Call forwarding is an essential feature offered by most phone systems and carriers. It allows you to forward incoming calls to an alternate number. This comes in handy when you are unavailable to take calls on your main business phone number.
One type of call forwarding is called call forwarding unconditionally. As the name suggests, it forwards all incoming calls unconditionally to the alternate number you specify. This guide will explain call forwarding unconditional voice not forwarded unconditionallyis, how it works, its benefits for businesses, and tips for setting it up properly.
What is Unconditional Call Forwarding?
Unconditional call forwarding, also known as call forwarding unconditional, is a call forwarding option that forwards all incoming calls to an alternate phone number.
The calls are forwarded immediately and unconditionally, without even ringing the original phone. This type of call forwarding does not depend on conditions like a busy tone on the original number or the call going unanswered.
As soon as someone dials your main published business phone number, the call is instantly forwarded to the alternate number you set up. This alternate number may be your personal mobile number, another business line, an automated greeting service, or anything else.
Unconditional call forwarding is one of the most flexible and useful call forwarding options for businesses. It allows you to separate your public-facing business phone number from where you actually receive calls.
How Does Unconditional Call Forwarding Work?
The mechanics behind what is call forwarding unconditional works are actually quite straightforward:
You provide your phone carrier or VoIP provider with both your main published phone number and the alternate forwarding number.
When someone dials your main business number, the carrier checks their call forwarding unconditionally settings associated with that number.
The carrier sees that all calls should be forwarded to the alternate number, so it immediately forwards the call to that number.
The person calling your main number will have no indication that the call was forwarded. It rings and connects as normal on their end.
On your end, the phone at the alternate number rings rather than your main number ringing.
When you answer the alternate phone, you're now speaking with the caller who dialed your main business number, creating a seamless experience.
This all happens in seconds without the caller even realizing your phone system is forwarding their call in the background. The unconditional nature ensures every single call reaches your alternate number, 24/7.
Benefits of Unconditional Call Forwarding for Businesses
Setting up call forwarding unconditionally offers many advantages that can improve communications and call handling for your business:
Maintain a Consistent Business Number
Your main published business phone number remains unchanged and consistent even as your call routing changes in the background. This gives your business a reliable permanent identity that customers can reach.
Flexible Call Routing
Forward calls anywhere like your mobile, home office, alternate business site, etc. Route calls differently on weekends or evenings to better suit your availability.
Never Miss Important Calls
Critical business calls will always ring through as long as your alternate phone is answered. If you step away from your desk or leave the office, calls follow you.
Separate Public and Private Numbers
Keep your personal mobile number private while presenting a professional business number to customers. Use call forwarding to merge business and personal phones into one.
Enhanced Mobility
Easily take calls anywhere with full mobility. Just make sure your alternate forwarded device is powered on and connected.
Improved Continuity
If there are problems with your main business phone like system outages or broken hardware, calls seamlessly roll over to your unconditional call forwarding number.
Shared Phone Lines
Forward multiple numbers to the same alternate number to combine departments into shared call handling. This can optimize receptionists and phone attendants.
Simplified On Call Handoffs
Smoothly transition after hours or on-call handoffs by forwarding the main business line to whoever is on call next. This eliminates the need to relay temporary alternate numbers.
Overflow Call Routing
When call volume exceeds your capacity, unconditional forwarding provides overflow routing to alternate destinations with more capacity.
As you can see, the unconditional nature of this type of call forwarding provides businesses with maximum flexibility compared to other forwarding options. It’s an easy way to improve your reachability and call handling capabilities.
Tips for Setting Up Unconditional Call Forwarding
If you want to implement unconditional call forwarding for your business, here are some tips to ensure it goes smoothly:
Contact your phone carrier or VoIP provider to see if they support full unconditional forwarding. Most business providers do, but check availability.
Clearly understand their policies, restrictions, or any costs associated with unconditional forwarding before enabling it. There are sometimes limits.
Provide your provider with the alternate phone number you want all calls forwarded to. Verify it will ring reliably.
Consider if you want forwarding enabled at all times or only during certain hours and on certain days. The more configurable, the better.
Test that call forwarding unconditionally is working properly by calling your main business number and having a colleague confirm the call rings at the forwarded number.
Set a PIN code or password with your provider for added security when accessing and managing your forwarding settings.
Update staff on the new call forwarding workflow and advise them on where the main business line will ring now.
Check forwarding settings regularly to make sure they haven’t been disabled accidentally. Technology can be finicky.
Monitor which number callers see on their caller ID and update your online listings if needed.
Consider using a call tracking service for extra analytics on who is calling and how forwarding is affecting call traffic sources.
When Unconditional Call Forwarding Fails or Encounters Problems
Unconditional call forwarding relies on your phone provider’s technology infrastructure working properly at all times. But technology isn’t perfect, so problems can come up:
Network outages – A system failure at your provider can temporarily disrupt call forwarding unconditionally until fixed. Calls may ring at your main number during outages.
Configuration issues – Call forwarding settings can stop working if improperly configured or if changes are made. Test calls regularly.
Incorrect forwarding number – Double check that the forwarding number you provided is 100% accurate. Even small typos can break forwarding.
Spam call blocking – Some providers may misidentify forwarded calls as spam and block them. Whitelist your forwarding numbers.
Suspended service – Accounts that are temporarily suspended due to nonpayment will also lose call forwarding capabilities.
Hardware problems – Faulty routers, bad VoIP firmware, or buggy desk phones can interrupt unconditional call forwarding.
Number porting problems – Forwarding can stop working properly when you switch providers or port numbers. Requires reconfiguring.
Unclear policies – Ambiguous carrier policies might mean unconditional forwarding isn’t properly guaranteed or supported. Get clarification.
The good news is that most forwarding failures can be quickly fixed by correcting configurations or requesting provider support. Still, have backup options in place like call forwarding on busy or call forwarding no answer in case unconditional forwarding stops working for any reason.
When Unconditional Call Forwarding is Not Recommended
While unconditional call forwarding has many benefits, it isn’t ideal for all business situations:
If you need to know immediately when calls reach your main published number, such as for detailed call analytics.
Environment with high risk of phone number spoofing, swatting, or harassment calls. Forwarding exposes alternate numbers.
Shared office phones where the phones themselves need to ring, such as a receptionist line.
Public-facing support lines where call volume is unpredictably volatile.
Businesses that forward personal employee cell phones and want to protect privacy.
Companies with offices across multiple regions. Local callers expect local rings.
Industries subject to compliance regulations that require calls to ring at a licensed physical location.
Startups and very small businesses without sufficient call insights to inform forwarding.
Organizations that frequently change their forwarding configurations and office numbers.
Apps and services that require real-time inbound call handling or tracking at your main number.
In these situations, it’s often better to use other selective call forwarding settings or a custom call routing plan tailored to your needs. The unconditional nature of blind forwarding can be problematic.
Alternative Options to Unconditional Call Forwarding
For full control over how calls are routed, companies can look beyond basic call forwarding and explore professional call routing solutions. Popular options include:
Cloud phone systems – Route calls according to rulesets and overflow routing priorities. Integrates with CRM.
Call tracking numbers – Unique numbers for each campaign source allow for detailed analytics and granular call handling.
Toll-free services – Cost-effective national or regional toll-free numbers with included call management features.
Premise-based PBXs – Traditional private branch exchange phone systems fully managed internally.
Auto attendants – Automated greetings provide dial-by-name directories and self-service options.
Custom IVRs – Interactive voice response systems that intelligently route calls and gather input via keypad.
Professional routing solutions give you full visibility into your inbound calls and granular ways to handle them. The tradeoff is increased complexity and costs compared to simple unconditional call forwarding.
Which Solution is Right for Your Business?
At the end of the day, choosing your call routing approach depends entirely on your specific business needs and call traffic patterns:
Light call volumes – Basic unconditional call forwarding often suffices for low inbound call needs with just a single published number.
Field sales staff – Forwarding to mobile devices gives field teams reliable call access while out of office.
Remote work – Enables a distributed workforce to share a common business identity across locations.
Multiple offices – Forward primary number to alternate locations based on hours or availability.
Single location – For one fixed office, an on-premise PBX system may meet basic call routing needs.
Advanced call analytics – A smart cloud phone system captures real-time insights on customer calls.
Complex workflows – Custom IVR menus can intelligently route calls with caller input.
Large call volumes – Call tracking numbers and auto attendants optimize high-volume digital marketing campaigns.
Take time to evaluate your current approach, pain points, and future needs. Match those to the solution offering the right mix of intelligent call routing power and affordability.
Conclusion
Call forwarding unconditionally is a versatile feature that every business should consider as part of their phone system toolbox. Implemented properly, it provides immense flexibility in where you can receive the calls that matter most to your company.
Just be sure to carefully test configurations, have backup options ready, and understand exactly how your provider handles unconditional call forwarding. With a rock solid call routing strategy in place that leverages unconditional forwarding, you’ll be confident you can deliver top-notch phone support to customers anytime, anywhere. Never miss an important business call again.
No comments yet