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What is “Assistant by schedule”?

Normally the same voice assistant answers every call that comes in on a number. With Assistant by schedule you decide that at certain times a different voice assistant picks up — without changing the number or telling your callers anything new. An example: during the day your standard assistant handles every enquiry. From 6 p.m. and at weekends an on-call assistant takes over, recording only emergencies and pointing everything else to the next working day.
Not to be confused with call forwarding or warm transfer. With call forwarding and with warm transfer, a call is handed over to a member of staff mid-conversation. With Assistant by schedule the call stays with the AI: only which voice assistant answers it changes — and that is decided before the conversation starts.

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When should I use this?

  • Outside business hours: a shorter assistant in the evening and at night that only takes callback requests
  • Weekends and public holidays: an assistant with a different greeting and different expectations
  • On-call duty: an assistant that handles emergencies only
  • Lunch break: an assistant that points to the time after the break
  • Company holidays: a holiday assistant for a fixed period

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How it works

As soon as a call comes in on the number, the platform checks your schedule:
  1. If a rule matches the current day and time, the voice assistant selected in that rule answers the call — with its own instructions, its own tools and its own voice.
  2. If no rule matches, the call is answered by the assistant the number is assigned to — exactly as it would be without a schedule.
Callers notice none of this: the same number rings, and someone picks up straight away.

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Setting up a schedule

1

Open the section

Open the assistant whose number you want to control and switch to the Advanced tab. Expand the Assistant by schedule section at the bottom.
2

Choose the time zone

Click Configure and first choose the time zone. Every time in the schedule refers to this time zone.
3

Add a rule

Click Add rule and choose the voice assistant that should answer during these times. Below, under Weekly hours, enter the times the rule should apply for each day of the week. Confirm the rule with Add.
4

Check the preview

Before saving, look at the weekly preview below the rules: it shows, day by day, which assistant answers at which time. Check that this matches what you expect — gaps and overlaps stand out immediately here.
5

Save

Click Save. The schedule is now active.
The Schedule active switch lets you temporarily turn the whole schedule off later without deleting your rules.

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Special days: holidays and exceptions

Within a rule you can treat individual days differently from the weekly plan — public holidays, for example. Add an entry under Special days. First choose which day the entry applies to:
  • Exact date — applies on that single day only, e.g. 24 December 2026
  • Every year — applies every year on the same day, e.g. every 1 May
Then decide with the Skip this rule on this special day switch what should happen on that day:
  • Switch on: the rule does not apply on this date. If no other rule applies, the call is answered by the assistant the number is assigned to.
  • Switch off: the rule’s weekly hours are ignored on this date. Only the times you enter for the special day itself apply.
Set holidays up once, use them every year. For recurring holidays such as 1 May or 3 October choose Every year — then you do not have to adjust the schedule annually. For moveable holidays such as Easter, add an exact date.

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Good to know

Rules must not overlap in time. Two rules that would apply at the same time cannot be saved — the affected rules are highlighted. Otherwise it would be unclear which assistant answers. Adjust the times so they do not overlap.
  • With no matching rule, nothing changes. Times you do not cover are still answered by the assistant the number is assigned to, so you do not have to cover the whole week.
  • The selected assistant answers with its own configuration — its own instructions, tools and voice. Set it up fully before adding it to a schedule.
  • Overnight times are possible. A time such as 22:00-06:00 runs past midnight and belongs to the day on which it starts.
  • Changes take effect immediately — for every call that comes in after you save.