Business Phone Line Forwarding

Unconditional forwarding, sometimes called all-call or immediate forwarding, moves every incoming call to the destination number right away. Your original phone does not ring at all. This is the simplest option when you want one place to handle all calls, but it also means you cannot pick up at the desk phone while it is on.

Conditional forwarding gives you more control. Busy forwarding redirects calls while you are already on the phone. No-answer forwarding lets the line ring a number of times first, then sends the call elsewhere. Unreachable forwarding covers moments when the phone is off or out of service. Many owners use conditional forwarding so they answer their own calls when available and only overflow calls go to the destination.

One practical note: on some services, all-call forwarding overrides voicemail on the original line, so calls will not reach that voicemail while forwarding is active.

• Unconditional (all calls): every call is sent to the destination immediately; the original line does not ring.
• Busy: redirects only when the line is already on a call.
• No answer: rings the original line first, then redirects after the set number of rings.
• Unreachable: redirects when the phone is powered off or has no service.
• All-call forwarding can override voicemail on the original line on some services.

There are three common ways providers let you activate forwarding, and the method depends on the exact product you subscribe to, not just the carrier name.

Star codes are dialed from the phone line itself. For example, Verizon mobile uses *72 plus the 10-digit destination to forward all calls and *73 to turn it off, with *71 for unanswered calls on wireless lines. Verizon business landline uses *72 and *73 for all-call forwarding. AT&T Phone for Business uses *72 for all calls, *92 for no answer, and *90 for busy, each followed by the destination and #. T-Mobile uses **21*1, then the destination and #, for unconditional forwarding, with ##21# to disable.

Web dashboards and apps are common on hosted business phone systems. Spectrum Business Voice manages forwarding through the account portal by selecting the phone number and enabling unconditional or busy/no-answer forwarding. Vonage Business Communications lets you enable forwarding to a phone number from its Call Forwarding setting. Comcast Business manages phone features through My Account and the Comcast Business App, and features depend on the services you subscribe to.

Before following any instructions, identify the exact product on your bill. Codes for one product often do not work on another from the same company, and wireless codes should not be applied to landline products.

• Star codes: dialed from the line, such as *72 to activate and *73 to deactivate on many services.
• Portals and apps: hosted systems like Spectrum Business Voice and Vonage Business Communications manage forwarding in account settings.
• Product name matters: AT&T Collaborate, AT&T Phone for Business, and AT&T wireless all use different codes.
• Some features require an administrator to enable them before you can use them.

The most common destination is a cell phone, so the owner can answer the business number while away from the desk. This works well with conditional forwarding: the desk phone rings first, and if you are out or on another call, the call moves to your cell.

Another common destination is an answering service. Instead of forwarding to a person's cell, the line forwards to a service that answers in the business's name, takes messages, and can handle routine questions. With AllDayDesk, you keep your public number and forward calls to us; setup involves choosing your business or entering its website, checking the details we found, hearing a personalized sample, and then choosing your phone setup based on your provider. Calls, transcripts, summaries, and any bookings show up in your dashboard afterward.

Some hosted systems also offer built-in features like simultaneous ring or find me/follow me, which ring several numbers at once or in sequence. Frontier's Digital Voice services, for example, include Find Me-Follow Me or Simultaneous Ring features.

• Forward to a cell phone so the business number follows you.
• Forward to an answering service so calls are handled in your business's name.
• Find me/follow me or simultaneous ring features ring multiple numbers on some hosted services.
• Verify the destination with a real outside test call after activating.

Forwarding is not universal across every line and plan. Some services offer it only in select areas or on select handsets, and some features must be added to your plan before they can be used. Charges can also depend on your plan, since a forwarded call may be treated as an outgoing call to the destination.

Google Voice deserves a special note: Google explicitly states that forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system is unsupported. If your business number is a Google Voice number, forwarding it to an automated answering service will not work as a supported setup.

Finally, forwarding only moves the call. What happens after the call arrives depends on what is at the destination: a cell phone goes to your personal voicemail if you miss it, while an answering service answers in your name. If you want bookings, note that with AllDayDesk new appointments use the built-in dashboard calendar by default once you have configured your services and availability, and an optional Google Calendar connection can be set up in Settings after you connect and authorize your account.

• Availability of forwarding features varies by plan, area, and device.
• Forwarded calls may count against plan minutes or incur charges depending on the plan.
• Google Voice numbers cannot be forwarded to automated systems as a supported setup.
• Forwarding moves the call; the destination determines who answers and what happens next.