Do your business hours actually cover the country?
Pick your home time zone and your published hours. We will show you the percentage of standard business hours you actually cover in every other US time zone.
| Time zone | Your hours, in their local time | Coverage of 8AM-6PM |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) | 9:00 AM → 5:00 PM | 80% |
| Central (CT) | 8:00 AM → 4:00 PM | 80% |
| Mountain (MT) | 7:00 AM → 3:00 PM | 70% |
| Arizona (no DST) | 7:00 AM → 3:00 PM | 70% |
| Pacific (PT) | 6:00 AM → 2:00 PM | 60% |
| Alaska (AKT) | 5:00 AM → 1:00 PM | 50% |
| Hawaii (HST) | 4:00 AM → 12:00 PM | 40% |
Your hours leave gaps in some US time zones. An AI receptionist that runs 24/7 closes those gaps without extra staff. Start free.
The hidden cost of single-zone hours
An East Coast business open 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern only covers 6 AM to 2 PM Pacific. By the time the West Coast wakes up, you are halfway through the day. By the time their lunch ends, you are closed.
For nationwide service businesses, this is a silent revenue killer. Callers in other zones get voicemail, and as BrightLocal data shows, 60 to 80% of them will not leave a voicemail. They call the next provider.
The simple fix is extending hours. The cheap fix is using a 24/7 AI receptionist that works every zone simultaneously without shift staffing.
Frequently asked questions
How many time zones does the continental US span?
Four: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Including Alaska and Hawaii, the US covers six standard time zones. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time year-round and does not observe daylight saving, so during summer it aligns with Pacific time instead.
What hours actually cover all US time zones at once?
To cover a typical 8 AM to 6 PM local window across all four mainland zones, you need to staff 8 AM Eastern through 9 PM Eastern (or 5 AM through 6 PM Pacific). That is 13 straight hours of coverage. Add Alaska and Hawaii and the window stretches to 16+ hours.
How does Arizona daylight saving affect business hours?
Most of Arizona stays on MST year-round. From March through November, Arizona is the same time as Pacific (PDT) instead of Mountain (MDT). If your CRM or scheduler is configured for MDT, you will be off by an hour for 8 months of the year for Arizona customers.
How does an AI receptionist handle multiple time zones?
It does not care. An AI agent is on duty 24/7 across every zone simultaneously. Booking flows automatically convert to the caller's local time. There is no shift handoff, no overlap to staff, and no extra cost for extending hours.
Is it worth offering nationwide service if I am a single-zone business?
Yes, if your service or product is delivered remotely or shipped. The biggest reason owners avoid going nationwide is staffing the phones across zones. Removing that constraint usually surfaces 20 to 40% of additional addressable demand, and it is the cheapest expansion you can run.
Cover every zone, every hour
OnCallClerk answers calls 24/7 in every US time zone simultaneously. From $29/month.