A Complete Guide to Business Phone Forwarding

Staying connected with your customers or clients is very important for your business. One missed call could mean a lost opportunity or an unhappy customer. This is where call forwarding comes in.

Call forwarding is a simple but effective feature used to redirect incoming calls from one phone number to another.

This can be a mobile phone, landline, or even a VoIP number. Whether for personal convenience or business purposes, call forwarding allows users to stay connected without missing important calls.

Let’s talk more about this feature, how it works, and what it can do to keep your customers happy and satisfied.

What Is Business Call Forwarding?

Business phone forwarding helps you catch every important call without staying stuck to one phone. It sends calls from your main business number to another number, like your mobile, a landline, or voicemail. This is what a call forwarding service does—it keeps you connected while giving you more freedom.

You get to choose the call forwarding number. It could be your cell, a virtual number, or a phone system that runs over an internet connection. You can even set up smart routing rules to control when and where calls go.

For example, during business hours, you might take calls directly to your business number. After hours, you can send them to voicemail or a virtual receptionist with a message that lets callers hear when they’ll get a callback.

How Business Call Forwarding Works

When you set up business call forwarding, calls follow the rules you create. If you want every caller to speak to someone, you can forward calls to an on-call team member or a third-party answering service. This way, even if you’re busy or away, someone else can take the call.

Calls move smoothly through the system. If you’re using a virtual business phone platform, the caller won’t even notice the call was forwarded. They’ll just hear a regular dial tone and connect like normal.

One of the best parts of call forwarding features is that they make your business sound professional, no matter where you are. You can answer from multiple phones based on your setup and internet connection. If you’re using a toll-free prefix or a local number, forwarding still helps you keep that polished business presence.

Worried about losing your time off? Don’t be. You can forward calls to someone else on your team or to a virtual receptionist when you’re unavailable.

You could also leave detailed instructions in your voicemail so your caller knows what to do next. This helps save time, keeps things organized, and still catches all the important calls.

Business call forwarding gives you more control. You stay available when it matters and unplug when you need to.

Curious how our call forwarding features work? Watch our demo here!

How Business Call Forwarding Is Different From Regular Call Forwarding

Regular call forwarding is simple. It just sends calls from one phone to another. That’s it. If you’ve ever set your mobile phone to forward calls to another number, you’ve used basic call forwarding.

Business call forwarding, on the other hand, does a lot more. It usually runs through a VoIP phone system or a call-forwarding app made for businesses. This setup gives you more control and flexibility.

With a business call forwarding service, you’re not stuck with one device and one number. You can set different rules based on time, team members, or location. For example, during business hours, calls can go to multiple phones at once. After hours, you can route them to voicemail or to an after-hours phone service.

Business systems also let you route calls based on who’s available or who has the right skills. That way, your customers reach the right person faster. Some systems even rotate calls between employees, so everyone gets a fair share.

In short, personal call forwarding is like a straight line. Business call forwarding is more like a web of smart routing rules designed to save time, help your team, and make sure important calls don’t slip through.

How to Forward Your Business Calls With Talkroute

There are a few simple ways to forward business calls, depending on your setup and what you need. Each method lets you stay reachable, even when you’re away from your main phone.

Unconditional Forwarding

This option sends every call from your business number straight to another device. Your phone won’t ring at all; the call just goes to the forwarding number you choose.

It’s perfect if you’re working from a different location or using another phone full-time, like a mobile or a virtual receptionist service.

To set unconditional forwarding in Talkroute. Go to your dashboard and press Settings. Once on the settings page, you can then add a “Forwarding Phone Number” and a description, and you’re done!

Conditional Forwarding

With this setup, calls are only forwarded when something specific happens. For example, if your line is busy, unanswered, or turned off, the call can go to voicemail or another team member. This keeps you in control and helps make sure important calls don’t get lost.

In Talkroute, this is where our call menus come in. Call menus let callers choose where to be directed by pressing a number on their phone, like “Press 1 for sales” and so on. Our Call Menu section also allows you to set unanswered calls to a voicemail box.

To get started, simply press the “Add New Menu Option” in the Call Menu section of your dashboard.

It then opens this page, where you can add more info about the call menu option, such as setting the transfer code (the number your callers will have to press to get on this line). Let’s say we are adding a new menu option that directs to your IT support team, so we will then add “IT Support” in the description section.

You can then set other settings, such as:

• Choosing whether to ring your devices in sequence or to ring all of them at once
• How long the phone rings
• How many times we can try the sequence

If the call goes unanswered, you have three options. Either disconnect the call, let it go back to the menu, or direct the call to a voicemail box. Choosing the Voicemail box option shows this pop-up, wherein you write a description, set an audio file as a voicemail greeting, and have the voicemail sent straight to your email.

And that’s it! No more worries about your callers feeling neglected or ignored. Talkroute will help you make sure they are redirected to the right people whenever they call your virtual phone number.

You also don’t have to worry about missed calls. Our customized voicemail options will make sure you get what the caller wanted to say to you via email.

Want to learn more about forwarding calls to multiple devices? Book a demo today!

Why Should You Use Call Forwarding?

Let’s talk about why call forwarding matters and how it can make communication better.

Stay Connected Anywhere

Call forwarding keeps you reachable when you’re traveling, working from home, or away from your main phone. It helps you stay in touch no matter where you are.

Improved Customer Service Availability

Forwarding calls to available team members helps reduce wait times. This results in improved customer experiences, keeping them happy and making your service more responsive.

Manage Work-Life Balance

You can control when and where work calls come through. This helps protect your personal time while staying available when needed.

Support International Operations

Call forwarding lets you route calls across time zones. This makes it easier to connect with global customers without delays.

Redirect After-Hours Calls

You can send after-hours calls to voicemail, an answering service, or an on-call team. This way, customers can still get support outside of business hours.

Recommended reading:

3 Ways to Forward Your Landline to a Cell Phone

Top 10 Skype Alternatives for Phone Calls: Options for Businesses

Take Control of Your Business Communication With Talkroute

Take control of your business calls with flexible call forwarding, smart routing, and custom call flows. Whether you’re at your desk or on the move, Talkroute helps you stay connected and keep callers happy. Try it now and never miss an important call again.

Never Miss a Call Again

With Talkroute’s smart call forwarding and routing, you can send calls to mobile phones, landlines, desktops, and even satellite phones. Choose who gets the call and when so your business is always covered, whether it’s daytime or nighttime.

Talk, Text, and Meet From Anywhere

Use a single app to call, message, or join meetings from your desktop, laptop, or smartphone. Whether you’re at your desk or on the go, you can manage everything in one place.

Give Customers a Better Experience

Create menus, extensions, and call paths that guide callers to the right department or team member. Add hold music or custom messages to keep callers informed while they wait.

Boost Team Productivity

Set schedules, forward calls based on time or day, and give your team custom permissions for voicemail, call recordings, and text messages. Everyone stays in sync with the right tools at their fingertips.

Record and Review Calls

Automatically record calls to improve training, resolve disputes, or keep track of important conversations. With unlimited storage and full control over access, your recordings are always there when needed.

Text Messaging Made Simple

Send and receive texts from your business numbers. Manage SMS from your apps or browser and even get messages sent to your email for quick responses on the go.

Run Better Meetings Online

Host video meetings with up to 100 people. Use chat, screen sharing, file sharing, and whiteboards to work together smoothly, no matter where your team is.

Ready to take your business anywhere? Start your free trial today!

Business Phone Forwarding FAQs

How to forward a business phone?

To forward a business phone, you just need to set up your call forwarding settings in your Talkroute dashboard or mobile app. You can send incoming calls to your cell phone, desk phone, or any other device where you want to receive calls.

It’s easy to adjust your forwarding rules to fit your business hours or choose different forwarding numbers for different times of day. Whether you want to do call transfers to yourself or another team member, Talkroute makes it simple with a user-friendly interface and flexible call-forwarding options.

What is the difference between *71 and *72 call forwarding?

The short answer is: these are carrier-specific codes used to set up call forwarding on certain phone networks. *72 is usually used to activate call forwarding, while *71 might set up special routing like forwarding only on busy signal or unanswered calls.

But with Talkroute, you don’t need to worry about dialing special codes. You just log in and update your call routing settings in seconds. Talkroute’s forwarding service gives you way more control and flexibility than traditional methods.

Can I transfer my business phone number to another carrier?

Yes, you can transfer your business phone number to another carrier, and Talkroute makes it easy. If you’re moving from a different provider, you can port your number into Talkroute and keep all your existing business calls flowing without a hitch.

You won’t lose your number or miss important calls. Talkroute also lets you add toll-free numbers, local numbers, or even set how many phone numbers you want to manage through one forwarding system. You’ll keep full control while gaining better call-forwarding capabilities and a more reliable service.

What is business call forwarding?

Business call forwarding lets you forward phone calls from your business line to other phones so you never miss a call. This can include mobile devices, desk phones, or any phone you choose.

With Talkroute, you can route calls based on time-based routing, set up custom greetings, and use interactive voice response (IVR) or an auto attendant to guide your callers to the right person. Whether it’s during business hours or after hours, you can ensure calls will always get through.

You can also add call recording, see caller ID, and avoid customer frustration by making sure every call reaches someone who can help. It’s a smarter way to handle inbound calls using a complete forwarding system that grows with your business needs.