After-hours and overflow call answering
A 24/7 answering service that picks up when your team can't
Evenings, weekends and the busy hour when every line is ringing. Ava answers in seconds, books the job and follows the lead up, on your clock.
Start your free trial Watch a live demoPlans from £49 a month + VAT · 14-day free trial
The problem
The call you miss is the job you lose
It's ten past six. A boiler has stopped and the homeowner is ringing every plumber on the first page of Google. The first one to answer gets the job. Your phone rings out, and by the time you call back in the morning, it's booked with someone else.
Plenty of enquiries arrive in the evening and at weekends. Others arrive at 11am when every line is already busy. A 24/7 answering service means someone picks up every time, takes the details and books the appointment or call-back before the caller tries anyone else.
Enquiva is an AI receptionist, not a bureau of operators. It answers in your business's name and knows your services and prices because it was drafted from your own website. You decide the hours, the departments and who it hands calls to.
How it works
How the after-hours answering service works
- Forward the calls you want covered. Keep your number and phone system. Forward everything to an Enquiva number, or only calls that ring out, arrive while every line is busy, or come in out of hours.
- Ava answers in seconds. She greets callers in your business's name, asks what they need and answers from a knowledge base built from your website and files.
- She routes, books or takes a message. In opening hours she transfers live to whoever is free, by department, keypad option or each person's hours. Out of hours she books into your Google or Microsoft calendar or takes a message.
- Every call lands in one Inbox. Transcripts, summaries and voicemails stay with the conversation, and your team can step in at any time.
What's included
What's included on every plan
Inbound calls answered 24/7
Ava picks up day or night, in the hours and on the lines you choose.
Call routing and live transfer
Departments, keypad options and each person's hours, with live transfer to your team from Starter up.
Calendar bookings
Appointments go straight into your Google or Microsoft calendar, confirmed by text, WhatsApp or email.
Speed-to-lead follow-up
For form leads, your team gets 15 minutes in your opening hours to make contact first. If nobody does, Ava follows up: by phone on Growth and Pro, by text or WhatsApp on Starter. If someone on your team gets there first, she stands down.
Every other channel too
Website chat, AI forms, SMS, Telegram and email, plus WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, on every plan. Phone, website chat, forms, SMS and Telegram are available now. Messenger and Instagram are opening to all businesses once Meta finishes reviewing our app, and WhatsApp depends on Meta's checks on your business.
You stay in control
Watch live conversations, take over, then hand back. Set opening hours, Do Not Disturb and team groups, and Ava respects them.
Who it's for
Who uses a 24/7 answering service
Plumbers, electricians and trades
An emergency call at 7pm is answered, priced from your rates and booked for the morning. See the plumbers and electricians demo.
Dental practices and clinics
A patient with a cracked filling rings on Saturday. Ava explains your options and offers the next free slot. See the dental demo.
Estate and letting agents
Viewing requests arrive late in the evening. Ava books the viewing and confirms by text. See the estate agent demo.
Any business with overflow
When every line is busy, forwarded calls are answered instead of ringing out. Your team takes the calls it can; Ava takes the rest.
Pricing
Pricing for round-the-clock cover
Pay for the plan and use credits for calls and messages. The monthly rental of your first number is included.
| Plan | Price a month | Credits a month | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | £49 + VAT | 4,000 (about 133 AI call minutes) | 1 AI agent, 1 phone number, 3 team seats. Every channel, call routing and live transfer, answered 24/7. |
| Growth | £149 + VAT | 13,000 (about 433 AI call minutes) | 3 AI agents, 2 phone numbers, 10 team seats. Adds outbound call-backs, call control, the Enquiva Phone app, lead ads and CRM connections. |
| Pro | £349 + VAT | 30,000 (about 1,000 AI call minutes) | 10 AI agents, 5 phone numbers, 25 team seats. Adds the Lead API, webhooks, Zapier and Make, up to 5 branch locations and priority support. |
Credits cost 1.15p to 1.5p each, depending on your plan or top-up pack. A chat or messaging reply uses 1, an AI call minute 30 and a text 12, and every paid action shows its cost before it runs. The 14-day free trial has Growth's features and 3,000 credits. A card is required and you can cancel any time before it ends. See full pricing and plan details.
Works with the phone system you already have
Forward calls from any phone system, or connect 3CX, Microsoft Teams Phone, RingCentral, Zoom Phone, Gamma Horizon, BT, Cisco, Avaya, Mitel or another SIP-capable system over a SIP trunk, and pass callers back to your desk phones.
Leads, calls and bookings go to your CRM or helpdesk on Growth and Pro, and to Zapier, Make or your own webhooks on Pro. See every integration and which are available today.
Need website cover too? Add an AI chatbot for your website, or see how the full AI receptionist handles calls, chat and messages in one place.
24/7 answering service FAQs
Do I have to change my phone system?
No. Most businesses keep their number and phone system and forward calls to an Enquiva number, all the time or only when closed or busy. Forwarding costs nothing on our side, though your phone provider may charge for it. If you run 3CX, Teams Phone, RingCentral or another SIP-capable system, you can also connect it over a SIP trunk.
Can it answer only out-of-hours and overflow calls?
Yes. Forward calls only when a line rings unanswered, when every line is busy, or outside opening hours. You set the hours for each department and each person, so your team takes calls during the day and Ava picks up the rest.
What happens when a caller needs a real person?
Ava asks why they're calling and routes them to the right department. Live transfer is on every plan, so in opening hours she can put the caller through to whoever is free. Out of hours she takes a message or books an appointment where you allow it, and it lands in your Inbox.
Do callers know they're speaking to an AI?
By default, yes. Greetings say it's an AI assistant, and you choose its name. An owner can switch this off in Settings, and is then responsible for meeting the rules where they operate.
How is a 24/7 answering service priced?
Starter is £49 a month + VAT, Growth £149 and Pro £349, each with a monthly allowance of credits. An AI call minute uses 30 credits, so Starter covers about 133 call minutes a month, Growth about 433 and Pro about 1,000. You can top up at any time, and nothing is charged without showing you the cost first.
How quickly can it go live?
Your agent is drafted from your website in a few minutes, and website chat can be live in under 15. Your phone line goes live once your number is ready. UK numbers can need the carrier's ID and address checks first, which can take from hours to a few days.
Never let another call ring out
Try the 24/7 answering service free for 14 days. Questions first? Talk to us, or call our own agent.