• Answering Services

Call Forwarding 101: Your Complete Guide

A woman assisting with call forwarding services

What is call forwarding?

Call forwarding is a service that allows you to forward incoming calls to any phone number you choose. It’s a great option if you want to forward your calls when you’re traveling for business or if you want to forward your calls to an answering service when you’re not available.

A live receptionist service can provide call forwarding for its users. The user configures the call forwarding preferences, and these instructions are transmitted from the live receptionist service to the caller’s phone service. You can also opt for a VoIP phone service which would give you the ability to get a business phone number without purchasing a landline.

According to statistics from Deloitte, phone calls are one of the top two priority methods of communication for customers with a company. 

In this article, we will see what call forwarding is and how to set up or deactivate call forwarding for use in your business.

Why Call Forwarding is Needed

There are many reasons why call forwarding can be used. When you’re in a situation where you need to be reachable but can’t take the call, you can use call forwarding to take the call and make sure that it’s taken care of.

Suppose you habitually miss calls because you’re in another room or outside. In that case, this can be especially useful because it will bring those calls to your attention while also giving you a chance to reply without interruption.

Call Forwarding Manual for Different Providers

Though call forwarding is a common calling feature, each provider has their own instructions. Hence, it’s important that you know how to set it up from your phone app for whichever provider you use. Follow the links provided below to learn them in detail:

Benefits of Call Forwarding to a Live Receptionist

Receptionists are trained to answer questions, field concerns, and provide guidance to customers. Answering the desk phone is just one of the many responsibilities receptionists have to help a company operate smoothly. The same could be said for call forwarding. Here are more key benefits:

Improved Customer Experience

One of the biggest benefits of call forwarding to a live receptionist is how much it improves customer experience. This is not new, as businesses have been doing this for a long time. When you pick up the phone system and hear a real voice on the other end, you instinctively feel like someone is truly there to help you with your business needs.

 

While many people appreciate the convenience of voicemail, those who want immediate assistance know that picking up their mobile devices, be it an iPhone or Android phone and hearing a warm voice on the other end can make all the difference in getting an immediate answer or resolution to their problems. This can vastly increase customer satisfaction, which leads to repeat sales and referrals.

Increases Availability for Your Team

Call forwarding is one way to give your team greater visibility and accessibility. Often, when you forward calls to a live receptionist instead of letting them go directly to voicemail, team members can be reached more easily and with less effort. This can help reduce no-shows and no answers at scheduled appointments because clients can get quicker responses from their service providers.

 

Forwarding calls to a live receptionist is also an effective way to cut down on costs for your company. If you have multiple locations, having a dedicated phone line for each location can end up being quite expensive, especially if you need those lines for other purposes as well.

Less Pressure on Your Employees

We all know how important it is to give your employees time off. Still, when you rely on call forwarding to a live receptionist to manage your business, you don’t have to worry about them running out of vacation days. Call forwarding with live receptionists means you can take care of your customers while still giving your employees the time they need.

You even have the call forwarding option to turn on custom calls for more personalized addressing, or setting up a do not disturb if you don’t want to be bothered and left to work alone. If you choose to use call forwarding with live receptionists, then you can rest easy knowing that your business will still be running smoothly.

Expand Your Business Hours

One thing that can set a business apart from its competition is the number of hours it’s open. That’s why an increasingly popular option for businesses that want to offer customers more access to their services is call forwarding, which allows people to reach your business still even when you’re closed.

 

With call forwarding, calls from unknown telephone numbers or those not in your contacts list will be forwarded to a live person, who will answer and direct them accordingly. This can help your business seem more reliable and professional, as well as provide a helpful service to customers who want to reach you around the clock or across different time zones. 

No More Missed Calls

Suppose your company’s mobile phone lines are so busy that callers can’t get through. In that case, you’re missing out on potential customers who could be making purchases, signing up for your services, or even leaving positive reviews online—they can even be international numbers or long distance calls. 

 

With call routing to a live receptionist, it’s much easier to ensure that every caller gets the attention they deserve (and hopefully turn them into paying customers) by having an actual person answer the cell phone instead of an automated system.

 

It also allows callers to connect instantly, avoiding the disadvantages of missed calls left unattended. Plus, with bilingual virtual receptionists, customers may feel more comfortable as they feel they’re talking to someone local rather than calling a toll-free number and dealing with someone in another state or country.

Let Gabbyville Take Care of Your Calls While You’re Away

Like many small business owners, you probably have a lot going on in your life. You have to manage employees, handle the day-to-day operations of your business, and coordinate the logistics of running an office. If that isn’t enough, you may also be balancing a side project or two, so you’ve got even less time to focus on running your business than you did before.

 

If you’re heading out of the country or just going away on vacation and need to have your business calls forwarded to a virtual receptionist while you’re away, Gabbyville can help. Once configured, callers will be greeted by a live receptionist who can answer all their questions and connect them to the right person. It’s a great way to ensure that your clients continue to get the same high-quality service when you’re not there without adding extra staff or having anyone come in early or stay late just for your schedule.

 

Get started with Gabbyville now to take your business to the next level!

  • blog
  • Receptionist Tips

Call Forwarding to a Live Receptionist: Benefits for Businesses

How does call forwarding work?

Did you know that 90% of American consumers use customer service as a factor when choosing a business to engage with? Can you imagine how annoying it can be for them when a company doesn’t answer the phone and the dial tone ends? 

Call forwarding is a popular feature of a phone system, both traditional and VoIP, that allows a business to route one incoming phone call to another phone number while keeping the original caller on the phone line. This option can be especially beneficial if your company is closed and you want to forward calls to a live receptionist who can check messages, explain store hours or offer other important information. 

Some businesses use selective call forwarding as part of their voicemail system, while others set it up automatically through their landline service provider. The benefit is that you only have to make a single call or use one setting on your home phone in order for callers to reach someone other than yourself when you aren’t available.

In this article, we will look into the various benefits you can reap from using Gabbyville’s virtual receptionists and call forwarding features.

Benefits of Call Forwarding to a Live Receptionist

If you’ve enabled call forwarding, your business phone system will then place an outgoing call to a different number that was chosen at the beginning. The next step is to forward your calls to a live receptionist at your business who will answer them and forward them to a department if necessary. 

This allows your clients to easily get in touch with you, even if you are not in the office at the moment. It is also good for those who prefer having conversations with an actual person instead of interacting with an automated phone system since they feel they are getting more direct attention. 

Here are the main benefits of call forwarding that you may be missing out on today: 

1. No More Unanswered Calls

This is a service that allows businesses to increase their online sales, while reducing costs. One of Gabbyville’s top features is our live receptionist service which allows businesses to have someone answer their calls 24 hours a day, every day.

This is a great way for small business to improve their customer service, while also saving on costs. We can also provide businesses with a virtual receptionist that will help answer calls and emails, as well as assist in filing paperwork. Details such as who is calling, their area code, country code or blocked calls or if it’s a local number will also be recorded automatically.

Read more on how you can enable this feature from landlines here.

2. Improved Customer Experience

Studies have shown that 86% of customers are willing to pay for a better customer experience. Live receptionist services are built to drive up customer satisfaction and retention, while increasing sales. 

When you integrate our live reception system with your online booking tool you can answer calls with a click of a button and make scheduling appointments seamless, instead of no answer on the other end of the line. 

A live receptionist’s mission is to make every customer feel like they have their own personal concierge without the need for any employees. At Gabbyville, we can deliver that to you. 

3. Scheduling Appointments is a Breeze

Gabbyville offers businesses an affordable and easy way to run a professional, live receptionist service. Our scheduling app is simple to use, intuitive, and can be customized to fit your business. 

Our live call center agents will greet customers, answer questions about various services you offer, take down the scheduled appointments that are made and make sure the customer is notified about their scheduled appointment.

4. No Lost Details

Our live receptionist service features give businesses an easy solution to keeping customer calls and emails on track. Our features allow you to assign tasks like voicemails, emails and even customer orders directly to the right employee or customer success specialist. 

With Gabbyville, your business will never lose any details – no matter how many there are! Our services are flexible and scalable to meet the needs of any business. We can provide you with a full-time team of operators, or we can work with your existing employees to ensure a seamless transition.

5. Reduced Cost

Reduced cost is a significant benefit for businesses, and Gabbyville’s live receptionist service features allow you to avoid many of the typical costs associated with phone calls. In addition to the time saved in customer service and on-site needs, we can help reduce your training costs. 

Our certified receptionists are trained in all aspects of customer service, providing an added level of expertise and training not typically found with virtual receptionist services.

6. Highest Level of Professionalism

Gabbyville’s live receptionist services provide businesses with a very important asset for customer service: a warm, professional greeting. Businesses can also take advantage of our services to screen incoming calls and take an appointment or message without having to put customers on hold. 

This provides a high level of professionalism and efficiency to customer service, which is what businesses are striving for in their customer interactions, and is something that can be difficult to achieve without outside help. 

People at Gabbyville are trained professionally and work for various sectors like for medical professionals and virtual veterinary receptionists.

7. Top Phone Call Quality

One of the most important features of a business is the quality of the phone call itself, be it through mobile phone or landlines. Making a positive first impression with a live receptionist can help drive customer loyalty, but not all businesses have the resources to hire someone for this position. 

A useful alternative is using a phone app call recording service like Gabbyville, which will take care of the customer’s needs while also keeping track of their calls. The benefits don’t stop there; live receptionists can be trained to offer other services such as answering questions and referring customers to products that they may want. 

Having a dedicated team member at your beck and call can enable you to better serve your customers and improve your overall business.

Never Miss an Important Call Again with Gabbyville

Callers are sure to be impressed by the unobtrusive, efficient reception of your business, whether it’s a small start-up or a large corporation. 

Gabbyville is a virtual receptionist service that connects phones to people—whether they’re in the office or on the road. By combining human intelligence with intelligent technology, we allow organizations to focus on what they do best while our virtual receptionists take care of everything else. 

We’ll walk you through the process to turn on call forwarding options for iPhone, Android phones and other cell phones, whether you want to do it for all calls, for certain calls on a conditional call forwarding basis, or only calls for Google Voice.

Gabbyville virtual receptionists are hand-selected on the basis of their personality, professionalism and ability to listen and converse like a real person. Our team is trained and coached throughout their tenure at Gabbyville to ensure that they provide an extraordinary customer experience every single time. Try Gabbyville now!