How to forward your business number to an AI phone agent
Keep the number your customers already know and let an AI agent answer it. How call forwarding works on landlines, mobiles and VoIP lines, which forwarding mode to start with, and how to check it's working.
Apollo team4 min read
Your phone number is on your website, your listings, your receipts and the side of your van. Changing it to try an AI receptionist is out of the question, and it doesn't have to happen. With call forwarding, customers keep dialing the number they know, and the call is passed to your AI agent's number behind the scenes.
This guide explains how forwarding works, how to set it up on the kind of line you have, and how to roll it out without missing a call.
How forwarding works
Your AI agent gets its own phone number. Forwarding tells your current carrier: when a call comes in on my number, send it to that one. The caller sees nothing different. Your number stays yours, with your current carrier, and you can switch forwarding off as quickly as you turned it on.
In Apollo, you get the agent's number on any paid plan by searching for an area code in the dashboard. Then you forward your existing line to it.
Pick a forwarding mode
Most carriers offer three kinds of forwarding. Which one you start with matters more than anything else in this guide:
- When busy. Calls go to the agent only when your line is already in use. Good for the lunch rush.
- When nobody answers. Calls ring at your business first, and go to the agent if no one picks up. This catches everything that would have gone to voicemail.
- Every call. The agent answers everything. Best once you trust it, or after hours.
Starting with busy or no-answer is the safer first step: your team still picks up when they can, and the agent catches what would have gone to voicemail. Move to every call when you've read a week of transcripts and like what you see.
Set it up on your kind of line
How you turn forwarding on depends on the kind of line your number is, not on Apollo. In the dashboard's Phone numbers section, enter the number customers call today and choose Check my carrier; Apollo looks up the line type and shows the one method that fits. Here's what each looks like.
Landlines: star codes
On most North American landlines, you turn forwarding on by dialing a star code from the business phone, followed by your agent's number. These are the standard codes:
| Forward | Turn on | Turn off |
|---|---|---|
| Every call | *72 | *73 |
| Only when the line is busy | *90 | *91 |
| Only when nobody answers | *92 | *93 |
Codes can differ between carriers, so if one doesn't work, your carrier's support page or a quick call to them will have the right one.
Mobile lines: phone settings
If your business number is a mobile phone, you can usually set forwarding in the phone's own settings (look for Call forwarding under the phone or calling settings), or dial your carrier's forwarding code.
VoIP and cloud phone systems: the provider's console
Star codes don't work on VoIP lines. If your business phone runs on a cloud phone system, forwarding lives in your provider's web console or admin app, usually under call handling, routing or forwarding rules. When Apollo recognizes the provider, the dashboard links you straight to their console.
Using your own number for outbound calls
Forwarding handles incoming calls. If you also want your agent to place calls from your business number, for example in an outbound campaign, verify the number first: Apollo calls it once and you enter the code shown in the dashboard to prove it's yours. Outbound campaigns are on the Enterprise plan.
Check that it's working
- Turn on forwarding with the mode you chose.
- From a different phone, call your business number. For no-answer forwarding, let it ring out.
- You should hear your agent's greeting. Ask it something real.
- Open the call log in the dashboard. The call should be there with its recording and transcript, and the number shows recent activity.
If the call doesn't reach the agent, check the code you dialed, whether forwarding is on at the carrier, and that you entered the agent's full number. On VoIP lines, check that the rule applies to the right extension or ring group.
Things to know before you switch
- Your carrier may charge for forwarded calls. Some plans include forwarding and some bill the forwarded leg. Check with your carrier.
- Your agent's minutes count as usual. A forwarded call is a real call to the agent's number, so its talk time counts toward your plan. See what an AI phone agent costs.
- Transfers still reach a person. Add a transfer number so the agent can pass a live call to your team. Don't use the number you're forwarding from with every-call forwarding on, or the transfer will loop straight back to the agent.
- Undo is instant. Dial the turn-off code or switch the rule off, and calls ring at your business again.
A rollout plan that works
- Build and test the agent in your browser first. Here's how.
- Get a number and forward on no-answer for a week.
- Read the call log: what callers asked, what the agent captured, where it handed off.
- Fix anything by chatting with Apollo; every save is live on the next call.
- Add after-hours or every-call forwarding when you're ready.
That's it: same number, same customers, and no more calls lost to voicemail. Start building free, or read the FAQ for more on numbers and calls.