How to keep your business number when an AI receptionist answers: call forwarding set-up

Four ways to keep your number

What the carriers document

We list only what each carrier's own page showed on the day we opened it, October 15, 2026. Codes can vary by plan and device, and carriers change them, so confirm on your carrier's site. Replace the number with the full 10-digit number the AI receptionist gave you.

Verizon's page also says forwarding is set from your mobile phone, cannot go to an international number, and is billed like a call you answer yourself. AT&T's page also describes a Call Forwarding setting in the phone's own settings.

T-Mobile's page also lists a code to change how long a call rings before it forwards, from 5 to 30 seconds. Our copy of the T-Mobile page came from a web archive because the live page refused our request.

Business phone systems and Google Voice

Office systems usually offer more control than a mobile carrier: schedules, and sometimes separate busy and no-answer rules. Each of these comes from the vendor's own page.

Google Voice forwards calls to linked numbers, and a separate custom rule can forward calls from chosen contacts. Its help page states that forwarding to an automated system is not supported. We could not tell from the page whether an AI receptionist's number counts as one, so test it first.

• RingCentral (RingEX): in Call rules choose Forward all calls, then Forward the call, then Number. Add a schedule to make it apply only at set times, which is how its page describes after-hours forwarding.
• Nextiva: in the Voice Portal open Features, then Forwarding, and choose Always, No Answer, Busy or Selective. Its article uses three rings as the example for No Answer.
• Ooma Office: its business guide lists unconditional, busy or no answer, selective, after-hours and device-outage forwarding. It gives star codes only for all-call forwarding (*72 on, *73 off, *74 toggle) and a per-user Call Handling page that lets you choose the original or the company number as caller ID.
• Google Voice: link the number you want in settings; a linked-number limit and a rule for forwarding by contact apply. Rules can only be created on a computer.

Set it up: seven steps

1. 1

   Decide the route

   Pick all calls, unanswered or busy only, or after hours. If you are unsure, start with unanswered and move to all calls later.

2. 2

   Get the agent's number

   You forward to the number your AI receptionist gives you. Write it down in full, with area code.

3. 3

   Open your provider's page

   Use your carrier or phone-system page, not a third-party code list. Codes differ by carrier and plan.

4. 4

   Set the forwarding

   Use the setting or code from your provider's page. Wait for the confirmation tone or message.

5. 5

   Set the ring delay

   If you forward unanswered calls, make the delay long enough to answer yourself but short enough that the caller does not hang up. T-Mobile's page lists 5 to 30 seconds; other providers vary.

6. 6

   Test from another phone

   Call your business number. Check the AI picks up, what number it shows, and that the call lands in your records.

7. 7

   Write down how to turn it off

   Keep the cancel code or menu path somewhere your team can find it.

Gotchas to check before you rely on it

• Voicemail can answer first. If your carrier voicemail picks up before the forwarding delay ends, the AI never gets the call. Test with your phone switched on and left to ring.
• Caller ID. Check what the AI and your team see: the caller's number, or your forwarded line. Ooma's page shows one system that lets you choose.
• Fees. Verizon's page says forwarded calls are billed like calls you answer on your mobile phone. Other carriers and VoIP plans may differ; the Google Voice help page we opened did not mention carrier charges.
• Coverage. Verizon's page says forwarding cannot be set up outside its mobile coverage area. Set it while you have a signal, then test on your own device.
• Recording consent. If calls are recorded, the AI should say so and state law applies; see our recording consent guide. Every Lead Friendly call opens with an AI disclosure.

Porting the number instead

Porting moves the number to the new provider so it rings there directly. The FCC's guide says you can generally keep your number if you stay in the same area. It advises you to review your current contract for early termination fees and balances, not to terminate service before starting the new service, and to contact the new company with your 10-digit number. Companies may charge a porting fee, and your old company cannot refuse to port your number because you owe it money.

FCC rules require simple ports to be processed in one business day, though some, such as wireline to wireless, can take a few days. Ask the new provider about 911 callback during the move, and whether a rural wireline provider has a waiver. Forwarding is the lower-risk first step.