Forward calls from an office phone system (VoIP)
If your phones run through an online system such as Telus Business Connect, RingCentral, Ooma, 8x8, or Zoom Phone, forwarding is a setting in its admin portal.
- About 10 minutes
- Basic computer skills
- For: Offices with an internet-based phone system and someone who can sign in as an administrator
7 steps in this guide
Before you start, have these ready
- The administrator sign-in for your phone system
- Your Ringhero number
- A second phone for the test
Step 1: Find your Ringhero number
Sign in, open Phone, and look for your Ringhero number. This is the private number your calls forward to. Callers never see it.
Write it down or use the button that texts the steps to your cell, so you have it on the phone you will dial from.
What you should see
A ten-digit phone number with your area code.
Step 2: Sign in to your phone system as an administrator
Open your phone provider's website and sign in with the administrator account. If you do not know who that is, it is usually whoever set the phones up or pays the bill.
Step 3: Open call handling for your main number
Find the settings for your main number or your main ring group. The section is usually called call handling, call routing, or call forwarding.
What you should see
A screen that shows what happens to a call during business hours and after hours.
Step 4: Set what happens when nobody answers
Look for the rule for unanswered or busy calls. Change it from voicemail to forward to an external number, and enter your Ringhero number.
Set the ring time to about 20 seconds, which is four or five rings.
If a code does not work
Codes can differ by plan. If a code doesn't work, call your provider and say: please set conditional call forwarding on busy and no answer to <your Ringhero number>.
Step 5: Set your after-hours rule
Most systems have a business hours schedule. Set the after-hours rule to forward to your Ringhero number so the switch happens on its own every day.
Tip
Check the holiday schedule too. Many systems treat holidays as a separate rule that still points to voicemail.
Step 6: Save and apply
Save the changes. Some systems need you to press a separate button to publish or apply them before they take effect.
Step 7: Test it
From a different phone, call your business number and do not pick up. After about 20 seconds the receptionist should answer.
What you should see
A greeting that names your business and says it is an AI assistant. The Phone screen in your dashboard turns green.
This guide was written for the beta. If a screen is named a little differently from what you see, the steps still apply in the same order.