: a leak, a lockout, a tenant with no heating. Those calls go to the on-call phone. A question about next week's quote does not.

A tidy start to the morning

Every out-of-hours call is in the inbox with a transcript, a summary and the caller's number. Assign them before the kettle's boiled.

Texts and chats answered too

WhatsApp messages, texts and web chats that arrive overnight get a reply from Molly, or a draft for your team to send when they're in.

Set up in an afternoon

No engineer, no hardware, no contract. Three steps from sign-up to your first call.

1
Set your hours and closures
Add a Time Rule to your call workflow with your opening hours, and a Date Rule for bank holidays and planned closures.
2
Choose the closed route
Send closed-hours calls to Molly, or play a message and text the caller. Add the on-call number for anything urgent.
3
Pick it up in the morning
Open the inbox. Every call from the night is there with a transcript, a summary and a clear next step.

AHAshby Heating0161 496 0732 · Saturday night

Incoming call · Sat 21:14Time Rule: closed
Hi, you've reached Ashby Heating. The office is closed, but I'm Molly and I can help. What's happened?
Molly, AI receptionist
Water's coming through the kitchen ceiling under the boiler. I've turned the stopcock off.
Well done for turning it off. That's urgent, so I'm putting you through to Sam, who's on call tonight. Stay on the line.
Molly, AI receptionist
Transferred to Sam's mobile
Sam answered. Address, fault and transcript saved to the customer's thread.
Waiting for Monday 8am
Two routine calls overnight. Molly booked one callback and answered a question about boiler servicing.

What happens to a call after you close

One number, four callers, four different outcomes.

When this happens	Line does this	So you get
A tenant rings at 11pm with no heating and a newborn in the house	Molly recognises it as urgent under your rules and transfers the call to the on-call engineer's mobile.	The engineer picks up with the address and the problem already in the thread.
A new customer calls on Sunday afternoon for a quote	Molly takes the job details, the postcode and a good time to talk, then books a callback in your calendar.	A qualified lead at 9am Monday, not a voicemail from a stranger.
Someone rings on Boxing Day to ask when you reopen	The Date Rule sends the call down your holiday route, and Molly gives them the date.	Answered in one call. Nothing to return.
A customer sends a WhatsApp at 6am about today's appointment	Molly confirms the time from your calendar and leaves the thread in the inbox.	Sorted before anyone is in.

An answerphone, a diverted mobile, or an out-of-hours route

Three ways small businesses cover the phone once they close. What each one does at 11pm, and what it does to your evening.

	Answerphone	Divert to your mobile	Line after hours
Who picks up at 11pm	Nobody. A recording.	You, wherever you are	Molly, on your business number
Urgent calls	Heard the next morning	Reach you, along with every other call	Put through to whoever is on call
Routine calls	A few leave a message. Most hang up.	Interrupt dinner	Answered, with details taken or a callback booked
Bank holidays	The same greeting, unless someone re-records it	Your phone rings through Christmas	A Date Rule switches the route on the day
Texts and WhatsApp	Not covered	On your personal phone, between family messages	Answered and kept in the customer's thread
What's waiting in the morning	Recordings to play back one by one	Whatever you remembered to write down	Transcripts and summaries, ready to assign
Changing your hours	Record a new greeting	Remember to switch the divert off	Edit the Time Rule once

Questions people ask

Straight answers on setup, limits, and what it costs.

Molly, the AI receptionist

Everything she can do on a call, day or night.

Workflow builder

Time Rules, Date Rules and every other step in a call route.

Missed-call text back

A text to every caller who reaches a closed office.

Reception and call routing

Where calls go when you're open.

Last reviewed 6 September 2026.

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