Glossary
Conditional call forwarding
Conditional call forwarding redirects a call only when a condition is met: your line is busy, you don't answer, or your phone is off or out of coverage.
Conditional call forwarding explained
The three conditions
Most carriers offer three separate conditions, each with its own setting:
- Busy: you're already on another call.
- No answer: the phone rings and you don't pick up.
- Unreachable: the phone is off, or out of coverage.
Why it suits a service business
Your phone still rings first, so you keep every call you can take. Only the calls you can't take move on, whether that is to a colleague, a second number or an answering service.
How long it rings first
The number of rings before a call forwards is set by your carrier, not by the service you forward to. Verizon describes its no-answer forwarding as kicking in after three or four rings. If that feels too short or too long for your work, ask your carrier whether it can be changed on your line.
Setting it up
On GSM carriers the standard is one code per condition. The standard also defines a single code that covers all three, but not every carrier supports it, so it is safer to set each condition separately and then test with a call from another phone.
Keep reading
Related terms
- Call forwardingCall forwarding is a phone feature that redirects incoming calls from one number to another.
- Call overflowCall overflow is sending calls to a second answerer when the first is busy or doesn't pick up.
- After-hours answeringAfter-hours answering is handling calls outside your business hours so callers reach an answer instead of voicemail.
Where it matters
Hear it answer. Then start free.
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