Forward Calls from Your Business Phone System to an AI Receptionist

Cloud phone systems forward calls to an outside number in their call handling settings rather than with codes: you add the outside number as the destination for unanswered calls, busy calls, after-hours calls or all calls. To put an AI receptionist behind your business number, add the agent's number as the destination when nobody answers and after hours, and switch off any "press 1 to accept" prompt, because an AI agent does not press keys on an incoming call. Personal Google Voice is the exception: Google does not support forwarding to an automated system, so use a Google Workspace ring group or auto attendant instead.

Set it up so an AI receptionist can answer

• Forward unanswered calls rather than ringing everyone at once: with simultaneous ring, the AI agent may answer before your team does.
• Switch off every "press 1 to accept" or call announce prompt on the forward to the agent: Ooma's "Require key press on answer", Zoom's "Require to press 1", Grasshopper's call announce, Google Voice's screen calls. Aircall's per-user forward always asks for it, so use Aircall's call flow redirect.
• Let the agent transfer callers to a mobile or a direct line, never to the main number that forwards to the agent, so calls cannot loop.
• Check the caller ID setting: show the original caller (Vonage "Originating Caller ID", Quo by default) so your agent sees who is calling.
• Forwarding to an outside number is usually billed by your phone system as an outgoing call, and international destinations cost more or are blocked.

Google Voice and Google Workspace

Google says forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system is unsupported, and personal Google Voice forwards only to linked numbers that you verify. On Google Workspace with Voice Standard or Premier, an admin can send unanswered and after-hours calls of a ring group or an auto attendant to a phone number: Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Google Voice > Ring groups or Auto attendants.

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 the call reaches your AI receptionist

• 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.

Where each system forwards to an outside number

Menu names as each provider documents them on October 21, 2026. Most systems need an admin to allow forwarding to external numbers.

Put an AI receptionist behind your phone system

1. 1

   Get the agent's number

   Create your UIRIX agent and give it a phone number in your country in the dashboard.

2. 2

   Add it as the unanswered and after-hours destination

   In your phone system's call handling, add the agent's number as an outside number for unanswered calls and after hours, with no press-1 prompt.

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.

5. 5

   Check the dashboard

   The test calls appear in your agent's conversations with the recording, the transcript and the summary.

Phone system forwarding: common questions