Forward your line to the voice AI agent

Before you start

• The agent's number. Assign the agent to a CallShift number at app.callshift.ai/phone-numbers, or with PATCH/v1/phones/{phoneId}. Call it once: the agent answers. It is where both forwards go.
• Access to your line. Either the administrator's login to your carrier's admin space, or a phone on the line to dial a code.
• Two forwards. On no answer: the line rings for the time you choose, then the agent answers. On busy: when the line cannot take one more call. Leave the immediate forward off: it sends every call to the agent without the line ringing.

How long the line rings

20 seconds gives your team time to answer before the caller gives up; 15 to 25 seconds is the usual range. Some carriers count in rings: your carrier's section says how long one lasts.

Your carrier

This page covers the main carriers of the United States and the United Kingdom. Pick yours: each section gives the way online, then the code.

Give the agent a number in your country: most carriers refuse a forward abroad, or bill it as an international call.

United States

A ring lasts about 6 seconds in the United States: 20 seconds is three rings. In a code, dial the agent's 10-digit number.

AT&T Business

Online. On AT&T Phone for Business, sign in to your AT&T business account, open AT&T Phone, then Phone Features › Call Forwarding. Turn on No Answer Call Forwarding, with how long the phone rings first, and Busy Call Forwarding, both to the agent's number (user guide).

With a code, on AT&T Phone for Business (AT&T guide):

On a traditional copper line, AT&T turns these two forwards on for you. AT&T Business support: 1-800-321-2000.

Verizon Business

• Business Digital Voice: in the User Portal, Call Settings › Call Forwarding, turn on When Busy and When no answer, enter the agent's number, choose the number of rings, and Save (Verizon guide). Verizon documents no code for it.
• One Talk: in My Business, Manage Account, the One Talk portal, Manage features › User Features › Call Forwarding, then the Busy and No answer tabs (Verizon guide). With a code: **92 on no answer and **90 on busy, then the agent's number when asked; **920 and **900 turn them off (One Talk codes).

On a traditional copper line, Verizon sets these forwards itself, to a fixed number, and may no longer offer them to new business customers. Verizon Business support: 800-837-4966.

Comcast Business

Online. In My Account, Phone › Features › Call Forwarding: turn on Call Forwarding No Answer, with the Number of rings before forwarding, and Call Forwarding Busy, edit the number, and Save (Comcast guide). On Business VoiceEdge: Business VoiceEdge User › Feature Settings › Call Forwarding (Comcast guide). The Comcast Business app has the same settings under My Phone › Call Forwarding.

With a code (Comcast guide): lift the receiver, press the code, dial the agent's number at the second dial tone, and wait for the confirmation tone.

Comcast advises against both forwards on a phone in a hunt group, and against forwarding to an international number. Comcast Business support: 800-391-3000.

United Kingdom

A ring lasts about 3 seconds in the United Kingdom: 20 seconds is six or seven rings. In a code, dial the agent's number as you would call it from the line, starting with 0. Carriers call a forward a divert.

BT Business

Online. Each BT phone service has its own portal:

• Digital Voice for Business: the Digital Voice for Business portal, Users, the user, Features, then Call Forwarding No Answer and Call Forwarding Busy, with the agent's number and the number of rings (BT guide).
• BT Cloud Voice: the Business Portal, Users, the user, Features, and the same two settings. Call Forwarding Always overrides both: leave it off (BT guide).
• Cloud Voice Express: in My Account, Manage my services › Manage Cloud Voice Express › Settings › Voicemail and Divert Calls, divert after a number of rings to the agent's number (BT guide).

With a code, on a BT Business phone line (BT guide). Call Diversion is a feature added to the line: check that yours has it. BT diverts the calls not answered within 15 seconds; the delay is fixed.

On BT Cloud Voice, set the diverts in the portal: there, *61* and *67* only check them.

BT Business support: 0800 800 152.

Virgin Media O2 Business

Online. On Cloud Voice, the business portal: Employees, the employee, Features › Call Forwarding. Tick Forward calls when line is busy and Forward calls when there is no answer, enter the agent's number and the number of rings, 3 by default (user guide).

With a code, on a Phone Line Over Broadband (user guide). The first time, call Virgin Media O2 Business to set up call divert on the line; after that, the codes work.

With call waiting on, the divert on busy only happens once a call is already waiting. Virgin Media O2 Business support: 0800 052 0800.

Vodafone Business

With a code, on a Business Phone line (Vodafone guide). Call Divert is an option of the line, ordered from Vodafone. Vodafone diverts the calls not answered within 15 seconds.

On a business mobile, the delay can be set: **61*number*10*20# diverts after 20 seconds, **67*number# on busy, and ##002# cancels every divert (Vodafone guide). Vodafone documents no online setting for Business Phone. Vodafone Business support: 0333 3040 191.

Another carrier

Look for forwarding (or divert) on no answer and on busy in your carrier's portal or app. On a mobile line, most carriers take the GSM codes: **61*number**20# forwards the calls not answered within 20 seconds (5 to 30), **67*number# the calls that find the line busy, and ##002# cancels every forward.

Test the forwards

1. Read the forward back

   Dial the check code, or open the admin space: it must give the agent's number, digit for digit.

2. Let it ring

   Call your line from a mobile and let nobody answer: the agent picks up after the ring time.

3. Make the line busy

   Call while the line is taken. Where your carrier has a do not disturb mode that counts as busy, it makes the line busy for the test.

4. Find the call

   It is in the dashboard and in GET/v1/calls as an inbound call of the agent, with its transcript.

When it does not work