How Do I Forward My Calls? (Updated) – A Complete Guide

Things to Keep in Mind about Forwarding
Forwarding Flavors
Basic Call Forwarding
Scheduled Call Forwarding
Filtered Forwarding
Routing a Forwarded Call Back to a Company Voicemail
Find Me/Follow Me Forwarding
Android Forwarding Guide
iOS Forwarding Guide
Mobile Phones Dial Code Forwarding ---

Call Forwarding with the Legacy Admin Portal

This article has been updated to guide you on how to set up call forwarding with our new Admin Center.

But until it is discontinued, you can still use The Admin Portal (the legacy version of the Admin Center) to set up scheduled, filtered, company voicemail, and find me/follow me forwarding. We have kept the instructions for these at the end of this article.

Call Forwarding allows you to automatically redirect all your incoming calls away from your desk phone to mobile phones, landlines, other office extensions and lines, or even VoIP numbers.

Things to Keep in Mind about Forwarding

When the feature is enabled you will be able to make calls but you will not receive calls on the line to which the feature is applied.
You will also not get any new voicemails until you disable the feature (or set up routing back to voicemail when there is no answer on the forwarding destination.)
Call forwarding does not work for international landlines outside the U.S. However, if you forward your calls to a mobile phone with a U.S. number and take this phone overseas you will be able to receive the forwarded calls.
Calls that have been forwarded to lines or extensions can be further transferred by dialing #9.
Calls that are routed to a hunt group agents can only be further forwarded by those agents if the Allow destination to forward calls toggle in the General Settings of the hunt group is enabled.

Forwarding Flavors

Call forwarding comes in various flavors that depend on your needs or where you are setting up the forwarding from. You should consider if you need to return a forwarded call back to your company voicemail or if you need to be able to control the forwarding activation remotely.

With Basic Call Forwarding you can decide if the forwarding is ongoing (always forward) or depends on your availability.
Scheduled Forwarding lets you have calls forwarded only on certain hours, days, or dates.
If you want to forward calls only for specific caller IDs of incoming calls read the Filtered (Caller ID) Forwarding setup guide.

With Filtered Forwarding you can also block calls from unknown callers!
What if you want the forwarded call to ring a selected number but if there is no answer send it back to your company voicemail? See how to route a call back to voicemail guide.
If you are a developer, integrating Telebroad communication services with your company's apps, you can facilitate forwarding with a PUT method API. By itself, the API is limited to only enabling or disabling forwarding, but other Telebroad APIs can enhance its functionality with transferring and time route options.
Find Me/Follow Me forwarding can let you forward calls to several numbers and ring them in a sequence or simultaneously.

Basic forwarding can be enabled by any user, but the other forwarding options require access privileges to the Admin Center.

Forwarding Mobile Numbers

All of these forwarding options refer to your Telebroad numbers. If you are using the mobile client of the TeleConsole you can also forward calls received on your mobile number. Refer to this Android forwarding guide, iOS forwarding guide, or Dial Codes forwarding guide for instructions.

Basic Call Forwarding

There are several ways to enable basic forwarding.

You need to decide if the forwarding is ongoing ("always forward") or only occurs depending on the situation of a user's phone line, like when the line is busy. The latter can only be set up from the Admin Center, which also offers more flexibility about the forwarding destination.

You can activate ongoing basic forwarding:

Directly from your phone by using dial code *72 as described here.
From the TeleConsole Android or iOS versions or the Windows/macOS/Web desktop versions.
From a physical SIP phone, if you have one. Look for the relevant user guide on our support portal for your Yealink or Poly phones.
From the Admin Center as explained next.

To activate basic forwarding, from the Admin Center:

Access the Admin Center and go to the Admin Center Menu>Users & Phones, select the user, and expand the Lines and Devices settings.
Edit () the relevant line and expand the Forwarding settings.
To set up ongoing forwarding simply enter the desired destination in the Forward incoming calls to field. You can provide an extension, phone line, or an external number here.
To set up forwarding based on the situation of the user's line toggle off the Use same destination on busy or unregistered option.
- This will display three forwarding options –
  
  On no answer: The forwarding happens when the user is registered but doesn't pick up the call.
  
  In the given example we forward the call to the user's mobile number, assuming the user is away from his desk.
  
  On busy: The forwarding happens when the user is busy with another call.
  
  In the given example, we forward the call to the user's mailbox so he can get back to the caller later.
  
  On unregistered: Forwarding happens when the user is not logged in to his account on the TeleConsole or SIP phone.
  
  In the given example, we forward the call to another user, assuming the user is not available to take calls.
- Select a Forward to and a Destination option for each situation and Save your modifications.

Scheduled Call Forwarding

What if you want to forward your calls only on certain hours, days, or dates? Such scheduled call forwarding has to be set up from the Admin Portal, which is usually accessible only by your system administrator.

Refer to this article for a full explanation and details of how to create and manage schedules.

Set up Scheduled forwarding with the following steps:

In the Admin Center go to Admin Center Menu>Voice Features>Scheudles.
Select ADD SCHEDULE at the top of the screen or from the Features Shortcut menu.
Name the schedule, select the schedule type (Custom, Weekly, or Holiday), select its priority, and click CREATE.

This will open the setting page of the new schedule. Select the days or dates when the schedule is active in the Set Schedule settings category.
To assign the the new schedule you created select ADD in the Affected Numbers settings.
In the System Features field select if the schedule will affect a Phone Number or an Extension and pick the relevant destination.
In the Route To field select the destination to forward calls to. There are over 60 destinations and features available on the Teleberod system, but commonly you will probably select to forward to an Extension, Phone, or Mailbox.

The Phone destination lets you forward to a user's (internal) phone line. If you need to forward calls to an external number select the Forward to Number destination.

Alternatively, you can apply schedules directly to a phone number or extension Routing and Forwarding settings.
To stop scheduled forwarding either delete the number or extension from the Affected Numbers of the schedule or enable the Override schedules and caller ID routes toggle in the extension or phone number Routing and Forwarding settings.

You can also do this remotely if you dial an extension with the Update Number Routing or Number Menu features. See more details about system features and destinations in this article.

Filtered (Caller ID) Forwarding

With Filtered Forwarding (also known as Caller ID Forwarding) you can have calls forwarded from specific phone numbers, prefixes, or area codes.

To set up Filtered Forwarding:

In the Admin Center go to Admin Center Menu>Voice Features>Extensions or Admin Center Menu>Phone Numbers and select the desired extension or phone number.
Expand the Routing and Forwarding settings.
Under Call Routing based on Caller ID select Add Caller ID Route and in the Caller Number Prefix field enter the caller ID to match with.

You can enter a full number to create an exact match or a partial caller ID to match with multiple numbers. For example, enter a full number except the last three digits to forward calls from a specific company rather than an individual in that company.

You can only enter one caller ID here (there is no option for comma-separated values.) For additional caller IDs simply add more caller ID routes.
If you leave the Caller Number Prefix field blank the system will match and forward calls from unknown numbers, allowing you to filter and block potentially unsolicited calls.

A routing destination that may be useful for blocking unsolicited calls is Hang up call or Busy tone. You can also consider creating a company voicemail for unwanted calls and direct calls there. The advantage of the latter is that it can slow down the unwanted callers, especially if you include some lengthy greeting or music before prompting the caller to leave a message. You would just have to clear this mailbox occasionally.

Additional call and messaging blocking options are available in the TeleConsole app.
In the Route To field select the destination to forward calls to. There are over 60 destinations and features available on the Teleberod system, but commonly you will probably select to forward to an Extension, Phone, or Mailbox.

The Phone destination lets you forward to a user's (internal) phone line. If you need to forward calls to an external number select the Forward to Number destination.
You can describe the forwarded number in the Description field. This is optional.
Click Save to add the calling route. Routing takes effect immediately.
To stop caller ID forwarding either delete the relevant caller ID route or enable the Override schedules and caller ID routes toggle in the extension or phone number Routing and Forwarding settings. The latter will stop forwarding for all caller ID routes.

You can also do this remotely if you dial an extension with the Update Number Routing or Number Menu features. See more details about system features and destinations in this article.

Routing a Forwarded Call Back to a Company Voicemail

When you forward a call, if there is no answer the call will get directed to the mailbox of the destination.

If, however, you want to have voicemails left only in your company's mailbox you would use the Hunt Groups voice feature.

Refer to this article for a full explanation and details of how to create and manage call queues.

To forward unanswered calls to a company mailbox:

1)We will start by adding the company mailbox number to the hunt group.

In the Admin Center go to Admin Center Menu>Voice Features>Hunt Groups.
Select ADD HUNT GROUP at the top of the screen or from the Features Shortcut menu.
Name the Hunt Group and click CREATE. This will open the setting page of the new hunt group.
Expand the General Settings and make sure the Call distribution strategy field is set to Linear: Always start at 1.
Select Mailbox in the If no agent answered, route to destination type and the relevant mailbox in the
If no agent answered, route to destination field.

(You can select other destination types instead of mailbox if you prefer.)

Click SAVE to apply your selections.

2)To have the forwarded call ring a selected number we need will define this number under a hunt group agent.

In Hunt Group Agents select Add Agent and for the Agent destination type select Phone for internal line or select External phone number.
For the Destination select the user's line or enter an external phone number, where calls will initially ring
Click SAVE to add the agent to the group.

3)The last step is to connect the hunt group to an extension, user's line, or a phone number.

For an extension or a phone number, go to Admin Center Menu>Voice Features>Extensions or Admin Center Menu>Phone Numbers and select the desired extension or phone number.

Expand the Routing and Forwarding setting and for the Default Calling Route options select Hunt Group as the routing type and the hunt group you created as the destination.
For a user's line, go to Admin Center Menu>Users & Phones, select the user, and expand the Lines and Devices settings.

Edit ( ) the relevant line and expand the Forwarding settings.

For the On no answer option select Hunt Group as the routing type and the hunt group you created as the destination.

Also, make sure to the Use same destination on busy or unregistered is enabled.

You should note the original routing values before changing them. If you want to stop forwarding, you would need to reenter those values.

Now when callers call the phone number, extension, or line their calls will be forwarded to the hunt group and ring the number of the agent you added to it. If the agent doesn't answer the call will be forwarded to the company mailbox.

Find Me/Follow Me Forwarding

With Basic Forwarding you can forward a call to one destination only. If, however, you frequently move between several destinations it can be a hassle (or you might forget) to keep updating the forwarded number. The solution is Find Me/Follow Me forwarding. It routes a call to several destinations, either in a sequence or simultaneously, letting you pick it a call wherever you are.

For this type of forwarding we will also use a hunt group. The configuration is very similar to routing a call back to a company voicemail, except that we will add several agents (as destinations) and we also need to set their priorities.

To set up Find Me/Follow Me follow:

Follow part 1 of the instructions for routing a call back to a company voicemail, but select your mailbox or phone line (or another destination you prefer) instead of the company's mailbox.
Follow part 2 of the instructions for routing a call back to a company voicemail and repeat it to add several agents for all the destinations you want to forward your calls to.
When you add the agents you need to consider their priority level.
- If you want all destinations to ring simultaneously simply keep the Level: field at "1 (highest)" for all agents.
- If you want the destinations to ring in a sequence set the Level: field with a different number for each destination, assigning a lower number (higher priority) to destinations that you want to ring first.
  
  For each call, the system will ring the agent(s) with the highest priority first and if he doesn't answer will move to the agent with the next priority level in the group.
  
  A hunt group can have ten priority levels, but you can add several agents at each level, essentially combining both methods (calls to agents on the same level will ring simultaneously.)
- You can edit the priority levels any time you need to change the sequence or change it to simultaneous ringing.
  
  You can toggle the Available for calls option on or off. If you toggle it off calls will not get forwarded to the destination.
- You can also modify the Level Settings for the hunt group and change the ring duration for each priority level – from 5 seconds up to a minute. This can be helpful if you want to give yourself more time to pick up calls in some destinations.
Follow part 3 of the instructions for routing a call back to a company voicemail to connect the hunt group to an extension or a phone number.

Now when callers dial the phone number or extension their calls will be forwarded to the hunt group and ring the numbers of the agents you added to it simultaneously or in a sequence. You can pick up the call at any of these numbers and if you don't pick it up at all it will be forwarded back to your mailbox or phone line.

Android Forwarding Guide

When working with the mobile version of the TeleConsole you have the choice of forwarding either (or both) your Telebroad number or your mobile number.

Note that when DND is active your calls will not be forwarded even if the forwarding option is activated in the TeleConsole settings.

With Android, different phone brands or OS releases may have variations on user interface menu choices. We tried to give a few common choices here where applicable.

To forward calls from your mobile number on an Android device:

Make sure Airplane/Flight mode is switched off.
Open the Phone app () and from the app menu tap Settings.
Select Call forwarding.

If you don't see this, depending on your phone brand, try taping Call, Call Settings, Additional Settings, Supplementary services, or Calling account.

If you have a dual SIM, the call forwarding option will be shown for each. Make sure you are selecting and enabling forwarding for the correct line!
You may get the option to tap Voice call or Video call. If so, each type of calling can be forwarded independently and need to be set up separately.
You will see different forwarding options – Always forward, Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered, and Forward when unreachable.

You may already see a forwarding number here. Take note of this number in case you change it because it is connected to your personal voicemail.
Tap one of the forwarding options and enter the forwarding number or tap the contacts icon to select a number from your list of personal contacts.
Tap Turn on.
When you want to switch personal forwarding off, navigate to the same settings and select Turn off.

If your phone doesn't support forwarding in this way, you can try to use Dial Codes instead (see below).

iOS Forwarding Guide

When working with the iOS mobile version of the TeleConsole you have the choice of forwarding either (or both) your Telebroad number or your mobile number.

To forward calls from your mobile number on an iOS device:

Make sure Airplane/Flight mode is switched off.
Go to the Settings screen.
Tap Phone.
Tap Call Forwarding.
Toggle on Call Forwarding and enter the forwarding number.

If you have a phone model with dual SIM you will be prompted to select a line.
Return to the Phone screen to save the number.
If you return to the Call Forwarding screen the phone number you entered will be shown instead of the toggle button. Tap the X next to it to turn off forwarding or to enter a different number.

If your phone doesn't support forwarding in this way, you can try to use Dial Codes instead (see next).

Mobile Phones Dial Code Forwarding

If activating call forwarding directly from your mobile phone's settings doesn't work you can use dial codes.

Dial codes are different for each provider. Listed here are the codes for the three major U.S. providers. If you are using a different provider, consult his website or call his customer service to obtain the relevant codes.

AT&T

Forward all calls:

Enable by dialing *72, followed by the ten-digit forwarding number, followed by #.

Disable by dialing *73#.
Forward calls only while the subscriber is busy with another call:

Enable by dialing *90, followed by the ten-digit forwarding number, followed by #.

Disable by dialing *91.
Forward only unanswered calls:

Enable by dialing *92, followed by the ten-digit forwarding number, followed by #.

Disable by dialing *93#.
Forward calls to an alternate number in the event of a service disruption:

Enable by dialing *372, followed by the ten-digit forwarding number, followed by #.

Disable by dialing *373#.

T-Mobile

Forward all calls:

Enable by dialing **21*, followed by the ten-digit forwarding number, followed by #.

Disable by dialing ##21#.
Forward only unanswered calls:

Enable by dialing **61*1, followed by the ten-digit forwarding number, followed by #.

Disable by dialing ##61#.
Forward calls only when the device is off or out of signal range:

Enable by dialing **62*1, followed by the ten-digit forwarding number, followed by #.

Disable by dialing ##62#.
Forward calls only while the subscriber is busy with another call:

Enable by dialing *67*1, followed by the ten-digit forwarding number, followed by #.

Disable by dialing ##67#.

Verizon

Forward all calls:

Enable by dialing *72 followed by the ten-digit forwarding number.

Disable by dialing *73.
Forward only unanswered calls:

Enable by dialing *71 followed by the ten-digit forwarding number.

Disable by dialing *73.

Call Forwarding with the Legacy Admin Portal

The Admin Portal is the previous incarnation of the Admin Center. It has a more basic interface but can still be used to configure and manage the same functions as the Admin Center.

If you have used it in the past, and until it is discontinued, it is still available for you for setting up scheduled, filtered, company voicemail, and find me/follow me forwarding.

Scheduled Call Forwarding (Legacy Admin Portal)

Set up Scheduled forwarding with the following steps:

In the Admin Portal select Features>Time and dates from the side menu and click on New >> at the bottom right of the list to create a new time group.
Enter a name for the group and select if the group will be active for any of the periods or none of the time periods (time periods are created in the next step). Click Save.

Click Add a new time period » and set the desired time and days for the time group to be active or inactive, based on your "Active when:" selection above. You can create several time periods to cover more complex situations. For example, a group that is active for two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon.
Next, select Features>Feature codes and click on the feature code for the phone line you are setting scheduled forwarding for.
Scroll to the bottom of the selected feature code page and find Time routes. Click Add a time route >>.
In the page that opens select the Time group you created in the previous steps to apply its time periods as a forwarding schedule to the phone line. Select Number for the Forward matching calls to: field (if forwarding to an internal number select Telephone line instead.) Enter the number to forward calls to and click Save. You are all set.
To stop the scheduled forwarding simply delete the Time route.

Filtered Forwarding (Legacy Admin Portal)

With Filtered Forwarding (also known as Caller ID Forwarding) you can have calls forwarded only from specific phone numbers, prefixes, area codes, or even countries.

To set up Filtered Forwarding:

In the Admin Portal select Features>Feature codes from the side menu.
Click on the feature code for the phone line you are setting Caller ID forwarding for.
Scroll to the bottom of the selected feature code page to find Caller routes: and click Add a caller route >>.
Enter the phone number or caller ID that you want to forward calls for in the Caller number prefix: field.

You can only enter one number here (there is no option for comma-separated values.) For additional phone numbers simply add additional caller routes!

You can enter the whole number to create an exact match or any part of it to match multiple numbers. For example, enter a whole number except the last three digits to forward all numbers from a specific company rather than an individual in that company.

You can even forward all calls from specific area codes or countries (for the latter add + before the country code. For example +47.)
You can describe the forwarded number in the Description field. This is optional.
From the Forward matching calls to: drop-down menu select a destination or function for the forwarded call.

If forwarding to an external number select Number and enter the desired phone number in the field below it.

If forwarding to an internal number select Telephone line and select the desired internal number from the drop-down menu.

You can also select to forward the calls to a Mailbox.
Overall there are over sixty forwarding destinations and features you can choose from.

One function that may be very useful for blocking unsolicited calls is Hang up call or Busy tone. You can also consider creating a company voicemail for unwanted calls and directing calls there. The advantage of the latter is that it can slow down the unwanted callers, especially if you include some lengthy greeting or music before prompting the caller to leave a message. You would just have to clear this mailbox occasionally. If you need to block text messages refer to this article.
Click Save to add the caller route. Routing takes effect immediately.
If you no longer want to forward calls for any ID simply delete it from the list of Caller routes.

Routing a Forwarded Call Back to a Company Voicemail (Legacy Admin Portal)

When you forward a call and if there is no answer, the call will get directed to the mailbox of the forwarded destination (if one exists). For example, if you forward calls to your private mobile phone, callers will be prompted to leave a voicemail in your private mobile phone mailbox.

To have voicemails left only in your company's mailbox then follow these steps:

In the Admin Portal select Features>Hunt groups from the side menu.
Click on New >> at the bottom right of the Hunt groups list.
Give the new Hunt group a name identical to the phone line or extension being forwarded. You should also add some description of the function of the Hunt group.

You can leave the rest of the fields as they are. The Level order: field must be kept at " Linear: Always start at 1" for this to work.

Click Save.
On the next screen select Set the default destination >>.
Set the default destination as Mailbox and select the appropriate phone line for the user (Mailbox is under "My features" in the drop-down menu.) Click Save.
You will be returned to the previous screen. Select Add a destination >>.
Set the Destination as a Number and enter the external phone number where you are forwarding the call in the field below.

You can alternatively select Telephone line if you are forwarding the call internally.

You can leave the rest of the fields as they are. Click Save.
You are all set. Calls will now be forwarded to your selected number and if unanswered will be returned to the company voicemail.
If you just wish to edit the destinations (or if you accidentally clicked Return to the list of hunt groups >> before setting the destinations), simply select the new group you just created from the list of groups and click the Number or Default destination to edit them. You can also add more destinations here to ring before returning the call to the mailbox.

Find Me/Follow Me Forwarding (Legacy Admin Portal)

With Basic Forwarding you can forward a call only to one destination. If you move a lot between destinations it can be a hassle to keep changing the forwarded number constantly. The solution is Find Me/Follow Me type of forwarding. It routes a call to several destinations, either in a sequence or simultaneously, letting you pick it up wherever you are.

To set up Find Me/Follow Me follow these steps:

In the Admin Portal select Features>Hunt groups from the side menu.
Click on New >> at the bottom right of the Hunt groups list.
Give the new Hunt group a name identical to the phone line or extension being forwarded. You should also add some description of the function of the Hunt group.

You can leave the rest of the fields as they are. The Level order: field must be kept at "Linear: Always start at 1" for this to work.

Click Save.

On the next screen select Add a destination >>.
Set the Destination as a Number and enter the external phone number where you are forwarding the call in the field below.

You can alternatively select Telephone Line if you are forwarding the call internally.

You can leave the rest of the fields as they are. Click Save.
Repeat this last step – click Add a destination >> to add the rest of the destination that will ring when you get a call.
- If you want all destinations to ring simultaneously keep the Level: field at "1 (first)".
- If you want the destinations to ring in a sequence set the Level: field for a different number for each destination.
  
  The sequence can be up to ten levels maximum, but you can have several numbers at each level, essentially combining both methods.
On the screen where you click to add a destination, you can also select Set the default destination >> and set the default destination as Mailbox with the relevant phone line. This will direct the call to the Mailbox in case you don't pick it up at any of the destinations.
If you just wish to edit the destinations, simply select the new group you just created from the list of groups.

Click any Number or the Default destination to edit them.

Here you can also click Level settings for each level individually.
On the Level settings screen, you can change the duration each level rings – from 5 seconds up to a minute. While ringing, you can have each level either play a ringing sound or music.

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