How do I forward calls to an answering service only when I don't pick up?
- The short answer
- No-answer forwarding sends a call on only after your own phone has rung without being picked up. You switch it on at your carrier or phone system and point it at your answering number. GreetKeeper answers the forwarded call the moment it arrives, so you keep the calls you catch and GreetKeeper takes the rest.
The longer answer
Carriers call this conditional forwarding, and no-answer is one of three conditions. Busy forwards when you're already on a call. Unreachable forwards when your phone is off or has no signal. If you want to keep answering your own phone, turn on all three, because each one covers a different kind of missed call.
You set the ring delay where you set the forwarding, not in the answering service. On Verizon mobiles it's fixed at about 30 seconds. AT&T and T-Mobile let you choose between 5 and 30. A VoIP phone system puts the same choice in its admin dashboard.
Pick the delay by asking how long you can reach your phone. Fifteen seconds suits a desk. A roofer with gloves on may want the full 30. Too long, though, and some callers hang up before the forward ever happens.
Check the forward before a customer finds the gap
Ring your business number from another phone and let it ring out. You should hear GreetKeeper's greeting, not your old voicemail. If voicemail answers first, the voicemail timer is shorter than the forwarding delay, so shorten the delay or switch voicemail off for that line.
Then test busy. Stay on one call and ring the line from a second phone. The second caller should reach GreetKeeper instead of a busy tone.
Finally, switch your phone to airplane mode and call again. That proves unreachable forwarding works, which is the one people forget until a dead battery costs them a job.
Write down the settings you used. A new phone or a new carrier means new forwarding settings, and a two-minute retest after any change saves a week of silent missed calls.
How GreetKeeper handles it
GreetKeeper gives you a dedicated local number with the area code you choose at signup, and that's the number you forward to. Your customers keep dialling the number they already know.
A call forwarded on no-answer, busy or unreachable is answered the same way as any other. You get a transcript and a short summary, and GreetKeeper transfers to your team when a caller asks for a person.
Calls you answer yourself never reach GreetKeeper, so they never touch your plan. Robocalls and very short calls don't count either. Starter covers 200 answered calls for $49 a month, and the 14-day free trial needs no card.
No-answer forwarding questions
How many rings before a call forwards?
Your carrier sets the delay, and you change it there. Verizon mobiles forward after about 30 seconds. AT&T and T-Mobile let you choose anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds, and a VoIP system sets it in its dashboard.
Can I forward only when I don't answer on a landline?
Yes, if your line offers conditional forwarding. Look for 'forward on no answer' in your provider's settings or dashboard, or ask their support line to switch it on. GreetKeeper answers the call the same way whichever carrier sends it.
Does no-answer forwarding replace my voicemail?
Yes, for calls that ring out. The forward happens where voicemail would have picked up, so the caller reaches a greeting and a conversation instead of a beep. You still get a written record of every call in the transcript.
Hear it take one of your calls
Two minutes, your own scenario, no card.