Calls you don't answerRecommended
Your phone rings first. She picks up only when nobody does.
Ask for: Forward when there is no answer
The usual choice. Nothing changes for the calls your team already answers.
Forwarding your calls
Keep your number. Send her the calls you choose.
Your receptionist gets her own phone number. Your business number never changes and never moves. Forwarding is the switch that decides which calls reach her — you set it, you own it, and one call to your carrier turns it off.
First, the part nobody explains.
Forwarding does not hand over your line. It tells your phone company what to do with a call in one specific situation — usually “nobody picked up after four rings.” Everything else behaves exactly as it does today. If you have someone answering phones during the day, they keep answering. She is the net underneath, not a replacement for it.
Which calls she answers
After hours only
Nothing forwards during the day. Everything forwards at night.
Ask for: Forward all calls, on a schedule
If your phone system has business hours, put her number in the after-hours rule. If it doesn't, turn forwarding on when you leave and off when you open.
When the line is busy
Calls forward only while your line is already in use.
Ask for: Forward when busy
Best for a single line that gets a second caller while you're talking.
Every call
Every call goes to her first.
Ask for: Forward all calls
Your phone stops ringing. Choose this only if nobody is watching the phones.
Setting it up on your phone
Mobile — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and most US carriers
- Calls you don't answer: dial *71, then her number, then call. Hang up after the tone.
- Every call: dial *72, then her number, then call.
- Turn it off: dial *73 and call.
Codes vary slightly by carrier. If a code is refused, search your carrier's name plus "conditional call forwarding" or ask them to switch on no-answer forwarding for you — it takes one call and costs nothing.
iPhone or Android settings
- iPhone: Settings, then Phone, then Call Forwarding.
- Android: Phone app, then the menu, then Settings, Calls, Call forwarding.
- Choose Forward when unanswered and enter her number.
The phone's own menu usually offers all-calls forwarding only. For unanswered-only, use the star codes above or your carrier's app.
Office phone systems — RingCentral, 8x8, Vonage, Nextiva, Ooma, Grasshopper
- Sign in to the admin portal and open the number's call handling or call flow.
- Add her number as the forward-to destination.
- Pick your rule: after a set number of rings, when busy, or on an after-hours schedule.
These systems have real business-hours scheduling, so after-hours coverage runs itself once it's set. This is the best case — set it once and never touch it again.
Landline from a phone or cable company
- Ask for Call Forward No Answer, or Call Forward Busy.
- Give them her number and how many rings to wait — four is normal.
- Some lines support *71 and *73 directly from the handset.
Older lines sometimes only offer forward-everything. If that's all you have, use it for nights and weekends and leave it off during the day.
Check it, then forget it
Call your own business number from a different phone and let it ring out. She should answer. That is the whole test — if she picks up, the forwarding is right.
To stop it, dial *73, switch the rule off in your phone system, or ask your carrier to remove the forward. It takes effect immediately, and your number was never anywhere else.
Stuck on a carrier menu? Call 1-775-458-8846 or email [email protected] and we'll walk you through it on your exact system. We set this up with every client during launch — you never have to work it out alone.