Call Forwarding Manual
Basic Forwarding of a Simple Phone
If you have a business with simple phones, you can call your local telephone provider and order the call forwarding feature. It is applied to your line by your phone provider without a trip to your premise. If you purchased your phone from a store, brought it from home, and can plug and unplug it from the wall chances are you have phones and not a phone system. The code for forwarding in most cases is as follows.
(72# on, 73# off) AT&T CALL FORWARDING
(*72 on, *73 off) VERIZON CALL FORWARDING
Cell Phone Forwarding
Cell phones also come with a call forwarding feature. It is important to note when you forward a cell phone to the answering service, your voice mail will not pick up any calls while the line is forwarded. A number of cell phone providers have introduced a feature that allows you to see who is calling you and then redirect the call by simply pressing a button. To get details on how to forward your cell phone or to find out about redirecting your calls contact your cell phone provider.
Basic Forwarding of a Business Phone System with “hunting”
A number of businesses have a multi line phone system. The best way to determine if you have a multi line phone system is the following:
- Phone has multiple buttons
- Phone has a hold button and lights
- Phone has spaces for multiple telephone numbers
- Main line appears at the top of the phone and when busy other lines on your phone will ring
- If a private company is called to move or fix the telephones in your office
If any of the above applies, you most likely have a multi line “Key System”. This means you have a main telephone number and additional numbers that ring if the main telephone number is occupied or busy. Your phone system may also have an intercom, lights, hold button, and not portable around the office. Your local phone service provider (carrier) can also verify this for you because it is a special business class of service on their phone records.
Basic Forwarding of a Multi Line Phone
Every Key System uses a feature called “hunting” provided by your telephone carrier to move calls to the next available open line when the one before it is busy.
- If your company is looking for after hours or weekend call assistance, you simply need to contact your telephone carrier (Verizon, AT&T, etc.) and add call forwarding to your main telephone number only.
- When you leave the office, pick up your main telephone number and forward to the DID that Appletree provides. In the morning, when you return, you will need to pick up line one and remove the forwarding.
You will incur a nominal monthly charge for call forwarding. (Rates vary depending on your provider) Call forwarding “Breaks the Hunting” and passes all simultaneous calls to Appletree, until you remove it automatically restoring the hunting.
Overflow Forwarding of a Multi Line Phone
For the situation where you want Appletree to back up your office during the day as well as taking the calls at night, a different set up is required. You will have a chance to answer your phones first when they ring, if you choose not to answer or can not answer, the call then forwards to Appletree. For this type of set up you need to contact your carrier.
Call Forward Busy No Answer
Busy/No Answer Call Forwarding is the feature that makes voice mail work. For example, your home phone knows when your line is busy or does not answer and sends your caller to voice mail. This feature allows Appletree to step in instead of voice mail after 3 rings.
Additional Options for Multi Line Phones
Night Service Button
This is simply a button on your phone that permits you to forward your lines after hours by just pressing the “Night Service” button. If you had a preexisting answering service, Night Service buttons usually require that your phone vendor come out to change the number to your dedicated Appletree number.
Out of System Transfer (PBX)
This is a feature generally utilized by very large companies, such as hospitals, apartment complexes, etc. Telephone Infinity systems have a PBX feature and Appletree will work with your IT department or phone contact involved in the Out of System Transfer. Your PBX will do an Out of System Transfer to the Appletree DID. This is generally Appletree just providing the DID to a contact of your company.
(72# on, 73# off) AT&T CALL FORWARDING
(*72 on, *73 off) VERIZON CALL FORWARDING
Appletree’s Checkout Call Forwarding Solution
Check out faster at the end of the day, save money, and ensure your calls are answered faster. Let Appletree know what phone numbers will be forwarded by your business and we will set up the Intelligent Checkout feature. Once this feature is enabled, we will then be able to identify calls from your office (not your customers) and present the call to a voicemail instead of a live operator. The pre-recorded greeting will confirm you have successfully forwarded your phone line. This allows you to bypass speaking to an Appletree representative, thus saving you time and money.
