What is call forwarding? A complete guide

Call forwarding can be a lifeline for busy companies, making sure incoming calls are answered, even when you can’t get to the phone. But how exactly does it work, and how can you set it up from your device? In this guide, we’ll show you how to forward a call from your smartphone or your office landline, as well as how to stop call forwarding when you’re ready to take calls again. We’ll discuss when to consider diverting calls, and explore the benefits of an outsourced call forwarding or telephone answering service.

What is call forwarding?

Call forwarding is a feature of all mobile and landline phones that allows incoming telephone calls to be diverted to another person, number or device. Businesses regularly use call forwarding to manage incoming calls, but it’s also possible to divert calls on a personal device.

What is conditional call forwarding?

Conditional call forwarding is a specific type of call forwarding that is only used in predetermined circumstances. For instance, if you’re already on the phone, don’t pick up within a particular number of rings, or you lose service, conditional call forwarding can kick in, ensuring the call is diverted and dealt with elsewhere.

How to forward telephone calls

There’s no one answer to ‘how do you forward phone calls?’. It depends on the type of device both receiving and answering the call. Here, we look at how to forward telephone calls via an iPhone, Android or landline.

How to forward calls on an iPhone

It takes no more than a minute or two at most to forward calls on an iPhone, so it’s worth learning how to do this in case of busy periods or emergencies:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app
2. Find ‘Phone’ and select this option
3. Tap Call Forwarding
4. Slide the toggle to On to turn on call forwarding
5. Input the phone number that you’d like your calls to be diverted to – this could be another iPhone, an Android or a landline number

Incoming calls to your Apple iPhone will then be picked up by the device you’ve forwarded them to – it’s really that simple.

How to deactivate call forwarding on an iPhone

When you’re ready to receive calls to your iPhone again, turn off call forwarding by:

1. Open Settings
2. Click the option that says Phone
3. Locate Call Forwarding
4. Slide the toggle switch to Off

How to forward calls on an Android

It’s easy to divert calls, whatever type of mobile phone you have. Here’s how to forward a call on Android, whether you have a Samsung or another type of smartphone:

1. Open the Phone app that you use to make calls
2. Select Settings. There will usually be three dots in the top right-hand corner of your screen, where you’ll find ‘Settings’ as an option
3. Scroll to find the specific Call Settings (this may be simply called ‘Calls’ or possibly something like ‘Supplementary Services’
4. Locate Call Forwarding, which may be found under ‘Advanced’ or ‘Additional Settings’
5. Enable Call Forwarding, either for all calls or in conditional circumstances
6. Input the phone number that you’d like to divert incoming calls to
7. Confirm your chosen settings. Depending on your device, they may save automatically, or you might need to tap ‘Enable’ or similar

How to deactivate call forwarding on an Android

Here’s how to stop call forwarding on an Android device when you’re happy to receive calls to your mobile again:

1. Bring up the Phone app
2. Select Settings (this could either be an icon or three dots) in the top right-hand corner of your screen
3. Tap Settings (this may be ‘Call Settings’ on some devices)
4. Select Call Forwarding
5. Choose Turn Off or Disable (you may need to select this individually for different types of call forwarding)

How to divert calls from a landline to mobile

It’s straightforward to divert calls from a landline rather than a mobile, for example if you still want to receive calls coming into the office when you’re working from home. Simply follow the below steps:

1. Dial ‘21’
2. Input the mobile number that you’d like to divert calls to
3. Press the # key to confirm

When to use call forwarding

From busy periods to after hours, there are numerous times when it makes sense to divert calls or use an outsourced call forwarding service. Consider using a business call forwarding service during the following:

• Peak periods: diverting calls during a busy period means you can continue to deliver a high standard of customer service, even when you can’t always get to the phone
• Outside of your office hours: use call forwarding first thing in the morning or in the evenings and at weekends to achieve a healthier work-life balance, without compromising on the level of customer service you provide
• If you’re self-employed: if you’re a busy small business owner, knowing how to do call forwarding can be invaluable, leaving you with more time to focus your skills where they’re needed most. A call forwarding service will also screen scam and nuisance calls for you
• Working from home: diverting calls from the office to your mobile can be an ideal solution when you’re working remotely but still want to receive incoming calls to the office
• When you’re out of office: temporarily divert your calls to a colleague or call forwarding service when you’re out at a meeting or can’t answer your phone for a certain period to make sure all enquiries continue to be captured
• During annual leave: set up call forwarding on your work phone when you’re on annual leave, so you can fully switch off during your break

Benefits of call forwarding

1. Never miss important calls again

The top benefit of understanding how to forward telephone calls is that you can ensure your business never misses an important incoming call again. Enabling call forwarding on your devices or using an outsourced call handling service will make sure all calls are answered, even if it’s not by you, so you’ll never miss a potential business opportunity again.

2. Streamline customer service

Callers won’t always get through to the right person when they call, meaning they’ll need to be redirected by whoever has answered the phone. This needs to be a smooth process – mistakenly disconnecting someone or sending them to the wrong person will damage your business’ reputation for customer service.

It’s therefore key that everyone handling phone calls in your organisation knows how to forward a call in the right way. Another option to protect your reputation is to use an outsourced call answering or switchboard service. This will streamline customer experience by ensuring calls are directed to the right person every time.

3. Divert calls to any device

Today, calls to your business may come in via a hard-wired landline, smartphone, tablet or a laptop. But when so many devices are being used, often across multiple locations or even remotely, it can be difficult to ensure calls are always transferred to the correct device. A call forwarding service will work with your company to integrate with your existing phones and communication systems. This will ensure calls are diverted smoothly to your preferred device or location, supporting improved efficiency.

4. Effectively extend your business hours

Knowing how to forward telephone calls to your office to mobiles or an outsourced service means customers and clients can contact your business and receive a helpful response, even when you’ve finished working for the day. Clients likely work the same office hours as you, so if you’re not around when they’re free to call you, they may contact one of your competitors instead, leaving you missing out on potentially lucrative business.

If you’re confident with how to divert calls to a mobile or another number, this is one option, but it may mean colleagues needing to stay on call in the evening just in case someone rings. A better option would be to use an out-of-hours call forwarding service, which can take messages on your behalf and ensure they’re sent on to the right person. This means customers will receive a response even when you’re closed, so won’t need to seek support elsewhere. At Face For Business, our after-hours call forwarding service is available:

• 8am-8pm Monday to Friday
• 9am-5:30pm Saturday
• 10am-4pm Sunday

5. Save money

For small businesses, operating multiple phone lines can be costly and time-consuming, and may even result in you needing to employ a receptionist, further adding to your costs. However, setting up call forwarding – either yourself or via an outsourced service like Face For Business – will save you needing to spend on these costs, while still ensuring all incoming calls are answered promptly and professionally.

Professional, reliable call forwarding from Face For Business

Knowing how to forward telephone calls or engaging an outsourced call forwarding service can transform your business. Increase efficiency, save money on running multiple phone lines or hiring a receptionist, and improve your customer service when you take advantage of business call forwarding.

Face For Business provides a professional, reliable telephone forwarding and answering service for businesses of all sizes, across the healthcare, property, legal, financial, IT and construction sectors. Our friendly, UK-based call handlers can forward calls to another device for you, take messages on your behalf, and even deal with some enquiries. This leaves you with more time to focus on growing your business, safe in the knowledge you won’t miss any important calls.

Contact us today to get a quote or start your 7-day free trial to see how a call forwarding service will benefit your company.