Those who travel a lot for business or pleasure may want to consider forwarding landline calls to your cell phone. This may be more important for those who own their own business, work remotely, or who may be expecting an important call you don’t want to miss.
It would be simple to give your cell phone number to those who may need to reach you during your travels but that isn’t the best idea. Then, callers would always have your cell phone number and will always call it rather than the main line. It would also mean a lack of privacy for you and it could tie up your cell phone where family and friends have trouble reaching you.
A better option is to forward calls from your landline to your cell phone. You will be able to see it’s a business call rather than a personal call, can answer it professionally, and allow some less important calls to go to voicemail.
Details of Call Forwarding
Call forwarding is also called a transferred call, remote call forwarding, and remote call forwarding. Whatever it’s called by the service provider, this is a service that allows you to send your landline calls to another number including your cell phone.
There are a few different types of call forwarding you can set up depending on how you want it to work. You could send all calls to another number or you can select certain numbers to forward.
You should know how these types of features work because it will amount to more convenience and an even better way to organize your business and personal life.
It’s also important to understand some common problems and how to fix them if they occur. You have several ways to forward your landline calls.
You can have your provider do it
Those who are going on vacation or who are going to be traveling for a while may want to use their phone provider to forward calls. Call your phone provider and ask them to set up call forwarding. They will need your landline account number and the phone where you want to forward the calls.
A customer service representative may call or send a code to your cell phone to verify it’s your line and working. You will need to tell or type in the code to continue with call forward.
The specific steps will vary depending on your service provider, but the basic steps include calling their support line and asking them how best to configure your phone settings. Once you’ve done this, all that’s left is to enter the numbers of your cell phone into the appropriate fields on your landline’s call forwarding page.
Set it up yourself
Setting it up from your phone is simple, generally. Most call forwarding services follow the same process to send landline calls elsewhere.
The typical way to To set up call forwarding is to:
- dial *137* and then type the forwarding call number. This can be any other number including your cell number or the number of a partner or associate taking your calls while you’re away.
- Enter a PIN code when prompted by the automated voice menu system and press the “OK” button
To forward all incoming calls from your landline phone:
- Dial *72 + 1 + area code of the recipient phone.
Use a website or app
You may also be able to do this yourself through their website or app. However, how to use this may vary depending on which carrier or provider you use.
Some providers allow you to configure this setting through their website or app using an account login. There is even a one-click option for automatic call forwarding with some companies.
After everything is set up, whenever someone calls your landline number, it will ring both on your landline as well as your cell phone. You can answer either one.
Selecting Specific Numbers
Every phone service provider is different but each has a number you enter with the star symbol to forward specific calls. You will then need to create a caller list by entering all the 10-digit numbers you want to forward.
Then you will dial the number where you want those calls forwarded. No other calls other than those numbers will be forwarded.
Depending on your provider, you may be able to do selective forwarding by calling customer service or using the website or app.
Features with VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers have many features that typical landlines have including call forwarding. In some cases, it’s easier to use these features with a VoIP system than with traditional phone systems.
VoIP systems also allow you to forward calls to cell phones or another phone, allowing you to mask your personal number. It also has features for multiple lines and extensions, and allows you to manage your phone system from your computer no matter where you are.
Those who need these types of forwarding features should see what a VoIP system has to offer. Plus, these systems are cheaper than traditional landline systems and that could save you money.
Common Problems with Call Forwarding
The most common problem with call forwarding is calls are forwarded to the wrong number. You can fix this human error by double-checking the forwarding number.
Another problem is the feature isn’t set correctly so calls aren’t forwarded and you miss calls. Learning how to use the feature should fix this issue.
One problem is that those forwarding specific calls sometimes forget about time zone differences and end up getting calls too early or late. You can ask your phone provider about how to set times for call forwarding.
You can use call forwarding to make sure to connect with important callers when you’re away from home. This feature usually comes standard with phone systems, including VoIP systems. It’s time to put it to use!
