What is Call Forwarding and How Do You Set it Up

One of the key benefits of call forwarding is its flexibility. Callers can be redirected based on your specific criteria, we'll go into that in a little more detail in the conditional forwarding section below.

Although call divert and call forwarding can be used interchangeably, call divert tends to mean call diversion of all your calls, all of the time. Call forwarding tends to refer to the more nuanced capabilities of conditional call forwarding - allowing you more control over when calls are forwarded.

In a business setting, you may be able to choose to forward your entire telephone number or selectively divert specific lines or extensions. This allows you to maintain control over your communications and ensure that important calls never go unanswered. Whether you need to divert calls to your voicemail, a colleague, or a professional call handling service such as CallChimps, call forwarding provides a versatile solution to optimise your call handling.

Reasons to Redirect Incoming Calls

In today's fast-paced business environment, there are numerous reasons why you may want to redirect calls to another number or service. Perhaps you're frequently out of the office or on the move, and you need to ensure that all incoming communications are promptly answered and handled, even in your absence.

Many businesses demand full attention, and in some cases, such as tradespeople, you may literally have your hands full/submerged/oily and unable to answer calls as they come in.

Alternatively, you may recognise the limitations of a traditional answering service and seek a more sophisticated call handling solution.

By leveraging call forwarding, you can seamlessly divert calls to a professional service like CallChimps, which can provide a superior customer experience. CallChimps' virtual receptionists can answer each call, handle queries about your business, take messages, summarise calls and even forward specific numbers to the appropriate party, ensuring that your clients or customers always receive the high-quality service they expect.

Find out more about CallChimps features and pricing here, or why not sign up for a 30-day free trial?

Regardless of your specific reasons, forwarding empowers you to maintain control over your calls and ensure that important communications are never missed. By redirecting callers to another number or a dedicated call handling service, you can enhance your overall responsiveness, improve customer satisfaction, and ultimately, drive better business outcomes.

What is Conditional Call Forwarding?

Conditional call forwarding is an advanced feature that builds upon the basic call diversion functionality. This enhanced capability allows you to automatically divert calls based on specific conditions or circumstances.

With a conditional approach, you can configure your phone system to forward callers in the event that your primary line is busy or you are unable to answer. This ensures that important communications are never lost, as the system can seamlessly redirect the call to an alternative destination, such as voicemail, a colleague's phone, or a dedicated call handling service like CallChimps.

In fact, your mobile phone's voicemail uses exactly this process. Your voicemail is actually a different number, where calls are sent if unanswered.

By leveraging conditional call forwarding, you gain greater control over your incoming communications. This level of customisation empowers you to optimise your call handling and provide a consistently positive experience for your callers, even during times when you may be unavailable to take the call directly.

How to Forward Calls on a UK Landline

If you’re trying to redirect calls from a UK landline, you have three options:

1. Forward all calls
2. Forward calls if you don’t answer within 15 seconds
3. Forward calls if you are on another call (engaged)

The following steps (from BT) will enable this.

1. Press * followed by 21(to forward all calls), 61 (to forward calls if not answered within 15 seconds), or 67 (to forward calls if engaged)
2. Press * followed by the phone number to divert to (enter your CallChimps number here)
3. Press #

For example, if your new CallChimps number is 12345678, and you want to use this to answer calls you don’t answer within 15 seconds, you would pick up your landline and dial *61*12345678#

How to Forward Calls on Different Mobile Devices

Call forwarding options are slightly different on android phones and iPhones, we'll dive into a little depth for each of these phones below.

Both platforms should respond to dial codes to set things up, so you can following this method below, or follow the specific steps for each phone type via settings below:

• Open the Phone app (Dialer) on your phone

• Dial one of the following codes based on your needs:

  • Forward when unanswered:
    Dial 61 followed by the phone number you want to forward calls to, then #
    Example: 611234567890#

  • Forward when busy:
    Dial 67 followed by the phone number, then #
    Example: 671234567890#

  • Forward when unreachable:
    Dial 62 followed by the phone number, then #
    Example: 621234567890#

• Press the Call button to activate the forwarding

• You should see a confirmation message that call forwarding has been enabled

To deactivate conditional call forwarding, use the following codes:

• Unanswered: ##61#

• Busy: ##67#

• Unreachable: ##62#

Forwarding Calls on an Android Phone

Call forwarding on an Android phone is a simple process. Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Phone app on your Android phone

2. Tap the three-dot menu or Settings (depending on your model)

3. Look for the "Call" or "Phone" section

4. Tap Select Settings (or Call settings on some models)

5. Look for Call forwarding under the Calls section

6. Tap on Call forwarding

7. Choose the option you want to set (e.g., Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered, etc.)

8. Enter number for the phone number you want to forward to

9. Tap "Activate" to enable the call forwarding feature

Once you're set up on your Android device, all phone calls will be automatically redirected to the specified number, whether it's a colleague's phone, your home line, or a service like CallChimps.

Forwarding Calls on an iPhone

Forwarding on an iPhone is also a straightforward process. Follow these steps:

1. Go to your iPhone's settings

2. Tap on "Phone"

3. Tap "Call Forwarding"

4. Toggle the "Call Forwarding" switch to the "On" position

5. Enter the phone number you want to direct callers to

Your iPhone will now forward to the specified number

Whether you need to forward to a different device, a colleague, or a call handling service like CallChimps, the process is quick and easy on both Android and iOS smartphones. Take advantage of these options to ensure important communications are always handled promptly and professionally.