Summary: Call forwarding is a telephone system feature that redirects incoming calls from one phone number to another. This functionality can be a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes, providing flexibility and improved customer service.
How Does Call Forwarding Work?
When activated for your business, call forwarding operates on a straightforward principle. When a caller dials your primary business number, the phone system detects that call forwarding is enabled and then transfers the call to the designated forwarding number. This process happens seamlessly, ensuring minimal interruption for the caller.
What’s the Difference Between Call Forwarding and Call Diverting?
Call forwarding is a broader term encompassing various conditions under which calls can be redirected, such as when the primary line is busy, unanswered, or unavailable. Call diverting, on the other hand, is a more specific term, usually referring to unconditionally forwarding all incoming calls to a single number. As terms, ‘call forwarding’ and ‘call diverting’ are often used interchangeably. However, it is important to distinguish between the two due to their subtle differences so you can accurately decide which is best for your business operations.
Benefits of Call Forwarding for Businesses
Call forwarding offers several advantages for businesses to optimise their communications process, whether they run an office model, a small business or hybrid/home working.
Improved Customer Service
By forwarding calls to available staff rather than those that are preoccupied, businesses can ensure that customer inquiries are promptly addressed, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
Remote Work Support
For businesses running a hybrid working set-up, call forwarding can prove advantageous. Employees working remotely can stay connected to business calls by forwarding their office phones to their mobile devices.
Disaster Recovery
In case of emergencies or unexpected disruptions, such as flooding of your brick-and-mortar premises, call forwarding can help maintain business continuity by redirecting calls to alternative locations.
Increased Productivity
Call forwarding can help employees manage their time more efficiently by forwarding calls to voicemail or another extension during busy periods.
Cost Savings
Some businesses may find cost savings by using call forwarding to consolidate multiple phone lines into a single number.
Call Forwarding Scenarios
The applications of call forwarding are diverse and can be utilised in a variety of ways depending on the needs of your business. For example, if your business requires after-hours coverage, you could use call forwarding to a mobile phone or voicemail to ensure customers or other callers can still reach someone even outside regular hours.
Likewise, if your business has multiple departments, call forwarding can be an ideal way to ensure that customers that call you are able to reach the department most appropriate for their query as quickly and seamlessly as possible. This could be handled based on either input from the caller themselves, or through the use of caller ID.
Call forwarding is also adaptable to your specific business requirements. For example, you could use conditional call forwarding to forward calls based on specific conditions, such as the aforementioned caller ID, or even by factors like the time of day. For businesses with multiple employees stationed on phones, a rule could also be established for each phone to ring simultaneously until the call is answered.
By understanding the capabilities of call forwarding and carefully considering your business requirements, you can effectively leverage this feature to enhance your business’s communication and productivity and improve customer service.
For more information on how to set up call forwarding for your business, please see our Voice Support page. Need further advice on how your business can reach its full communications potential? Get in touch with Vodafone Business today.
Want to discover more?
Get in touch
Find out what we can do to help your business reach its full potential.
