01Five ways to cover the phone at night
| Option | At 2am | Books the job | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | The caller can leave a message | No | Free |
| Your own cell | Whoever is on call answers, if they're awake | If they have the calendar | Free, but someone is always on call |
| A human answering service | A person takes a message and passes it on | Usually not | $175 to $700 a month at small-business volume |
| A receptionist app | Software answers and follows your setup | If you connect a calendar | $49 to $299 a month at Rosie, $79 to $299 at Goodcall |
| Soltrack's intake desk | Answers, sorts out the emergencies and alerts your on-call person | Yes | Free until five booked jobs, then a founding monthly price |
Answering service prices from OnceHub's cost guide (September 2026). App prices from Rosie's and Goodcall's pricing pages, checked 26 October 2026.
An automated intake desk is what we build. We set it up on your own line and run it for you, so nobody on your team has to configure it or watch it.
02Decide what counts as urgent first
Before you hand over the night, write down which calls are emergencies, who gets woken up for them and what the caller hears while they wait. Book everything else, or let it wait for the morning.
03Night calls in each trade
Water damage restoration
At 2am, a restoration company's caller may be standing in water. Whoever answers should ask whether it's still coming in, give one safety line, get the address and reach your on-call tech fast. Damage that's already dry can go on the calendar as an assessment. See how our restoration desk handles the 2am call.
Garage door companies
A car stuck in the garage can't wait for Monday. Offer the earliest time first, tell anyone with a broken spring not to lift the door or touch the springs, quote only your service call fee and book the visit. See how our garage door desk does it.
Moving companies
A mover's 9pm caller is usually planning a move after work. Take down the move and book the estimate, so they aren't waiting until Monday while other movers call back. See how our movers desk books estimates.
04Call forwarding
You keep your number. Most business phone systems can forward a call when nobody answers, when the line is busy or outside the hours you set. Point those forwards at the service or the desk, and your team keeps answering everything else.
Test it in the first week. Call your own number after hours and check what the caller hears and what reaches you.
05Before you choose
The cost of a missed night call depends on how many you miss and what a job is worth. What a missed call costs has the numbers, each with its source. For a deeper comparison of the options, read Automated intake desk vs answering service.
06Questions
What's the best way to answer calls after hours for a small home service business?
Forward the calls you miss to someone who can book the job. That can be a person on call, an answering service that works nights or an automated desk that sees your calendar.
How much does an after-hours answering service cost?
OnceHub puts human answering services at $175 to $700 a month at small-business volume, with more past the bundled minutes. Receptionist apps such as Rosie and Goodcall start at $49 and $79 a month.
Do I need a 24/7 answering service?
If you take emergency work, like water damage or a car stuck in a garage, yes. If most of your calls are quote requests, covering evenings and weekends may be enough.
Can I keep my business number?
Yes. You forward the calls nobody answers, and the number stays yours.
What does Soltrack charge to answer calls after hours?
Nothing until the desk has booked five jobs from your own leads. Then you choose whether to keep it at the founding price or walk away owing nothing.