How do I forward and un-forward my phones?

What Is Call Forwarding?

Call forwarding is a simple, convenient feature that allows you to redirect your calls to Specialty Answering Service. Many phone service providers include call forwarding with basic plans. If your service is not already equipped with this feature, contact your provider to have it activated before you can forward your lines to SAS.

Can SAS Forward My Lines for Me?

No, SAS cannot forward your lines for you, nor can we activate or deactivate this feature through your phone provider. The client is entirely responsible for managing all aspects of call forwarding. SAS does not know when your lines are forwarded or which lines are forwarded. If you're having trouble forwarding calls, please contact your phone provider.

How Does Call Forwarding Work?

Most of the time, the standard procedure for call forwarding follows these simple instructions:

Engage forwarding by dialing *72: From a landline phone, listen for the dial tone, then enter the forwarding number you received from SAS. You may hear a stuttered dial tone to confirm that call forwarding is activated. From a mobile phone, enter *72 and press the Call icon.
Disengage forwarding by dialing *73: You may hear a stuttered dial tone alerting you that call forwarding has been deactivated. Calls will now ring directly to your phone.

Many carriers also offer no answer call forwarding, or ultra/remote call forwarding.

With no answer call forwarding, you can route calls to an alternate number if there is no answer on your telephone line. It's different from traditional call forwarding, which immediately forwards your calls to an alternate number.
With ultra/remote call forwarding, your phone service provider supplies you with a local number, and all calls to that number will be immediately diverted to SAS. This gives your business the appearance of a local presence no matter where your primary office is located.

Depending on your phone company, phone system, or VoIP provider, call forwarding instructions may vary. Keep in mind that if you are forwarding your calls from a VoIP service, there may be delays in call transfer and pick-up times due to internet speed or traffic.

Some providers may require an agent to press 1 or another number or symbol to connect the caller. However, because of potential time delays, operators may miss that prompt. To avoid this, you can enable our DTMF feature which would accept the call on behalf of agents.

Here is a list of common phone service carriers. Click on the carrier below to see detailed call forwarding instructions, but please check with your phone provider for the most up-to-date procedures.

If you have any problems forwarding your phones, please contact your phone provider.