--- title: "How to change your business hours" description: "Change when your phones open and close, set different hours for one day, or close over lunch." url: "https://dev.www.lightningip.com.au/help/hosted-voice/change-business-hours" canonical: "https://dev.www.lightningip.com.au/help/hosted-voice/change-business-hours" updated: "2026-10-15" --- # How to change your business hours Change when your phones open and close, set different hours for one day, or close over lunch. Your business hours decide when calls go to your team and when they go to your after-hours greeting or voicemail. You can change them yourself in the Hosted Voice portal in a few minutes, and the change takes effect as soon as you click Apply. ## Before you start - **You need an administrator login** for the Hosted Voice portal. If you don't have one, contact us and we can make the change for you. - **Your phones shouldn't be stuck in a manual mode.** If someone has used a phone button or a dial code such as `*99` or `*8xxx` to force the system open or closed, it ignores your business hours until it's set back to follow its schedule. - **One site, one set of hours.** If you have several sites, states or time zones, each has its own hours. Contact us if you're not sure which one to change. ## Change your opening hours ### 1. Open your business hours In the portal, go to **Call Control > Business Hours and Holidays**. The **Business Hours** tab lists your current hours. Click the pencil icon next to the hours you want to change. ![Business Hours tab with the current hours and the pencil icon highlighted](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/577fe70e-2b93-4fed-90e4-9899a11a5db3) ### 2. Set the new times Under **Business Hours**, click the **Start Time** or **End Time** and choose or type the new time. Then click anywhere outside the time box so it's saved in the form. ![Start Time picker open with 08:30 AM selected](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/310756cf-9d9c-45e7-9d44-5a6edec7aea6) Don't press Enter after typing a time. It can save the form before your new time is picked up. Click outside the time box instead. ### 3. Check the days Scroll down to **Date Settings**. Tick the days these hours apply to. Untick any day that needs different hours, such as Friday if you finish early. ![Date Settings with Monday to Thursday ticked and Friday unticked](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/33184ffe-6edb-4d35-90e0-c84f6eb40685) ### 4. Save, then click Apply Click **Save**. An orange **Apply** button appears at the top of the page. Click it to put your new hours live. ![Business hours list after saving, with the orange Apply button highlighted](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/343521fb-4abc-4e78-88cc-59ee3ed7def7) ## Set different hours for one day Each set of business hours covers the days ticked in it. For a day with different hours, add a separate set just for that day. Make sure the same day isn't ticked in your other set of hours. ### 1. Click Add On the **Business Hours** tab, click **Add**. ![Business Hours tab with the Add button highlighted](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/8ccc0650-613d-4f2d-ba6d-1f5ec13abd6f) ### 2. Add the times Under **Business Hours**, click **+ Add**, then set the start and end time for that day. ![New business hours with a start time of 08:30 AM and an end time of 04:00 PM](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/ebc4dfce-e9bf-4b5f-9cfb-3e72a49cd1bf) ### 3. Tick the day Under **Date Settings**, tick only that day. You can add a note in **Remark**, such as *Friday early finish*. ![Date Settings with only Friday ticked and a remark of Friday early finish](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/5eaadad6-4ae6-43c1-a0c2-9733d8d2b0b2) ### 4. Save and Apply Click **Save**, then the orange **Apply** button. The list now shows both sets of hours. ![Business hours list showing Friday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and Monday to Thursday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/b92d8dea-bfc6-48c7-bd01-749243d3b289) ## Close over lunch To send calls to your after-hours greeting over lunch, split the day into two time ranges in the same set of hours. For example, 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, then 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Click **+ Add** under **Business Hours** to add the second range. ![Business hours split into 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/64be9cdd-5334-4984-a0ef-256ac2f22c0b) **Break Hours won't close your phones.** The Break Hours section only changes staff presence automatically. Calls during a break still follow your business-hours routing. To close the phones, use two Business Hours ranges as shown above. ![The Break Hours note explaining breaks follow business-hours call routing](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/1b757566-3807-4f57-9ef0-9ede285fd91c) ## Check it's working Once you've clicked **Apply**, the **Business Hours** list shows your new times and the **Apply** button disappears. To test, call your main number from a mobile just after your new closing time. You should hear your after-hours greeting. ## Troubleshooting - **The new hours didn't take effect.** **Apply** wasn't clicked after saving. Open **Business Hours and Holidays** and click the orange **Apply** button. - **The old time came back after saving.** The time box wasn't saved in the form. Set the time again and click outside the box before you click **Save**. - **Calls still ring during closed hours, or go to after-hours during open hours.** The system has probably been forced into a set mode with a phone button or a `*99` / `*8xxx` dial code. Set it back so the system follows its schedule. - **A day follows the wrong hours.** It's ticked in more than one set of hours. Untick it in the one that doesn't apply. Still stuck? Contact us with your new hours and when they start, and we'll change them for you. Closing for Christmas or a public holiday? See [How to set up a holiday closure](/help/hosted-voice/set-up-holiday-closure). For how business hours, holidays and after-hours routing work together, see [Business hours, holidays and after-hours call handling](/help/hosted-voice/business-hours-holidays).