Calling hours
Set the days and hours your AI agent may call and text leads, and understand the state calling-time rules Bigly applies on top.
Why calling hours matter, setting the account time zone, turning on working hours and adding time slots for each day, how Bigly combines your hours with each lead's state rules, and what happens to calls outside the window.
Calling hours decide when your AI agent is allowed to call and text leads. Two sets of hours apply, and a call only goes out when both allow it:
- Your working hours: the days and times your business wants calls to happen, set on AI › Configure.
- State calling-time rules: the allowed hours for the state each lead is in, in the lead's local time. Bigly maintains these for all accounts.
When a call or follow-up is due outside the allowed window, Bigly holds it and sends it when the window next opens.
AI › Configure with the Working hours switch on, Monday to Friday listed with a 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM slot each, the Working Day dropdown for adding another day, the Update button, and the Tenant Timezone dropdown further down.
Before you start
- You need permission to change AI settings. See Team members.
- Decide when someone on your team can answer transfers and when you want leads called. Your working hours should cover only those times.
Set your time zone
Your working hours are read in your account's time zone, so set it first.
- Go to AI › Configure.
- Scroll to Tenant Timezone and choose your time zone, for example America/New_York.
Set your working hours
- On AI › Configure, switch on Working hours.
- In Working Day, choose a day. It's added to the list.
- For that day, set the Start time and End time. Add another slot if you take a break, for example 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00.
- Repeat for every day you want calls to go out.
- Click Update.
If you use the Bigly MCP, you can also ask your AI assistant to set your time zone and working hours, for example Call Monday to Friday, 9 to 6 Eastern. See AI settings through the MCP.
When working hours are on, a day without a time slot is never used for calling. If you want calls on Saturdays, add Saturday with its own slot.
If you haven't set working hours, Bigly uses a default weekday window. Your agent also uses your hours when it suggests callback times and when it decides whether you're open, so set them to match your real hours.
How state rules are applied
For each lead, Bigly works out their state and local time zone from their contact details. A call is placed only when the time is inside both your working hours (in your time zone) and the allowed hours for the lead's state (in the lead's time zone). If there's no specific rule for a state, Bigly uses a default daytime window.
For example, if your hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern, a lead in California can't be called before 9:00 AM Eastern (6:00 AM their time), and also can't be called before their state's allowed start time.
State rules are maintained by Bigly and can't be changed from your account. They're a safety net, not legal advice: check the rules that apply to your business and set your working hours to be at least as strict.
What happens outside the window
- AI call campaigns keep running but wait. Calls start again automatically when the window opens.
- Follow-up calls and texts wait until the next allowed time.
- Inbound calls outside your working hours are answered with your After Office Hours intro, if you have one. See Intros.
If Bigly can't find an allowed time for a contact in the next day or two, for example because your working hours and their state's hours never overlap, the contact may be marked Do Not Call. Make sure your hours overlap with the time zones you call.
Common questions
Do these hours apply to calls I make myself? The working hours on this page control the AI agent and automated follow-ups. When you use the power dialer, you're responsible for calling at allowed times.
Can I set different hours for different campaigns? Working hours apply to your whole account. A call campaign's daily schedule can narrow when that campaign runs, but can't go outside your working hours.
Do holidays count? Bigly doesn't skip public holidays automatically. Remove the day's slot, or pause your campaigns, if you don't want to call.