Use Call Forward Busy Line/No Answer to Send Missed Cell Calls Back to the Office

Avoid missed calls by using Call Forwarding to redirect your calls to another phone number.

Although Call Forwarding Always is the feature most people recognize as the feature to send all of your calls to another phone number, did you know of the often overlooked feature called Call Forward Busy/No Answer? It offers more flexibility and integration for mobile users. This is especially useful for those with an office team that can answer calls too.

Different cellular providers may use different star-codes to activate or de-activate these services.  Check with your provider to confirm if these codes are accurate. Also, verify if there are no additional fees or charges they may apply to your account before dialing or testing these instructions below.

Note: Call forwarding options should not be configured to forward calls to an international number (a number beginning with 011 indicates it is an international number). For more information, please read avoid long-distance fraud.

Call Forwarding Always

First, let’s discuss typical Call Forwarding. When you need to be away from your office phone for an extended period, and you don’t want to miss calls or need someone else to answer, you can forward calls to a designated phone number. Call Forwarding always allows you to forward all incoming calls, all of the time, without your phone ringing at all.

Activate Call Forwarding Always:

1. On your Verizon cell phone, enter *72 and then the 10-digit U.S. phone number where you want your calls to ring, then press Call/Send.
2. If using AT&T or T-Mobile, enter *21* and then the 10-digit phone number and then # and press Call/Send.
3. All of your incoming calls will now be directed to that number.

Deactivate Call Forwarding Always:

1. On your Verizon cell phone, enter *73 then press Call/Send.
2. On AT&T or T-Mobile, enter ##21# then press Call/Send.
3. Your incoming calls will return to your cell phone normally.

Call Forwarding Busy

When you are waiting for an important call, but still need to use your telephone, you can send any incoming calls to an alternate number while you are using your line. Simply activate Call Forwarding Busy before making your call. By doing so, only calls that come in while you are talking on the phone will be forwarded.

Note: Call Forwarding Busy is not available with Hunt Group.

To activate Call Forwarding Busy:

1. On your Verizon cell phone, enter *90 and then the 10-digit U.S. phone number where you want your calls to ring, then press Call/Send.
2. If using AT&T or T-Mobile, enter *67* and then the 10-digit phone number and then # and press Call/Send.
3. All of your incoming calls will now be directed to that number when you are on another call (busy).

To deactivate Call Forwarding Busy:

1. On your Verizon cell phone, enter *91 then press Call/Send.
2. On AT&T or T-Mobile, enter ##67# then press Call/Send.
3. Your incoming calls will return to your cell phone normally.

Call Forwarding No Answer

When you need to redirect incoming calls to another telephone number when you are unable to answer, you can activate Call Forwarding No Answer. Only unanswered calls will be forwarded to the number you designate.

Note: Do not activate Call Forwarding No Answer if the phone is part of a Hunt Group.

To activate Call Forwarding No Answer:

1. On your Verizon cell phone, enter *71 and then the 10-digit U.S. phone number where you want your calls to ring, then press Call/Send.
2. If using AT&T or T-Mobile, enter *61* and then the 10-digit phone number and then # and press Call/Send.
3. All of your incoming calls will now be directed to that number when you don’t answer after a few rings (no answer).

To deactivate Call Forwarding No Answer:

1. On your Verizon cell phone, enter *73 then press Call/Send.
2. On AT&T or T-Mobile, enter ##61# then press Call/Send.
3. Your incoming calls will return to your cell phone normally.

Call Forwarding Not Reachable

This disaster-recovery feature helps you avoid missed calls to your business. If your cell phone service is not working, because of a dead battery or network outage, activating Call Forwarding Not Reachable ensures that your calls will automatically be forwarded to a pre-determined phone number. You can activate this feature once to set it or update it as needed.

To activate Call Forwarding Not Reachable from your phone:

1. On AT&T or T-Mobile, enter *62* and then the 10-digit phone number and then # and press Call/Send.
2. If using Verizon, you must contact Customer Service to update this setting.
3. All of your incoming calls will now be directed to that number when your phone is out of service.

To deactivate Call Forwarding Not Reachable from your phone:

1. On AT&T or T-Mobile, enter ##62# then press Call/Send.
2. If using Verizon, you must contact Customer Service to update this setting.

Note: The forwarding phone number must be permitted by your outgoing calling plan.

Call Forwarding — Busy Line
Provide callers with a live person or your voice mail message instead of a busy signal

• Callers automatically sent to the number you specified
• Perfect for businesses with multiple employees answering the phone • Never miss an important call again

Call Forwarding — Don’t Answer
Send incoming calls to a different number when you’re unavailable

• Choose the number of times your phone rings before a call is forwarded1. Callers are sent to the number you specified.
• Assign a co-worker to answer incoming calls when you’re in a meeting

Note: If a call is forwarded to a number outside your local calling area, usage or long-distance charges may apply to your account, not your caller’s.

Need an On-Call Schedule or Something More Custom?

Although these basic call forwarding tricks work well, they are limited in flexibility and capabilities. At Phonewire, we have additional products. These expand beyond the basic feature set and provide tools to give you more control in where calls are forwarded and when.

Phonewire provides total call forwarding and on-call schedule management tools. These are perfect for advanced call routing requirements that may change from day-to-day or week-to-week.  Give us a call at 1-800-857-1517 and let’s discuss what you need and what we can do.