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Stepping away and vacations

Step away from the phone without missing callers: the AI receptionist answers, or callers wait on hold, until you’re back.

Who can do this: Admins, dispatchers and accountants. Everyone can see the status at the top of the screen.

Add-on: AI receptionist

Also called: cover my calls, out of office.

  1. Open the Calls page and click Have the AI take my calls. The same controls are under Cover my calls for a bit on the dashboard and in Settings. The Calls page needs the phone line add-on and a place on the incoming calls list; the dashboard and Settings don’t.

    On a computer: Left menu → Calls On a phone: More → Calls

    The Have the AI take my calls panel opened on the Calls page

  2. Pick what to tell callers: Stepped away (back in a minute, the office is still open), On vacation (away for a while) or Put on hold (callers wait in line with music). Then pick how long: 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, Rest of today or Until I turn it off. To be exact, type an amount next to For and click Start, or pick a time next to Until and click Start.

    The choices for what to tell callers and how long to cover

  3. Check the status at the top of every screen: Accepting calls, After hours, “Closed for” a holiday, On vacation — AI answering, “Stepped away — AI answering” or Callers on hold, with the break’s name in brackets when a scheduled break is running. While cover is on, the control shows how long is left. Click Turn off (I’m back after a hold, End this break for a scheduled break) to send calls back to your team early. It also switches off by itself when the time runs out.

    The status at the top of the screen showing whether calls are being answered

  4. To change what callers hear, open When you step away during the day. Under Stepped away, write the Stepped-away opening line the AI starts with, and the Stepped-away text message sent if the caller hangs up early. Leave a box empty to use the wording shown in grey.

    The Stepped away messages under When you step away during the day

  5. Just below, under On vacation, do the same with the Vacation opening line and Vacation text message.

    The On vacation messages under When you step away during the day

  6. For holidays, open When you’re closed and fill in the Holidays boxes: Holiday greeting, Holiday opening line and Holiday text message. On a holiday listed in Company settings, callers hear these instead of your usual closed wording. Type {holiday_name} to say the holiday’s name.

    The Holidays messages under When you're closed

  7. Click Save voice settings.

    The Save voice settings button

Good to know

Section titled “Good to know”
  • These messages apply whatever you chose for after hours. They aren’t tied to that choice.
  • Without the AI receptionist add-on, callers during Stepped away or On vacation are texted your booking link instead of talking to the AI.
  • Put on hold only appears with the phone line add-on. When you turn a hold off, Astragal rings you with the caller who has waited longest. See Putting a caller on hold.
  • Numbers under Always let these numbers through still ring you while cover is on.
  • To cover your calls at the same time every day or week, use a scheduled break instead. Turning cover off also ends a break that’s running, for today. See Scheduled breaks.
  • Calls the AI answered while you were away say so on the Calls page, for example “Answered by the AI receptionist while you were stepped away”.
  • The holiday dates themselves are set in Company holidays. See Holidays.
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Checked against Astragal on October 17, 2026