Call forwarding: how to forward your business calls
Call forwarding sends calls from one number to another. On most mobile carriers you turn it on by dialling a short code with the number you want calls sent to. You can forward every call, or only the calls you do not answer, which is how most businesses send missed calls to an answering service.
What call forwarding is
Call forwarding tells your phone company to send calls for your number somewhere else. The caller dials your usual number and never knows the call was moved. Your number stays the same, which matters for a business: it is printed on your van, your website and your Google profile.
There are two kinds. Unconditional forwarding sends every call to the other number, and your phone does not ring at all. Conditional forwarding sends a call on only when you cannot take it: you do not answer, you are already on a call, or your phone is off or out of signal. Conditional forwarding is the one most owners want, because the phone still rings in your pocket first.
How to forward calls on most mobile carriers
Most carriers in Canada and the US, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Rogers, Bell and Telus, use the same standard codes. Dial the code from the phone you want to forward, with the destination number in place of the brackets, then press call:
- Forward every call: **21*[number]#
- Forward calls you do not answer: **61*[number]#
- Forward calls when you are busy: **67*[number]#
- Forward calls when your phone is off or out of signal: **62*[number]#
- Forward all three of the above at once: **004*[number]#
- Turn all forwarding off: ##002#
Forwarding on Verizon, landlines and VoIP
Verizon uses its own codes. Dial *72 followed by the number to forward every call, *71 followed by the number to forward only calls you do not answer or are busy for, and *73 to turn forwarding off.
A landline or an office phone system usually forwards from its own settings or a code your provider gives you, and a VoIP service such as a cloud phone system has a forwarding option in its web or app settings. Codes and features differ by carrier and plan, and some plans charge for forwarding, so check your carrier’s help pages before you rely on it.
How to forward calls to an answering service
The steps are the same whichever service you use:
- Get the number the service answers on. With Operator this is your business line, shown in Settings.
- Decide what you want: every call answered by the service, or only the ones you miss.
- Dial the matching code from your business phone, with the service’s number in it.
- Call your business number from another phone and let it ring, to check the call lands where you expect.
- Tell your team, so nobody is surprised when a missed call turns into a booking.
Forwarding your number to Operator
Operator answers on a business line of its own. To keep your existing number, forward it to that line. If you forward only missed calls, set Operator to Front desk in Settings, so it answers every call it receives instead of ringing your phone a second time. If you forward every call, choose Assist to have your phone ring first during business hours, or Front desk to have Operator answer them all.
However the call arrives, Operator answers in a natural voice, asks what the caller needs, books a time on your calendar and texts them a link to confirm. If a call ever cannot reach the AI, the caller is sent a text with your booking link instead of reaching silence.