Technology seldom remains the same – the new phone you bought today is old tomorrow. It can be very difficult keeping up with the latest technology, however to effectively operate and grow a business it is important that the technological aspect of your business is not being overlooked. One of the many reasons for the advancement of technology is to make work easier and let’s be honest we are all guilty of finding a short-cut to get a task done. In addition to making work ‘easier’ discovering and implementing the right technology will decrease spending cost.
When forwarding your lines to the answering service you should know that you have many options. While the procedure for each service provider varies the results are the same, you will decrease the time spent on the phone transferring your line (s) to the answering service and you can effectively utilize your allowance where it is needed.
Besides the traditional *72 method of call forwarding these methods are also available:
- Call Forward Busy
- Call Forward No Answer
- Remote Call Forwarding
Call forward busy as suggested by its name, will forward an incoming call to another number if the line is busy. This technique is useful for businessmen who use their mobile device and do not have the ability to effectively handle multiple lines. Most service providers usually pair Call Forward Busy and Call Forward No Answer together. Call Forward No Answer will transfer incoming calls to another number if it is not answered by a predefined number of rings. Both of these techniques will allow your business to have a ‘back-up plan’ at all times. Remote Call Forwarding however is typically used once you are out of the office, for example if your receptionist leaves the office and forgets to forward the lines you may use this technique to transfer your line to the answering service.
To learn more about the different call forwarding techniques or for specific instructions and benefits you may visit our Call Forwarding page. There are a few myths circulating about non-traditional methods of call forwarding but here are the simple facts behind them.
Myth
The best way to forward your phone to the answering service is using *72.
Busted
This is not the best way to forward your lines to the answering service, in fact this is perhaps the most costly and time consuming. The *72 is the traditional method used by answering services many years ago. When you use this method not only do you have to wait for an operator to answer but the time spent doing this is deducted from your monthly allowance.
Myth
The only way to know your line is forwarded is to speak to an operator.
Busted
This statement is only true if you use the traditional *72 method. Using any of the other call forwarding techniques will not require you to speak with an operator and therefore you will be able to better utilize your minutes.
Myth
Non-traditional methods of call forwarding are costly
Busted
Think of it this way, each time you forward your lines using the *72 method it takes on average three minutes. So that’s three minutes just to forward your lines, of course this needs to be done daily so at the end of the week you would have wasted at least fifteen minutes of your monthly allowance. Most telephone service providers offer the various call forwarding techniques at no additional cost.
Myth
Having your lines forwarded to the answering service by default will result in more usage and a higher bill.
Busted
Having your telephone forwarded to the answering service by default (that is at all times) does not equate higher usage. What this simply means is whenever you are unable to answer a call, it will be transferred to the answering service, however if you answer it, it will never reach the answering service. Think of it this way, what will be more expensive? Continuing to miss calls from prospects and clients or having your answering service on auto pilot – to answer those calls you can’t.
It maybe time to walk away from the antiquated method of using your answering service, technology is changing for the better to help your business grow. For specific instructions on how to forward your telephone to the answering service select your carrier from the list below.
