With Romulus you can define exactly what happens to incoming calls based on the time of day — both when you are open and when you are closed. In this article we configure two weekly rules: one for business hours and one for out-of-hours.
Before You Start
Make sure you have:
At least one active phone number on Romulus
Users or groups already configured in the Team section
💡 If you are not yet familiar with the rules system, read How Inbound Rules Work first. For a description of each block, see The Available Blocks in Inbound Rules.
Part 1 — Business Hours Rule
Goal: calls arriving Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, ring on the team's phones.
From the side menu, click Phone Numbers.
Click on the number you want to configure.
Go to the Inbound Rules tab.
Click + Create rule. The flow editor opens.
Create the name of the rule. From the Type dropdown, click Weekly. Then click Next.
The Set the rule's time slots modal opens:
Type → select Weekly
Days → select Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
Start time → 09:00
End time → 18:00
Click Ok
In the flow, click Select step and add the Call user or Call group block with your team.
Click Create.
Part 2 — Out-of-Hours Rule
Goal: calls arriving outside business hours are handled automatically. How you configure this is entirely up to you — the out-of-hours rule is a rule like any other, and you can build the flow that best fits your business.
Go back to the Inbound Rules tab and click + Create rule.
Click the Time slot box.
In the modal:
Type → select Weekly
First slot: Mon–Fri, from 00:00 to 09:00
Click Add time slot: Mon–Fri, from 18:00 to 23:59
Click Add time slot: Sat–Sun, from 00:00 to 23:59
Click Ok
In the flow, add blocks based on how you want to handle out-of-hours calls. Here are the most common scenarios:
Closing message — the simplest option. The caller hears a pre-recorded audio message (e.g. "We are closed. Please call us back Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM.") and the call ends.
→ Block to use: Play audio
Voicemail — the caller hears a message and can leave a voice message, which you will receive by email.
→ Block to use: Voicemail
Message + voicemail — the caller first hears the closing message, then has the option to leave a voice message.
→ Blocks in sequence: Play audio → Voicemail
AI Agent — the voice agent answers automatically, handles common requests (e.g. opening hours, information, appointments) and collects the caller's details, even at night and on weekends.
→ Block to use: AI Agent (available with the Voice AI module active)
Transfer to mobile — for those who want to remain reachable outside business hours for urgent calls, calls can be transferred directly to a mobile number.
→ Block to use: Call transfer
5. Click Save changes.
Part 3 — Managing Exceptional Days
For public holidays or unplanned closures — such as Christmas, a company closure day, or an unexpected day off — you can create a One-time rule. This rule overrides your weekly rules for a specific date and time range, without requiring any changes to your regular rules.
Once the time window has passed, the system automatically reverts to your weekly rules.
A dedicated article on managing public holidays and exceptional closures will be available soon.
A Note on How Unmatched Calls Are Handled
Romulus automatically manages calls that arrive at times not covered by any active rule. This built-in fallback mechanism ensures that no call goes completely unhandled, even if your rule configuration has gaps. More details will be available in a future documentation update.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set different hours for different days?
Yes. Within the same rule you can add multiple time slots using the Add time slot button. Each slot can have different days and times.
What happens to a call that arrives exactly at the closing time?
The system applies the rule that is active at the exact moment the call arrives. We recommend setting time slots to cover the full day without overlaps or gaps.
Can I have both an audio message and voicemail out of hours?
Yes. You can add both blocks in sequence: first Play audio (with the closing message), then Voicemail to collect the caller's message.
How do I edit a rule I have already created?
Go to the Inbound Rules tab of the number, click on the rule you want to modify, make your changes, and click Save changes to confirm.