After-hours answering for New Zealand businesses
Evening, weekend and public holiday calls answered by HiAnda, not voicemail. It finds out what the caller needs, takes their details, and you get a short summary of each call to read in the morning.
Why after-hours calls matter
Plenty of enquiries come in after you've knocked off: a leak found after dinner, a tenant with no hot water on a Saturday, someone wanting a clean booked on Sunday night. When the call hits voicemail, most people don't leave a message. They ring the next business on Google. Having someone answer gives you a real shot at keeping that job.
What HiAnda does after hours
It greets the caller with your business name, finds out what they need and answers from your services, hours and prices. For a job or booking request it takes the name, number, address and details, and tells them you'll confirm. It won't quote a price you haven't given it or promise a time you haven't opened. After every call you get a short summary by email, hang-ups included, with the number so you can call back.
Only after hours, if you prefer
You don't have to hand over your daytime calls. Set call forwarding so calls go to HiAnda only outside your hours, or only when you don't pick up. Change it or switch it off whenever you like.
Real emergencies
HiAnda isn't an emergency service, and it won't ring you in the middle of the night. It takes the details and sends the summary to your inbox. If you do genuine emergency call-outs, give customers another way to reach you, like an after-hours mobile on your website.
Compared with a human after-hours service
Traditional after-hours services usually charge per minute or per call and often want a minimum term. Most take a message for you to deal with in the morning. HiAnda takes the message too, but it can also answer common questions from your price list and hours, speaks Mandarin as well as English, and costs a flat monthly fee.
Who it suits
Plumbers, electricians and builders who get calls at all hours, property managers with tenants ringing at night, cleaners and home services taking weekend enquiries, clinics that want appointment requests captured overnight.
Pricing
Starter: $79 / month + GST for 100 minutes, then $0.39 / min + GST. Solo: $149 / month + GST for 300 minutes, then $0.29 / min + GST. Team: $299 / month + GST for 750 minutes, then $0.24 / min + GST. Prices in NZD. Same features on every plan, English and Mandarin included, no setup fee. Pay monthly with no contract and cancel anytime. The first 20 businesses get the founding offer: an early-bird price for the first 3 months, then the normal price, with no increase until 12 months after you start. Set it up yourself in minutes, or we'll set it up for you free.
Hear it now
Call 09 886 7006 and press 1 for English or 2 for Mandarin. Step 1: tell it what business you run, like "I run a property management company in Auckland." Step 2: play a customer: "Hi, I'm a tenant at 12 Smith Street and the hot water's stopped working. Can someone come out tomorrow?" Then ask for a price you never gave it and see what it does. No sign-up, no form.
Frequently asked questions
Will it ring me at night?
No. It takes the details and emails you a summary, so you're not woken up by a quote request. It isn't an emergency service, so if you handle real emergencies, give customers another way to reach you.
Does it answer on public holidays?
Yes. It answers 24/7, including Christmas Day and long weekends.
What do callers hear first?
A greeting with your business name and a note that the call is recorded, then it asks how it can help. Callers can talk to it in English or Mandarin.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. You keep your number and set call forwarding on it: all calls, only after hours, or only the ones you don't pick up. Switch forwarding off anytime and calls come straight back to you.