How Slang gets business hours information and handling holiday closures

Last updated: June 6, 2026

Slang automatically pulls your business hours from your Google Business page to provide accurate information to callers. Here's how this system works and how to handle special situations like holiday closures.

How Slang retrieves hours information

When callers ask about your business hours, Slang checks your Google Business page rather than other platforms like OpenTable. Slang syncs hours information from your Google Business Profile automatically twice per day—once in the middle of the night and once mid-afternoon. You do not need to notify Slang when you update hours on Google, as the system will sync automatically. When callers ask about dates beyond the 7-day window, Slang will infer hours by referencing the same day of the week within the available window. For example, if someone calls asking about Christmas Day (December 25th) more than a week in advance, Slang may look at the hours from a previous Thursday within the 7-day window and incorrectly tell callers you're open, even if your Google Business page shows you're closed on Christmas. Similarly, if someone asks about hours for Thursday the 25th but only data through Thursday the 18th is available, Slang will use the 18th's hours to answer.

Slang uses Google Business Profile rather than reservation platforms like OpenTable because not all businesses use reservation systems, and reservation availability doesn't always reflect actual business hours. For example, a restaurant may close reservations for a shift while remaining open for walk‑ins, ticketed events, or prepaid experiences.

Updating your business hours

To update your regular business hours:

  1. Log into your Google Business profile

  2. Update your hours directly in Google Business

  3. Allow up to 7 days for the changes to be reflected in Slang

Note that the "Hours" tab in your Slang dashboard is a Core tier feature that controls when calls are transferred to your in-house phone, not your actual business hours that are shared with callers.

Handling holiday closures and special hours

For upcoming holiday closures or special events, the approach depends on timing. For closures within the next 7 days, updating Google Business Profile is sufficient. For closures beyond 7 days, you must use the greeting tagline to ensure accurate information, since Slang will otherwise infer hours from the same day of the week within the 7‑day window. We strongly recommend using your greeting tagline as the primary method to communicate closures beyond the 7‑day window.

For special dates when you’re open (normally closed days)

If you need to be open on a day you’re normally closed (e.g., a special event day):

  1. Add Special Hours for that specific date in your Google Business Profile, marked as open with that day’s hours

  2. Do this as soon as possible — Google takes time to publish the changes, and Slang re‑reads hours on its own cadence after that

Optional safety net: You can add an announcement in your Slang dashboard under Branding → Greeting (e.g., “Heads up — we are open Tuesday, May 5”). This plays at the top of every call as a pure announcement.

Important: The greeting announcement does NOT change how the AI answers questions like “are you open May 5?” — that answer follows Google Business Profile data. Remember to remove the greeting after the special date has passed.

For holiday closures

Update your holiday hours in your Google Business profile. Since hours sync twice daily but may not be effective same‑day, update these at least one day in advance.

Use your greeting tagline

For holiday closures beyond 7 days out, or to immediately inform callers without waiting for Google Business updates:

  1. Go to the “Branding” tab in your Slang dashboard

  2. Select “Edit Greeting”

  3. Add information about upcoming closures in your tagline

You can also keep your “Seasonal Events” topic updated with relevant closure information.

Important: While Slang may provide incorrect hours information for holiday closures, your reservation system integration (like OpenTable) will still prevent actual bookings on dates when you’re closed, as it queries availability directly from your reservation platform.

Troubleshooting hours issues

If you notice Slang is providing incorrect hours information:

  • First, verify that your Google Business page has the correct hours

  • Remember that it can take up to 7 days for changes to be reflected

  • Use the greeting tagline as an immediate workaround for urgent corrections

If you continue to experience issues after updating your Google Business page and waiting the appropriate time, contact Slang support for further assistance.