Business Hours tell the system when your team is actually available to respond. This is the foundation for fair SLA measurement — response and resolution timers only tick during your configured working hours, pausing overnight, on weekends, and on holidays. You can create multiple calendars for different teams or regions (each with its own timezone, daily hours, and holiday list), designate a default calendar for unassigned traffic, and link each SLA policy to the appropriate calendar. Without business hours, a message arriving at 2 AM would show as breached by the time your team opens — this prevents that.
How Business Hours Route Messages
1
Customer
Message Arrives
Customer sends a message to your WhatsApp number.
3
System
Open: Inbox
If open, message routes to inbox and SLA timer starts.
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2
3
4
2
System
Hours Check
System checks if the current time is within working hours.
4
System
Closed: Queue
If closed, auto-reply is sent and timer is queued for next open.
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1
Customer
Message Arrives
Customer sends a message to your WhatsApp number.
2
2
System
Hours Check
System checks if the current time is within working hours.
3
3
System
Open: Inbox
If open, message routes to inbox and SLA timer starts.
4
4
System
Closed: Queue
If closed, auto-reply is sent and timer is queued for next open.
Create a calendar, assign its timezone, and set the daily operating hours for your team.
2
Step 2
Add Holidays
Input the public holidays or specific dates your team observes so timers correctly pause on those days.
3
Step 3
Link to SLA
Mark one calendar as default and link your Business Hours to your SLA Policies for fair measurement.
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1
Step 1
Set Hours & Timezone
Create a calendar, assign its timezone, and set the daily operating hours for your team.
2
2
Step 2
Add Holidays
Input the public holidays or specific dates your team observes so timers correctly pause on those days.
3
3
Step 3
Link to SLA
Mark one calendar as default and link your Business Hours to your SLA Policies for fair measurement.
Tip: Set up Business Hours before your SLA Policies. The policies link to these calendars, so accurate hours are what make breach timers fair — a question that arrives at 2am isn't "late" until you open.
When planning coverage, it helps to know when customers are actually active. In South Asia, concentrate staffing between 9 AM and 9 PM local time — that's when message volume peaks. In Latin American markets, the window is similar at 8 AM–9 PM. Staffing outside these windows often produces diminishing returns unless you have specific international customers.
For handling after-hours messages, set expectations with an away message template: "Thanks for reaching out! Our team is currently offline. We'll get back to you within [X hours] on the next business day. If this is urgent, reply 'URGENT' and we'll prioritize your message first thing."
9AM
Common peak volume start time across global markets
9PM
When message volume typically drops off for South Asia and Latin America
0
False breaches when SLA timers are properly linked to working hours