Start with the provider.
Tell me who supplies the number and whether it is a mobile, landline or hosted phone service. We check the forwarding options, any charges and who can change the settings. You do not need to move a number before we have agreed the arrangement.
Choose when calls should divert.
Unanswered calls, busy calls and calls outside your hours can be different rules. We agree which ones apply, how long your phone should ring first where supported, and what should happen when you want to answer yourself. Availability depends on the service you already use.
Check what the caller hears.
The greeting should identify your business and explain the receptionist’s role clearly. We test the actual forwarded route, including what happens if someone hangs up, calls again or asks to speak to you. A demo number alone cannot check your own forwarding.
Avoid a forwarding loop.
If a call may transfer back to you, we need an appropriate destination and a fallback when it is unanswered. Sending it straight back to the diverted number could create a loop. We check the proposed path before enabling that route.
Know how to switch it back.
Keep the provider account under the agreed ownership and record how to change the routing. Before launch, agree what happens during a service issue, a holiday or cancellation. Phone-provider charges and any number arrangements are set out with the service scope.