Forward missed calls on a landline
The phone company switches it on for a landline. One call to them does it, and your phone still rings first.
Is it really a landline? A desk phone that plugs into a cable or internet box is a cable phone instead: see Spectrum or Xfinity.
Turn it on
Call the phone company on your bill and ask them to forward the calls you don’t answer to your answering number. They may call it “call forward no answer” or “call forward don’t answer”.
Ask them to let your phone ring about 4 times first, and to leave “forward all calls” off, so you still pick up first.
Some phone companies give you a code to dial for it instead. Use the one they give you for this line: the codes for cell phones don’t work on a landline.
What to say
“Hi, I’d like call forward no answer on this line, to my answering service’s number. Please let it ring about 4 times first, and leave forward all calls off. Is there a monthly charge, and how do I turn it off later?”
Test it
Call your business number from a different phone
Not the answering number. That only tests the answering service.
Let it ring. Don’t press decline.
Declining can count as busy, which is a different setting.
Check who answered
Your answering service should pick up. If your voicemail answers, forwarding isn’t on yet.
Turn it off
Call the phone company again and ask them to turn call forward no answer off.
Want Wakeman to answer the calls you miss?
Hear it answer as your business first, with no account needed. Once you sign up, your Forwarding page shows the steps for your phone with your Wakeman number already in them.
Already using Wakeman? Open your forwarding page. Plans and what each one answers are on the pricing page. More free tools.