---
title: "Have your AI agent call to confirm holiday hours"
description: "Online listings are often wrong on holidays. Your agent calls the business and asks if they're open on the day you need and until what time, then tells you."
url: https://callforme.tel/use-cases/holiday-hours
updated: 2026-09-29
---

# Have your AI agent call to confirm holiday hours

> Ask your agent whether a place is open on a holiday. It checks listed hours with find_business, and because holiday hours online are often wrong, it places a short CallForMe call to ask directly. The assistant asks if they're open, the hours, and anything different that day, then your agent tells you in one line.

**Say to your agent:** "Ask the pharmacy if it's open on Thanksgiving and until what time."

## What you say to your agent

> Ask the pharmacy if it's open on Thanksgiving and until what time.

It sounds like the simplest possible call, and it is. It's also the one you'll forget until the day of, and the one where a wrong website costs you a wasted drive.

## What your agent does

1. **find_business** with the pharmacy's name and your area. That returns the phone number and today's hours, which may not reflect the holiday.
2. **plan_call** confirms the goal and shows the cost estimate, $1.
3. **place_call**:

```json
{
  "phone": "+19725550168",
  "business_name": "Main Street Pharmacy",
  "goal": "Ask whether the store and the pharmacy counter are open on Thanksgiving, Thursday Nov 26, and their hours that day.",
  "questions": [
    "Is the pharmacy counter open on Thanksgiving?",
    "What are the pharmacy hours that day?",
    "Is the front store open different hours?"
  ],
  "on_behalf_of": "Jake Marsh"
}
```

4. **get_call** with `wait_seconds: 50`. This call usually ends inside the first wait.

## Example result

Example transcript excerpt:

> **Clerk:** Main Street Pharmacy.
> **Assistant:** Hi, I'm an automated assistant calling on behalf of Jake Marsh. Is your pharmacy counter open on Thanksgiving, and what are the hours?
> **Clerk:** The store's open 8 to 6, but the pharmacy is only 10 to 2 that day.
> **Assistant:** Thank you, that's all I needed.

What your agent tells you:

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy open on Thanksgiving? | Yes |
| Pharmacy hours | 10am to 2pm |
| Front store hours | 8am to 6pm |

Call length 0m 41s, $1.00.

## Tips

- **Ask about the counter, not just the store.** Pharmacies, service departments, and delis inside bigger stores often close earlier.
- **Name the date, not only the holiday.** "Thursday Nov 26" avoids confusion about observed holidays.
- **Batch it.** If you're planning a holiday week, have your agent check the pharmacy, the post office annex, and the dry cleaner in one go.
- **Skip `callback_number` here.** It's a question, not a request, so there's nothing for them to call back about.

## What it costs

$1 per answered call. These are usually under a minute.

## Related

- [Order ready for pickup?](/use-cases/order-ready-pickup)
- [Pharmacy stock check](/use-cases/pharmacy-prescription-stock)
- [What an AI call sounds like](/guides/what-an-ai-call-sounds-like)
- [Pricing](/docs/pricing)

## FAQ

### Why not just check the hours online?

Your agent does check first. find_business returns listed hours for today. But holiday and special hours are often missing or out of date online, and the person who answers the phone knows.

### What if the business has a recorded message with holiday hours?

The assistant listens and records what the message says. If the message answers the question, that's the result.

### Can it check several places at once?

Yes. Ask about three pharmacies and your agent can call them in parallel, then tell you which is open latest.

### When am I charged?

When the call is answered: $1, including the first 5 minutes. If it rings out, is busy, fails, or goes to voicemail without a message being left, there's no charge.