When Astra answers vs. your team
Ody decides who answers each incoming call live, at call time, from three settings: whether the number is connected to the AI agent, your work schedule, and the actions you pick for during and outside working hours.
The decision, in order
- The number's routing. In Settings → Numbers, each number is either connected to the AI agent, answering with a call flow, or rings your team in the app (with voicemail or forwarding as alternatives). In a call flow, Astra is one step among others — "press 1 for the AI assistant" — and the number routes through the flow instead of the in-hours/off-hours actions below (a flow's Schedule step branches on the same weekly hours).
- Your schedule. With Always on, the same answer applies around the clock. With Business hours only, Ody checks the weekly schedule and timezone for every call.
- The two actions. You choose separately what happens during working hours and outside working hours — each can be the AI receptionist, ring the team in the app, voicemail, or forward to an outside number.
- Safe fallbacks. If the AI is selected but turned off or not yet published, calls ring the team instead, and land in voicemail if no one answers. Calls are never dropped.
Where to set it up
There is one work schedule, and you can edit it from two places — the Schedule tab on the AI agent screen and Settings → Work schedule. Both show the exact same editor, so a change in one place is a change everywhere:
- Open AI agent → Schedule (or Settings → Work schedule).
- Set the weekly calendar and Timezone, toggling each weekday open or closed with start and end times.
- Pick the During working hours action and the Outside working hours action — each can be the AI receptionist, ring the team in the app, voicemail, or forward.
- Use Use schedule on each number to put it on (or off) this schedule.
- Click Save schedule — it applies to calls immediately, no republish needed. If your agent is already live, Ody also refreshes what Astra tells callers about your opening hours.
Checking your setup at a glance
The Call flow tab of the AI agent screen shows how calls route today, live from your real configuration: which numbers are connected, your hours, the agent's status, and the fallback when the AI can't answer.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
Can my team answer by day and Astra cover nights?
Yes — that's the classic setup. Set your working hours, choose "Ring the team" during hours and the AI receptionist outside them. The switch happens automatically per call.
Do routing changes need a republish?
No. Hours and routing are checked live on every incoming call, so saving a change applies to the very next call. If your agent is already published, Ody also updates what Astra says about your opening hours automatically.
Is the Schedule tab on the AI agent screen different from Settings → Work schedule?
No — it's the exact same work schedule, shown in both places for convenience. Change it in either spot and both stay in sync.
What if Astra is selected but not published yet?
Routing falls back safely: the call rings your team in the app, and goes to voicemail if nobody answers. No call is ever dropped.