Business hours tell ThriveDesk when your team works, for each inbox and channel. Holidays mark the days you are closed. Together they decide when a conversation arrives out of hours: that is when an inbox's Outside business hours auto reply is sent, and what the automation conditions Within business hours and Outside business hours check.
Before you begin
You are the account owner or an admin. Other teammates can open the page, but ThriveDesk refuses their changes.
You know which inbox, or which inboxes, the hours apply to.
Where to find it
Settings → Business hours. The page has two tabs: Business hours and Holidays.
Add business hours
A business hours group sets the schedule for one inbox, or for all of them, on the channels you choose. Each inbox and channel pair can belong to one group only.
Select Add business hours. The Add business hours window opens.
Enter a Name, up to 60 characters. Add a Short description if you want one.
Under Inbox, choose one inbox. To cover every inbox you have now, choose All inboxes.
Under Channels, turn on Ticket / email, Live chat, or both. Select all turns on both. Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are listed, but you cannot select them.
Under Operational hours, choose one option:
Calendar hours (24/7) — your team is always available. This is the default.
Business hours (choose work days / hours) — you choose the days and times.
If you chose business hours, set the schedule. See Choose days and times below.
Select Save. The message Group saved appears, and the group shows in the list with its name and description.
Choose days and times
Business hours have two views. Select Standard hours or Custom hours at the top of the schedule.
Standard hours
Standard hours use one time range for every day you select.
Under Applicable days, select the letter for each day. Monday to Friday are selected by default.
Under Operational hours, choose the start and end time. The default is 9:00am to 5:00pm. The badge next to the times shows the length of the day, for example 8 h.
Times move in 15-minute steps. To find a time faster, open the time list and type in its Search box.
Custom hours
Custom hours give each day its own row, switch, and time range. Use them when one day is different, for example a short Saturday.
Select Custom hours. The rows start with the days and times you chose in Standard hours.
Turn on the switch for each day your team works.
Choose the start and end time for each day. The Duration column shows the length of each day.
Add holidays
A holiday applies to your whole workspace; you do not choose inboxes for it. On a holiday, every inbox and channel that follows a business hours schedule counts as out of hours for the whole day. Inboxes on Calendar hours (24/7), and inboxes with no business hours, stay open.
Select the Holidays tab.
Select Add holiday. The Add holiday window opens.
Enter a Holiday name, for example Christmas Day.
Choose a Start date and an End date. For a one-day holiday, choose the same date for both. You cannot choose an end date before the start date.
Select Add holiday. The message Holiday added appears, and the holiday shows in the list.
Each row in the list shows the first day of the holiday, its name, a status, its dates, and the number of days. Active holidays come first, then upcoming, then past.
Status | Means |
|---|---|
ACTIVE | Today falls within the holiday's dates |
UPCOMING | The holiday starts after today |
PAST | The holiday has ended |
Edit or delete
To edit a business hours group, select the pencil icon (Edit group) on its row. The Edit business hours window opens with the saved settings. Make your changes, then select Save.
To edit a holiday, select the pencil icon (Edit holiday) on its row on the Holidays tab. Change the name or dates, then select Save changes. The message Holiday updated appears.
To delete either one:
Select the trash icon (Delete group or Delete holiday) on its row.
Confirm with Delete in Delete this business hours group? or Delete this holiday?. The message Group deleted or Holiday deleted appears, and the row leaves the list.
What happens outside business hours
Auto reply. An inbox with business hours can send an Outside business hours auto reply. In Settings → Inboxes, open the inbox and edit it, turn on Enable auto reply, then select Outside business hours. Without business hours for that inbox, the tab shows Business hours required instead of the reply editor.
Automations. Automation rules can check Within business hours or Outside business hours.
Holidays. A conversation that arrives on a holiday counts as out of hours, the same as one that arrives outside your hours, for inboxes on a business hours schedule.
What you should see
The group shows in the Business hours list with its name and description; a group with no description shows No description provided. Each holiday shows in the Holidays list with the right status. In the inbox's auto reply settings, Outside business hours shows a reply editor instead of Business hours required.
Common problems
Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Save shows | Another group already covers that inbox and channel | Edit the other group, or choose a different channel or inbox |
| A selected day starts and ends at the same time. Its badge shows 0 m | Change the start or the end time of that day |
| Another group in your workspace uses that name | Choose a different name |
An inbox still counts as open on a holiday | Its business hours are Calendar hours (24/7), or it has no business hours | Set Business hours (choose work days / hours) for that inbox and channel |
Last year's holiday shows PAST and does not apply this year | Holidays do not repeat | Add the holiday again with this year's dates |
Days before the start date are greyed out in End date | The end date cannot be before the start date | Change the Start date first |
| Only the account owner and admins can change business hours and holidays | Ask an admin to make the change |
Questions
Can business hours run past midnight?
Yes. Choose an end time earlier than the start time. For example, 10:00pm to 7:00am is 9 h and ends the next morning.
Can one inbox have different hours for email and live chat?
Yes. Create one group with Ticket / email and another with Live chat for the same inbox. Each inbox and channel pair can belong to one group only.
Do holidays close inboxes on Calendar hours (24/7)?
No. A holiday only closes inboxes and channels that follow a business hours schedule. Inboxes on Calendar hours (24/7) stay open.
Do I need to add holidays for each inbox?
No. A holiday applies to your whole workspace, to every inbox and channel on a business hours schedule.
Related
Set an inbox auto reply — the Outside business hours reply needs business hours for that inbox.
Change your workspace timezone — business hours and holidays use the workspace timezone.
Last verified: 2026-11-03