What counts as "after-hours"?
Your business hours are configured per day (open/close times) in Settings. Anything outside those hours — including weekends, holidays you've blocked off, and the late evening — is treated as after-hours.
The classification is automatic. You don't need to flip a mode.
What changes when patients call after hours?
Three things shift:
- The greeting acknowledges the office is closed — Salva doesn't pretend to be the front desk.
- Booking still works if OpenDental is connected. Patients can book into your next available slot.
- Routine calls flow into callback collection instead of a main-line transfer attempt (which would just ring an empty office).
What does Salva collect for a callback?
For every after-hours callback, Salva captures:
- Patient name
- Phone number
- Reason for calling (in their own words)
- Timestamp
This shows up in your inbox tagged as Callback requested — see Reading your inbox for how to triage it the next morning.
Do emergencies still escalate after hours?
A patient calling at 11pm with sudden trauma doesn't get a callback form. The emergency classifier runs on every call regardless of the clock — and if it triggers, the call is routed to your emergency line immediately. After-hours behavior only changes the routine path.
How do notifications work after hours?
You decide which events trigger a notification. Configure SMS and email recipients under Notification channels. Most practices enable SMS for emergencies and email for callbacks — so routine after-hours requests don't wake anyone up, but genuine emergencies still reach the on-call dentist immediately.
Published April 20, 2026