Call Forwarding Codes: Send Missed Calls to Your AI Receptionist

Conditional call forwarding sends a call to another number only when you cannot take it: when your line is busy, when you do not answer after a few rings, or when your phone is off or out of signal. On most mobile networks in the world you set it from the phone's keypad with standard codes: **67*number# when busy, **61*number# when there is no answer, **62*number# when unreachable, **21*number# for all calls, and ##002# turns all forwarding off. US landlines and many business lines use star codes instead, such as *90 (busy), *92 (no answer) and *72 (all calls), but each carrier differs, so check your carrier's guide below. Forward to your UIRIX AI receptionist's number and the agent answers the calls you miss.

Which forwarding to use for an AI receptionist

• Busy, no answer and unreachable together: you still answer first, and your AI receptionist takes every call you miss. This is the usual setup.
• No answer only: the agent picks up after the delay you choose (on GSM mobiles 5 to 30 seconds), and a caller who reaches a busy line hears your voicemail.
• All calls: the agent answers every call and your phone does not ring. Use it after hours, on holidays or when you are away, and turn it off when you are back.

Landline and business line codes (North America)

North American landlines use vertical service codes assigned by NANPA. Many lines need the forwarding feature ordered from the carrier first, some carriers set the number of rings for you, and some use a # instead of a *. Your carrier's guide has the exact codes.

*72 + number    forward all calls      *73  turn off
*90 + number    forward when busy      *91  turn off
*92 + number    forward on no answer   *93  turn off
*63             selective forwarding   *83  turn off (some areas)

Before you start: what breaks call forwarding

• Voicemail catches the call first. On a mobile, voicemail is itself a conditional forward: setting busy or no-answer forwarding replaces it, and on some carriers (Rogers, Fido) conditional forwarding does not work while voicemail is on. On a landline, a voicemail or answering machine that picks up before the forward will keep the call.
• A "press 1 to accept" prompt. Some phone systems (Aircall, Zoom, Ooma, Grasshopper, Google Voice, Dialpad) can ask whoever answers a forwarded call to press 1. An AI agent does not press keys on an incoming call, so turn that prompt off.
• Call waiting. With call waiting on, a second call rings through as a waiting call instead of forwarding as busy on many lines.
• The forwarded leg costs money. Most carriers bill the forwarded part of the call as an outgoing call from your plan, and some charge per minute or sell forwarding as an add-on.

Forward to a local number

Forward to a number in your own country. US carriers do not forward to international numbers, and in Israel Bezeq forwards only to Israeli numbers, so your UIRIX agent's number should be local. Numbers come from 27 countries. In the US, Canada, Israel and Puerto Rico a number is ready at once; in 23 more, such as the UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Brazil and Mexico, the telephony provider first reviews your details and documents, usually in 1 to 3 business days.

What happens when a forwarded call reaches your UIRIX agent

• Your agent answers in your business's name, day and night, in 17 languages: it answers from your website and documents, takes messages and leads, books appointments where you connect a calendar, and can put the caller through to a person you choose.
• When your carrier marks the call as forwarded, the agent knows it came through your line: it never reads your business number back as the caller's own, and it asks for a callback number when it needs one.
• Calls are recorded (on by default), transcribed and summarized in your dashboard, and you can get the summary by e-mail.
• If the agent transfers callers to a person, use a number that does not forward back to the agent (a mobile or a direct line), so a call cannot loop between the two.

Standard mobile forwarding codes (most GSM / LTE networks)

Replace "number" with the full number you forward to; the international format (+1..., +44..., +972...) is the safest. Some carriers use a single * instead of **, and some (Verizon, Google Fi) use their own codes or none: see the carrier guides.

Put an AI receptionist behind your number in four steps

1. 1

   Create your agent

   Start free and create your UIRIX agent from your website, so it knows your business, then give it a phone number in your country in the dashboard (a phone number requires a saved payment card).

2. 2

   Turn on forwarding

   From your business phone, dial your carrier's codes for busy, no answer and unreachable, with the agent's number. Use your carrier's guide above.

3. 3

   Call yourself while busy

   From a second phone, call your business number while your phone is on another call (or you decline the call). Your agent should answer.

4. 4

   Call yourself and do not answer

   Let it ring. After the delay you set, your agent should answer. If voicemail answers instead, voicemail is still catching the call first.

Call forwarding: common questions