What is Call Forwarding?

📲 Call Forwarding

Call forwarding automatically redirects incoming calls from an existing phone number to another number. In this case, a business:

1. Forwards its existing number their Sloane Number
2. Doesn't need to make changes to their existing number
3. Doesn't need to pay someone to answer calls

📞 Forwarding Calls to Sloane

Sloane is designed to answer calls for your business -- but there are different ways it can do this

• Some businesses opt in for Conditional Call Forwarding which forwards calls to Sloane only in certain conditions
• Other businesses opt in for Unconditional Call Forwarding which always forwards calls to Sloane (no conditions)
• You decide how and when calls route to your Sloane Number based upon which settings you configure
• Call Forwarding lets Sloane pick up, respond, and manage calls on behalf of your business -— without needing to change your existing number

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Which Call Forwarding is Right For Your Business?

📳 Unconditional Forwarding

• There's only one type of Unconditional Forwarding
• Every call is always forwarded
• Call forwarding happens immediately (your phone never rings)
• You only speak with a caller if Sloane transfers a live call to you
• Businesses commonly use Unconditional Forwarding in conjunction with the Transfer Calls Feature so Sloane:
• Handles spam calls
• Handles callers with general questions (e.g., business hours)
• Transfers live callers to the business who are identified as potential high-value customers

🤙🏾 Conditional Forwarding

• There are three types of Conditional Forwarding:
• Forward if Busy - calls route to Sloane only when your line is currently in use
• Forward if No Answer - calls route to Sloane only after a set number of rings when you don't pick up
• Forward if Unreachable - calls route to Sloane only if your phone is off or out of service
• Businesses commonly use two or more types of Conditional Forwarding in conjunction with one another

☎️ Conditional Forwarding: Important Considerations

• Not all carriers are the same
• Each type of Conditional Forwarding needs to be configured separately with its own dial code
• Not all carriers support every type of Conditional Forwarding

⚙️ How to Setup Call Forwarding

Most carriers let you activate call forwarding by dialing a short setup code. Example: Unconditional Forwarding for AT&T:

1. Dial * * 2 1 * [SloaneNumber] #
2. Press call button
3. Listen for the confirmation sound ✅

⚠️ Service Provider Codes Vary

Check our Call Forwarding Carrier Setup Guide to see what your service provider allows.

1. Identify which phone carrier you have
2. See which types of call forwarding options that your phone provider offers in our Call Forwarding Carrier Setup Guide
3. Decide which type of call forwarding is right for your business