How to forward your firm’s calls, by phone system

How do I forward my office line to Intake Gateway?

You keep your own phone number — nothing changes for the people calling you. Once you're signed in, the phone-line step of setup gives you a second, private number that belongs to your account, then shows the star codes to forward your own line to it.

Codes differ by carrier and by plan, so that step links each carrier's own instructions and gives you a quick way to check the forwarding took.

The phone-line step starts with nights and weekends: forward only after hours, only the calls you don't answer, or every call. Forwarding only after hours or only unanswered calls means you keep answering the calls you already do — that step lays out each way.

This answer on the help page

My setup page says "Almost there" / my line isn't live yet.

That's expected right after you finish the last step of setup — switching your number on runs automatically and is usually live within half an hour. There's nothing further to do, and no button to press to speed it up.

One thing worth doing while you wait: don't forward your office line yet. Until the page says you're live, a forwarded call would just go quiet.

If it takes more than about two hours, our systems have already been alerted — there's nothing you need to send us for that.

This answer on the help page

We use an office phone system (8x8, Nextiva, Ooma, Zoom, Grasshopper...). How do we forward?

An office phone system sets forwarding in its own settings, not with the star codes the phone-line step shows. Those codes are for a carrier line and do nothing on most office systems.

For RingCentral, Dialpad, Vonage Business, Microsoft Teams Phone, Ooma Office, Zoom Phone, Grasshopper, Nextiva and 8x8, the phone-line step has the steps, taken from each vendor's own help page: pick your system there. Google Voice is listed there too, but with the reasons it can't forward to an agent rather than steps: Google's own page says forwarding calls from a Google Voice number to an automated system is unsupported.

For any other system, sign in to its admin settings (or ask whoever manages it) and look for call handling, answering rules or call forwarding on the number your clients call. Add a rule that sends calls to an external number, and enter the Intake Gateway number from your phone-line step.

If you choose the rule for calls that go unanswered, your phones still ring first. If yours rings too long before the agent picks up, the same rule usually lets you set how many rings or seconds to wait.

Then test it: from a phone that is not on your list of your own numbers, call your office number and let it ring. You should hear your agent's opening. If your voicemail answers instead, voicemail is taking the call before the forwarding rule does; turn it off for that number or shorten its delay.

This answer on the help page

Forward in RingCentral

Calls your phones don’t answer

1. In the RingCentral app, open Settings from the left-hand navigation bar, then Phone.
2. Scroll down to Call handling and click Edit.
3. Under Missed calls, choose Forward to external number and enter your Intake Gateway number.
4. RingCentral keeps separate Work hours and After hours settings: set Missed calls for each you want forwarded (if your Work hours are 24 hours, 7 days a week, After hours takes the same settings).
5. Click Save.

Only after hours

RingCentral keeps separate Work hours and After hours settings: set Missed calls to forward to your Intake Gateway number under After hours only, and leave Work hours as it is.

Before you rely on it

• RingCentral's page describes these as a single user's call-forwarding settings, set from that user's own app. If your main number goes to a company greeting or menu first, RingCentral's company call-handling settings apply, and they aren't covered here.
• Under Incoming calls, don't put your Intake Gateway number first under Ring in order, and don't include it under Ring all at once: your agent answers at once and would take every call.
• Forwarding every call, and busy-only forwarding, aren't on the page we read.

These steps come from RingCentral’s own help page and nothing else: check them on RingCentral’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

RingCentral on its own page

Forward in Dialpad

Calls your phones don’t answer

1. First, for the main line: Dialpad's page says sending calls to a number outside Dialpad has to be enabled by Dialpad's support team. Ask them before you set this up.
2. In your Dialpad Admin Settings, select Office > Main Line, then Business Hours & Call Routing, then Edit Call Routing.
3. Under Ring Duration, set how long your operators' phones ring before the call moves on (Dialpad's page: every 15 seconds is about 4 rings).
4. Select Operators, then under Fallback Options choose To another team member, room phone or external number, enter your Intake Gateway number, and select Save.
5. Open Hours Routing and Closed Hours Routing are set separately: set the fallback for both if you want calls forwarded around the clock.
6. For your own direct line instead of the main line: in Your Settings, open Call Handling & Voicemail, select Show Advanced Options, set Ring duration, then under Advanced missed call routing choose To a team member/ room phone / external number and enter your Intake Gateway number.

Every call

1. On a Yealink desk phone: on the phone screen, press More Options (3 dots) > Forward, set Always Forward to On, enter your Intake Gateway number in Forward to, and press Save.

Only after hours

Open Hours Routing and Closed Hours Routing are set separately: set the fallback to your Intake Gateway number under Closed Hours Routing only, and leave Open Hours Routing as it is.

Before you rely on it

• The desk phone's Always Forward forwards only calls to that user's line (Dialpad's page), and is switched off from the desk phone itself (set Always Forward to Off).
• The fallback takes calls no operator answers within the ring duration and calls when no operator is available (Dialpad counts an operator as unavailable in Do Not Disturb or not logged in to Dialpad).
• Don't add your Intake Gateway number under Your Devices > Add a forwarding number: Dialpad verifies it by calling it and asking whoever answers to press 1, which your agent can't do, and a forwarding number rings together with your Dialpad number, so your agent would take every call.
• Dialpad's Answer forwarded calls prompt (Your Devices > Advanced Settings) is for forwarding numbers such as your cell and keeps your cell's voicemail from taking calls; leave it on. If a test call reaches your agent and asks for 1, tell Dialpad support.
• Busy-only forwarding isn't on the pages we read.

These steps come from Dialpad’s own help page and nothing else: check them on Dialpad’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

Dialpad on its own page

Google Voice can’t forward to your agent

• Google's own page says: "Forwarding calls from your Google Voice number to an automated system is unsupported." Your agent is an automated system. (Google Voice’s page)
• A number Google Voice forwards to is a linked number, and linking one needs a verification code that Google texts to that number or reads out in a call to it. A text to your Intake Gateway number isn't delivered to you, and a call to it is answered by your agent. (Google Voice’s page)
• A linked number rings at the same time as the Google Voice app and your other linked numbers; forwarding only unanswered calls isn't on Google's page. Your agent answers at once, so it would take every call. (Google Voice’s page)
• With Screen Calls on, whoever answers a forwarded call must press 1 to accept it. Your agent can't, so every caller would go to voicemail -- while the phone-line step's check still counted the call as reaching your Intake Gateway number. (Google Voice’s page)
• On Voice for Google Workspace, "Show my Google Voice number as caller ID when forwarding calls" makes every forwarded call show your Google Voice number. If that number is on your list of your own numbers, every forwarded call reads as your own test call, here and in your call emails. (Google Voice’s page)

Google Voice on its own page

Forward in Vonage Business

Calls your phones don’t answer

1. In the Admin Portal (a Super User or Account Administrator), click Phone System, then Extensions; hover over the extension you want to set and click the Pencil icon.
2. Click Call Forwarding, toggle Forward Calls to enabled, and choose Follow Me: it rings up to five extensions or numbers in the sequence you specify.
3. Under When My Phone Rings..., enter a phone number or select an extension to ring first (your own phone, not your Intake Gateway number), and its number of rings; then click Add Another Rule and enter your Intake Gateway number as the next rule.
4. Under Use Caller ID choose Originating Caller ID, so your agent and your call emails see the caller's number: with Number on Account every forwarded call shows your own number, which the phone-line step's check reads as a test call from you.
5. Click Save.
6. From your own Online Account instead: click the Avatar, then Settings, then Call Forwarding, and set up Follow Me the same way (there the wait is in seconds).

Every call

1. In the Admin Portal, click Phone System, then Extensions; hover over the extension you want to set and click the Pencil icon.
2. Click Call Forwarding, toggle Forward Calls to enabled, select Send To Ext. or Number, and under Forward All My Calls To click Add New Number and enter your Intake Gateway number.
3. Under Use Caller ID choose Originating Caller ID (see the step above), then click Save.
4. From your own Online Account instead: click the Avatar, then Settings, then Call Forwarding; mark Forward All Calls, enter your Intake Gateway number, choose Originating Caller ID, and click Save.

Only after hours

Forwarding only after hours isn't on the pages we read: check your phone system's settings.

Before you rely on it

• To turn it off: in the Admin Portal, toggle Forward Calls to disabled; in the Online Account, pick another option under Call Forwarding.
• Simultaneous Ring would ring your Intake Gateway number at the same time as your phones: your agent answers at once and would take every call.
• Busy-only forwarding isn't on the pages we read.

These steps come from Vonage Business’s own help page and nothing else: check them on Vonage Business’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

Vonage Business on its own page

Forward in Microsoft Teams Phone

Calls your phones don’t answer

1. In Teams, select Settings and more (next to your profile picture at the top), then Settings > Calls.
2. Under Call handling and forwarding, Microsoft's page says you can "set up different responses for different scenarios": for calls that go unanswered, have them sent to a new number, your Intake Gateway number.
3. Or whoever administers Microsoft 365 sets it for you: in the Teams admin center, Users > Manage users > your user > the Voice tab > Call answering rules: choose Ring the user's devices, set If unanswered to your Intake Gateway number and Ring for this many seconds before redirecting to the wait you want, and select Save.
4. On a Teams SIP desk phone: dial *34*, then optionally the seconds to ring first (a multiple of 10, up to 60; 20 if left out) followed by *, then your Intake Gateway number. *32* resets it.

Every call

1. In Teams, select Settings and more (next to your profile picture at the top), then Settings > Calls.
2. Under Call handling and forwarding, select the toggle to choose how all call forwarding should be handled, and have calls sent to a new number: your Intake Gateway number.
3. Or in the Teams admin center: Users > Manage users > your user > the Voice tab > Call answering rules > Be immediately forwarded, to your Intake Gateway number; select Save.
4. On a Teams SIP desk phone: dial *33* then your Intake Gateway number. *32* resets it.

Only after hours

Forwarding only after hours isn't on the pages we read: check your phone system's settings.

Before you rely on it

• These are one person's Teams settings. If your main number rings an auto attendant, a call queue or a resource account rather than one person, those settings aren't covered here.
• Microsoft's page: if you see no call forwarding options in your settings, you likely don't have an Enterprise Voice or Business Voice license, and a license change can take up to 24 hours to take effect. The admin center's Voice tab appears only for a user with a Teams Phone license.
• The admin center's Voice > Calling policies must have Call forwarding and simultaneous ringing to external phone numbers on (Microsoft's page: on by default).
• Unless the rule is changed, Microsoft's admin page says unanswered calls go to voicemail after 30 seconds.
• Under When you receive a call, don't set your Intake Gateway number to also ring (simultaneous ring), and in the admin center leave Also allow off: your agent answers at once and would take every call.
• Busy-only forwarding isn't on the pages we read.

These steps come from Microsoft Teams Phone’s own help page and nothing else: check them on Microsoft Teams Phone’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

Microsoft Teams Phone on its own page

Forward in Ooma Office

Every call

1. In the End User Portal or the Ooma desktop app, open Settings > Call Handling.
2. Select Forward it immediately from the "when a call comes in" dropdown.
3. Select My Forwarding number from the Forward to dropdown; in the popup window, fill in your Intake Gateway number.
4. From the Show dropdown choose to show the original caller's number, not your Ooma Office phone number, so your agent and your call emails see the caller's number.
5. Leave Require key press on answer off: it prompts whoever answers a forwarded call to press 1, which your agent can't do.
6. Save your changes in the popup window, then Save your settings.
7. Or an administrator: sign in to office.ooma.com, open Settings, click the user's line, click the Call Forwarding tab, choose Enabled, fill in the requested information with your Intake Gateway number, and click Save.
8. On an Ooma phone: dial *72, wait for the prompt, then dial your Intake Gateway number followed by #.

Only after hours

Forwarding only after hours isn't on the pages we read: check your phone system's settings.

Before you rely on it

• Ooma's page: with call forwarding on for a user's extension, all incoming calls go to the forwarding number and none of the user's devices ring until it is turned off.
• To turn it off: in the administrator's Call Forwarding tab choose Disabled; on an Ooma phone dial *74, which turns forwarding on and off.
• The administrator's Enabled when devices offline (and the End User Portal's "When all devices are offline, send calls to Forwarding number") forwards only while the user's devices are offline: it isn't forwarding for calls nobody answers.
• These are one user's settings. If your main number rings a Virtual Receptionist, a Ring Group or a Call Queue, their calls aren't covered here. Ooma's page says a shared external line (Pro Plus plan only) is what lets them send calls to an external number; the note below covers it for one user.
• On the Pro Plus plan, Ooma's shared external line page says an administrator adds one Shared External Line per account (Settings > ADD > Shared External Line) with your Intake Gateway number; it then appears as an option in each extension's Call Handling settings, so a user can send the calls their phones don't answer to it (Ooma's example: an employee who forwards calls they can't answer to an answering service). Leave its Required key press on answer off. The exact Then send to label, and unanswered forwarding on other plans, aren't on the pages we read.

These steps come from Ooma Office’s own help page and nothing else: check them on Ooma Office’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

Ooma Office on its own page

Forward in Zoom Phone

Calls your phones don’t answer

1. First, Zoom's page: to forward calls to an external number, the user must have a Direct Inward Dial (DID) number assigned; a user with only an extension and no DID can't forward calls externally.
2. As the user: in the Zoom web portal's side menu click Zoom Phone, then the Settings tab; in the Business Hours or Closed Hours section, click Edit next to Call Handling.
3. Or as an account owner or admin: in the top-right corner click your profile picture or initials, then Admin Center; in the side menu click Product configuration, then Phone system, then Users & Rooms; click the phone user's name, open the User Settings tab, and in the Business Hours or Closed Hours section click Edit to the right of Call Handling.
4. Click Add Phone Number and enter your Intake Gateway number (Zoom's page: this forwards to an external phone number or external contact, such as a personal phone number not part of Zoom Phone).
5. For Call Handling Ring Mode select Sequential, not Simultaneously, and set Ringing Duration for Each Device. Zoom's page says you can move a toggle to rearrange the order of the apps and devices that ring: keep your Intake Gateway number after your own. Zoom's page doesn't say where an added number sits in that order; check it rings after your own devices.
6. If Require to press 1 before connecting the call is checked, clear it: your agent can't press 1 (Zoom's page: it is checked by default, can't be changed for call queues, and can be turned off for other calls).

Only after hours

Zoom keeps separate Business Hours and Closed Hours call handling: add your Intake Gateway number under Closed Hours only, and leave Business Hours as it is.

Before you rely on it

• Zoom's page asks for an account owner or admin to manage account or site settings, and a Zoom Workplace license with Phone included or a standalone Zoom Phone calling plan. It says admins can lock some settings with policy controls, shown by a lock icon.
• Zoom's page describes Add Phone Number as one more place the call goes, rung in the order you set; it doesn't call it forwarding for unanswered calls, so test it with a call you let ring.
• Under When a call is not answered, Zoom's page also lists Forward to External Contacts, which works if the account has a directory of external users; the page doesn't say how to add one, so it isn't covered here.
• Break hours and holiday hours have their own call handling on Zoom's page; these steps are for Business Hours and Closed Hours.
• These are one phone user's settings. Zoom's page says the press-1 option can't be changed for call queues, so a call queue's calls aren't covered here.
• Forwarding every call isn't on the page we read.

These steps come from Zoom Phone’s own help page and nothing else: check them on Zoom Phone’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

Zoom Phone on its own page

Forward in Grasshopper

Calls your phones don’t answer

1. Grasshopper's page gives this path for its legacy admin portal (its tab for the newer Admin Portal isn't covered here): select Extensions, then select Edit next to the extension you want to set.
2. Select Add a forwarding number and enter your Intake Gateway number. Grasshopper's page says to use an external number like your mobile for a forwarding number, and not to forward to your Grasshopper business number: that creates a loop.
3. Under "When do you want this number to receive calls", pick a schedule or Custom Schedule that covers every hour you want calls forwarded: outside it, your Intake Gateway number gets none.
4. Grasshopper's page says a call you don't pick up moves to the next number, or to Grasshopper voicemail, depending on the handling option: check that your Intake Gateway number comes after your own phone.

Only after hours

Grasshopper has you pick when each forwarding number receives calls (a schedule or a Custom Schedule): set the schedule for your Intake Gateway number to your after-hours only. Our read of the page didn't capture the schedule choices themselves, so check that one covers just those hours.

Before you rely on it

• Grasshopper's page has no setting named for unanswered calls: your Intake Gateway number works that way only when it comes after your own phone, and our read of the page didn't capture how the order is set, so test it with a call you let ring.
• Forwarding every call isn't on the page we read: a forwarding number there receives calls on the schedule you pick.
• Grasshopper's page says an extension can have up to 15 forwarding numbers (True Solo: 1). The number above is one of them: with only one forwarding number (True Solo), it can't come after your own phone and would take every call. Check your plan's limit before you add it.
• Grasshopper's page tips setting the ring time to 30-40 seconds when you use announcements.
• These steps are for one extension, as the page's title says; other settings, such as for your main number, aren't covered here.

These steps come from Grasshopper’s own help page and nothing else: check them on Grasshopper’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

Grasshopper on its own page

Forward in Nextiva

Calls your phones don’t answer

1. In the voice portal, select Users, then Actions for the user you want to set, then Voice Settings.
2. Select Forwarding, then Call forwarding (unanswered).
3. Enter your Intake Gateway number (Nextiva's page takes a phone number or an extension) and choose the number of rings from the dropdown: the rings your phones get before the call is forwarded.
4. Click Save.

Every call

1. As an admin in the voice portal, select Users, then the user's ellipsis, then Voice Settings.
2. In the left menu select Forwarding, then Call forwarding (always).
3. Enter your Intake Gateway number (a phone number or an extension), click Save, and toggle it On.
4. Or on the user's phone: dial *72, enter your Intake Gateway number, then press #.

These steps come from another of Nextiva’s help pages: check them on Nextiva’s site.

Only after hours

Forwarding only after hours isn't on the pages we read: check your phone system's settings.

Before you rely on it

• To turn Call forwarding (always) off, toggle it Off in the same setting, or dial *73 on the user's phone.
• Nextiva's page says Call forwarding (always) applies to direct calls only, not to call center or call group calls, and our read of its Call Forward No Answer page didn't capture either way. If your main number rings a call center or a call group, those calls aren't covered here.
• Nextiva lists related articles (Call Forward Busy, Not Reachable and Selective) that aren't covered here. Busy-only forwarding isn't on the pages we read.

These steps come from Nextiva’s own help page and nothing else: check them on Nextiva’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

Nextiva on its own page

Forward in 8x8

Calls your phones don’t answer

1. Log in to the 8x8 Admin Console and click Users.
2. Click Edit (the pencil icon) next to the extension you want to set, then select Call forwarding rules.
3. Next to When User does not Answer the Call, click Edit.
4. Enter your Intake Gateway number with the country code: 8x8's page says to include it when forwarding to an external number such as a mobile (for a US number, that is 1).
5. Enter how long the extension rings before the call is forwarded (8x8's page has you set this).

Every call

1. Log in to the 8x8 Admin Console and click Users.
2. Click Edit (the pencil icon) next to the extension you want to set, then select Call forwarding rules.
3. Next to Forward all Calls, click Edit.
4. Enter your Intake Gateway number with the country code, as 8x8's page says for an external number such as a mobile (for a US number, that is 1).

Only after hours

Forwarding only after hours isn't on the pages we read: check your phone system's settings.

Before you rely on it

• 8x8's page says every line must have at least one active forwarding rule: keep one active whenever you change these.
• 8x8's page lists two more rules, When Internet Connection is Down and When User is Busy; they aren't covered here.
• Our read of the page didn't capture the unit of the wait or how a rule is saved: follow 8x8's own screen.
• These steps are for one extension, the page's single-extension path; other ways to set rules aren't covered here.

These steps come from 8x8’s own help page and nothing else: check them on 8x8’s site. Menus change; where yours read differently, follow their page.

8x8 on its own page