Having your phone system change the greeting when you’re closed is a very customer-friendly thing to do.
Think about this scenario: It’s 5:05 p.m. You need to order parts, so you pick up the phone, call the parts company, and your call is answered by its Auto-Attendant. It then puts you in queue for the parts department, and you wait. And wait. And wait.
Pretty soon it dawns on you that the parts company probably closed at 5 p.m. Or was it 6 p.m.? You simply don’t know! Do you continue to hold, not wanting to lose your place in the queue? Or are you the only fool holding while the phones ring incessantly in an empty building?
The only way to keep your customers from experiencing this situation is to use a night answer option. Program it to let your callers know instantly that you are closed. You can then give them options to leave a voicemail, route to specific people’s voicemail boxes, or even direct them to the web.
Some systems will enable you to count calls that come in after hours, so you can determine whether adjusting your hours would bring you more business. Don’t leave your customers in the dark! If you’re closed, let them know, and provide them with ways or times they can engage with you.