How to forward your line only when you don't answer

Your missed calls already go somewhere

Every business line already has an answer for the calls you don't pick up. On most phones it's voicemail, and it stays that way until you change it.

That matters more than it sounds. CallRail surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers, and 82% said they'll call a competitor if a business doesn't answer.¹ So the setting that decides where your missed calls go is worth getting right.

It's called conditional call forwarding. Here's what it is, how to turn it on, and how to test it before a customer finds out it doesn't work.

What conditional forwarding is

Google's help pages note that most mobile carriers offer conditional forwarding, under names like Conditional Call Forwarding or No answer/busy transfer.² Verizon calls theirs No Answer/Busy Transfer.³

One trap before you start. The call forwarding switch in your phone's settings is usually the wrong one. In one of AT&T's device walkthroughs, that menu option is labelled "Call forwarding-Unconditional".⁴ Unconditional means every call, including the ones you would have picked up. On an iPhone, the Call Forwarding switch under Settings, Apps, Phone just takes a number to send calls to, and Apple says to contact your carrier for conditional forwarding.⁵

Verizon

Verizon publishes this one plainly. From your cell, dial *71 and then the 10-digit number you want missed calls to go to.⁶ Your phone rings three or four times first. If you're on the phone or choose not to answer, the call forwards.³ To turn it off, dial *73.³

From Verizon's own pages:

• The number you forward to has to be an active line in the US, and you always include the area code, even for a local number.⁶
• Verizon's FAQ says you can't manage call forwarding without your mobile phone. If you don't have it with you, call Verizon Customer Service.⁶
• Forwarded calls are billed as if you had answered them.⁶ If your minutes aren't unlimited, check your plan.

AT&T

For AT&T cell phones, the wireless forwarding page says you can only change forwarding from the phone, not online, and it sends you to device tutorials instead of listing codes.⁷ It does say three things worth knowing:

• Call forwarding overrides your wireless voicemail.⁷
• Forwarded calls are billed for the length of the call, and long-distance charges can apply outside your home calling area.⁷
• If the number you forward to is busy, your caller gets a busy signal.⁷

So whatever you forward to has to take a call while it's already on one.

We're not printing AT&T cell codes here, because the AT&T page we checked doesn't list them, and a wrong code is worse than none. Call AT&T and ask for conditional call forwarding on no answer, by name.

If your shop line is an AT&T Phone line rather than a cell, the codes are published. Dial *92, the number, then # to turn on No Answer Call Forwarding, and *93# to turn it off. *90 and *91# do the same for when the line is busy.⁸ AT&T's page for business phone lines lists the same codes.⁹

T-Mobile

T-Mobile's calling-services page says you can forward calls when you don't answer, when your phone is off or when you're out of range. It only forwards to 10- or 11-digit numbers, and it sends you to your device's instructions.¹⁰

T-Mobile's short-code page lists **61*1, then the 10-digit number, then # to forward unanswered calls, and ##61# to turn it off.¹¹ The same page has separate codes for when your phone is off or out of signal (**62) and for when you're busy (**67), and a way to set how long it rings before forwarding, from 5 up to 30 seconds.¹¹ Whichever way you set it up, you want forwarding on no answer, not all calls.

A business phone system

If your business number lives in an app like RingCentral, you don't dial codes. You set a rule. In RingCentral it's under Settings, Phone, Call handling. Pick which phones ring and in what order (with "Ring in order", your primary phone always rings first), then set missed calls to "Forward to external number".¹²

If your number rings more than one cell phone, say a Google Voice number linked to yours and your partner's, Google's help says conditional forwarding has to be set on every linked number.² Skip one and that phone's voicemail can still catch the call.

Verizon business landlines have a version too, called Call Forwarding, Busy Line/Do Not Answer. It forwards when the line is busy or nobody answers within a preset number of rings.¹³ Verizon's page lists no code for it, so call them.

The codes in one place

The codes from the carrier sections above, each next to its source.

What to test after you set it up

Don't trust the confirmation tone. Test with real calls from a phone that isn't yours:

• Let it ring out. Don't touch your phone. The call should land at the new number, not your old greeting.
• Hit decline once too, since that's what you'll really do when your hands are full.
• Be on another call and have someone ring your line. That's the busy case.
• Put your phone in airplane mode and call again. That's the "can't reach you" case.
• Count the rings. Enough to grab it when you're free, not so many that the caller gives up.
• On an iPhone, check Live Voicemail under Settings, Apps, Phone. When it's on, your iPhone shows a live transcript while a caller leaves a message.¹⁴ If your test calls keep ending there, turn it off and test again.
• Test again after hours, and again whenever you get a new phone or change plans.
• Write down the code that turns it off and keep it somewhere you'll find it.

If a test call ends in your old voicemail, it isn't working. Nothing else counts.

Where we come in

We run an AI receptionist for home service shops: plumbers, HVAC, roofers, electricians, garage door and cleaning companies. Conditional forwarding is how she gets the call. Your phone rings first, and if you pick up, nothing changes. If you don't, the AI receptionist answers as your shop, in English or Spanish, gets the caller's name, number and what they need, and texts it to you the second the call ends. If they want a visit, she books it as a request, and you confirm it.

We set it up and we run it. There's nothing for you to learn or manage.

If you want to see how that would fit your shop, book an AI growth plan call.