Forward Calls Without Changing Your Number

Your business number is on your website, your van, your Google listing and every invoice you have ever sent. It stays. Forwarding sends the calls you choose, when you choose, to the AI receptionist, and everything else keeps working as it did. This checklist covers the decisions, the carrier settings, the greeting, the escalation path and the test calls.

Work through the sections in order. Ticks are saved in this browser, so you can finish the carrier steps tomorrow without losing your place.

Phone Forwarding Setup Checklist

Decide, configure, test, brief. Your number stays the same.

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Your ticks are saved in this browser, so you can work through the list over several sessions.

01Decide what to divert

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Write these down before you log in anywhere.

Choose which diverts to switch on: busy, no answer, after hours, or all threeAfter-hours only is the safest first step. Busy and no-answer can follow once you trust the setup.
Write down your opening hours, including lunch closures and days you are shutThe after-hours window is everything outside these hours. Public holidays need a decision too.
Pick the number of rings before no-answer forwarding firesThree or four rings is usual. Your carrier may ask for this in seconds.
Confirm which phone lines and mobiles need forwardingA main line, a mobile on the website and a tradesperson's phone may all need their own divert.
Get the forwarding destination number from your AI receptionist providerThis is the number your carrier will divert to. Callers never see it.

02Configure with your carrier or VoIP provider

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Use the settings your provider gives you. Do not guess at codes.

Identify who provides each line: Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, a reseller, or an NBN or VoIP serviceResellers run on one of the three mobile networks, so their divert settings follow that network.
Ask the carrier for the busy, no-answer and unconditional divert codes for your plan, or find the forwarding page in the portalCodes differ between networks and change over time. The carrier app or a support call is the reliable source.
Record the current forwarding settings before changing anythingYou may already have a divert to a mobile or voicemail. Note it so you can restore it.
Set busy forwarding to the destination numberA second caller reaches the AI receptionist instead of an engaged tone.
Set no-answer forwarding to the destination number with your chosen delayCheck the delay in seconds matches the ring count you decided on.
Set after-hours forwarding: a time-of-day schedule if your line supports it, otherwise a manual divert at close and openVoIP portals usually have schedules. Mobile lines often do not, so plan who switches it on and off.
Check whether diverted calls attract a charge on your planSome plans include the diverted leg. Others bill it per minute.
Write down the steps or codes that switch each divert off, and who holds the account loginThis is your way back if something is wrong on day one.

03Greeting and escalation

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Approve the words and the people before any call is forwarded.

Approve the greeting: business name first, then what the caller can doShort. The caller has already waited through the rings.
Add the call recording notification to the greeting if calls are recordedObligations differ between states and territories. Confirm with your provider what is enabled.
Name the escalation contact for urgent calls, with a mobile numberA named person, not a department. The AI needs a number it can transfer to.
Name a backup escalation contact for when the first person is unavailableLeave, weekends and a flat battery all happen. The backup catches them.
Define in plain words what counts as urgent in your businessA burst pipe is urgent for a plumber. A quote request is not.
Set where messages and bookings are delivered: email, SMS, calendar, or all threePick destinations someone actually watches after hours.

04Test calls

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Ring your own number from a mobile. One call per condition, minimum.

Test busy forwarding: put the line on a call, then ring it from another phoneYou should reach the AI receptionist, not an engaged tone.
Test no-answer forwarding: let the line ring and count the rings before the AI answersIf the count is wrong, adjust the delay with the carrier.
Test after-hours forwarding: ring outside opening hoursIf you use a manual divert, test both the switch-on and the switch-off.
On each test call, confirm the greeting names your business and offers the right optionsListen for anything a first-time caller would find confusing.
Make a test booking or leave a test message and confirm it arrives where you expectCheck the calendar entry or the email, not just the AI saying it was done.
Ask for a person urgently and confirm the escalation reaches the named mobileTest this after hours as well, when the backup contact may be the one who answers.
Check the caller ID shown on forwarded calls so your team knows they came through the AIAsk your provider how forwarded and transferred calls are labelled.

05Brief staff and go live

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Nobody should discover the divert by accident.

Tell every staff member which calls are diverting, when, and what the AI does with themInclude casuals and anyone who answers a mobile on site.
Show the escalation contacts what a transferred urgent call looks like on their phoneThey should know to answer an unfamiliar-looking call after hours.
Go live mid-week, mid-afternoon, with someone watching the first hour of callsNot Monday morning. Not the day before a public holiday.
Review every forwarded call at the end of the first week and fix any greeting or routing gapsThen decide whether to add the next divert type.

Help me set up forwarding

A general guide. Divert codes, charges and schedule features differ between carriers, plans and phone systems, so confirm the specifics with your provider. Call recording obligations differ between Australian states and territories.

The Three Kinds of Forwarding

Most carriers and VoIP services support three conditional diverts. Which ones you turn on decides how much of your call traffic the AI receptionist sees.

Forward when busy

Triggers only when your line is already on a call. A second caller is sent to the AI receptionist instead of hearing an engaged tone. Your team still answers everything they can. This is the lowest-risk divert to switch on first.

Forward when unanswered

Triggers after a set number of rings or seconds with no pick-up. You choose the delay. Three or four rings gives your team a fair chance and stops the caller waiting long enough to hang up. Set it too long and callers leave before the divert fires.

Forward after hours

Sends every call outside your opening hours to the AI receptionist. Some carriers offer time-of-day rules on the line itself. Others do not, in which case you switch an unconditional divert on at close and off at open, or let a VoIP system handle the schedule.

The Order That Avoids Surprises

Five stages. The carrier step is the one people rush, and it is where the wrong number or the wrong divert type causes a day of confusion.

1

Decide

Choose which calls to divert and when. Write down your opening hours and the number of rings before no-answer forwarding fires.

2

Configure with your carrier

Get the forwarding destination number from your AI receptionist provider. Then set busy, no-answer and after-hours diverts through your carrier or VoIP portal. Do not guess at codes.

3

Greeting and escalation

Approve the words callers hear when the AI answers, and name the people and numbers it escalates to for urgent calls.

4

Test

Ring your own number from a mobile under each condition: line busy, no answer, after hours. Confirm the AI answers, the greeting is right, and a test booking or message lands where it should.

5

Brief and go live

Tell staff what is diverting and when, keep a note of how to switch it off, and review the first week of forwarded calls.

Carrier Notes for Australian Businesses

The exact steps depend on who provides your line. The principles below apply across the main options. Confirm the specifics with your provider before you change anything.

Mobile services (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and resellers)

Australian mobile networks support conditional diverts for busy, no answer and unreachable, plus an unconditional divert that sends everything. They are set with short dial codes or through the carrier app or account portal. The codes differ between networks and can change, so get them from your carrier rather than a forum post.

Ask your carrier for the busy, no-answer and unconditional divert codes for your plan
Check whether diverted calls attract a per-minute charge on your plan
The no-answer delay is set in seconds on most mobile networks, so choose the delay that matches three or four rings
Resellers use one of the three networks, so the settings follow the underlying network

NBN and VoIP business lines

If your landline number runs over the NBN or a VoIP service, forwarding is usually set in the provider portal or in your phone system rather than by dialling a code. This is where time-of-day rules, ring groups and simultaneous ring live. It is also where a wrong setting affects every handset at once.

Log in to the provider portal and look for call forwarding, diversion or call routing
Time-of-day schedules let after-hours forwarding switch itself on and off
Check that public holidays are covered by the schedule or handled manually
Write down the previous settings before you change them

Greeting wording

The greeting is the first thing a forwarded caller hears. It should say the business name, make clear that the caller can book or leave details now, and, if calls are recorded, say so. Keep it short. Callers who have just waited through four rings do not want a paragraph.

Business name first, so the caller knows the divert worked
State what the caller can do: book, ask a question, leave a message, reach someone urgently
Include the recording notification if calls are recorded
Use the same greeting for busy, no-answer and after-hours unless there is a reason not to

Keeping a way back

Forwarding is easy to switch on and, if you have kept notes, easy to switch off. Record the codes or portal steps that turn each divert off, and who has the login. If something is wrong on day one, you should be back on the old setup in minutes, not on hold to a carrier.

Write down the deactivation code or portal steps for each divert
Make sure at least two people can access the carrier account
Keep the previous no-answer delay and destination so they can be restored exactly
Test the switch-off once before go-live so you know it works

Next Steps

AI Receptionist Knowledge Base Checklist

Forwarding is only half of go-live. This is what the AI needs to know before it answers.

Open the checklist →

AI Receptionist Setup Checklist

The full fourteen-day rollout, of which forwarding is one step.

See the rollout plan →

Overflow Call Answering

How busy and no-answer forwarding work as an overflow service in practice.

Read about overflow →

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to change my business phone number?

No. Forwarding works on the number you already have. Callers dial your existing number, your carrier applies the divert rule you set, and the call arrives at the AI receptionist with your number attached. Your listings, signage, ads and invoices stay as they are. The only new number in the process is the forwarding destination, which callers never see or dial.

What are the divert codes for my carrier?

They depend on the network, the plan and sometimes the handset, and they change from time to time. We deliberately do not publish them here. Ask your carrier, check the account app, or use the provider portal for an NBN or VoIP service. Your AI receptionist provider will give you the destination number to enter. If in doubt, ring the carrier and ask them to set busy and no-answer diverts to that number while you are on the line.

How many rings before no-answer forwarding should fire?

Three or four rings is the usual choice. Fewer than that and your team barely gets a chance to answer. More than that and callers start hanging up before the divert fires. Mobile networks usually set this delay in seconds rather than rings, so ask your carrier which value matches three or four rings on your network. Test it by ringing your own number and counting.

Can I forward only after hours and keep answering during the day?

Yes, and it is the most common way to start. If your line supports a time-of-day schedule, set the after-hours window to your closed hours and leave daytime calls untouched. If it does not, an unconditional divert switched on at close and off at open does the same job, and some businesses add busy and no-answer forwarding during the day later once they trust the setup.

Will forwarded calls cost me extra?

It depends on your plan. Some mobile and VoIP plans include diverted calls, others charge per minute for the leg from your number to the destination. Check with your carrier before switching on a divert that will carry a lot of traffic. Your AI receptionist plan covers the answering itself. Our plans are $299, $599 and $1,299 per month depending on call volume and hours of coverage.

What should I test before telling customers?

Three calls at minimum, one for each condition. Put your line on a call and ring it from a mobile to test busy forwarding. Let it ring unanswered to test the no-answer delay. Ring after close to test after-hours forwarding. On each call, confirm the greeting names your business, ask for a booking or leave a test message, and check it arrives in your calendar or inbox. Then ask for a person urgently and confirm the escalation reaches the right phone.

Not Sure Which Divert to Switch On First?

Tell us your carrier, your opening hours and how the phone is answered now. We will tell you which forwarding rules to set and in what order, before you touch a setting.

Help me set up forwarding Read the setup walkthrough