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Forward calls to a mobile

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Send calls to a mobile, either for a whole number with Call diversion or alongside a person's other phones with an External number device.

Calls to your business number ring a mobile. Pick the option that fits:

You want to… Use
Send all calls to a number straight to one or more mobiles, with no office phones involved Option A: Call diversion
Ring a person’s mobile as well as their Webphone or desk phone, or when they don’t answer there Option B: an External number device on their User 
Option A:  Inbound number → Call diversion → No answer → Voicemail
Option B:  Inbound number → User (devices: desk phone + External number) → No answer → Voicemail

Before you start

Section titled “Before you start”
  • A phone number in an Inbound number object.
  • The mobile numbers you want to forward to.
  • For Option B, no extra device licence is needed: an External number device doesn’t use one. There is a limit on how many external numbers each user can have; the PBX warns you if you reach it.
  • Calls forwarded to a mobile are charged as outgoing calls. Which call plan applies depends on the object that forwards the call: from a User (Option B), the user’s call plan applies; from a Call diversion (Option A), the system-wide default pay-as-you-go call plan applies. Check the rates in Billing › Rates search.

Option A: forward a number with Call diversion

Section titled “Option A: forward a number with Call diversion”
  1. On the PBX tab, drag Call diversion from the Accept, make and divert calls group onto the canvas and click the gear icon.
  2. Enter a Name, such as “On-call mobile”.
  3. Click Add, enter the mobile number in Phone number and click Add. Add more numbers if several people should get the call. Your own inbound numbers can’t be used.
  4. If you added more than one number, choose the Ring mode: Ring all rings them all at once, Linear rings them one after another in the order listed.
  5. Set each number’s Ring time.
  6. Turn on Need to accept a call after the answer. The person who answers must press 1 before the call connects, so the mobile’s own voicemail can’t pick up your callers.
  7. Click Save.
  8. Connect the Inbound number to Call diversion.
  9. Connect the No answer path to a Voicemail, so callers can leave a message when nobody answers.

Option B: ring a person’s mobile with their other phones

Section titled “Option B: ring a person’s mobile with their other phones”
  1. Click the gear icon on the person’s User.
  2. Under Device configuration, click Add, choose External number, enter their mobile number in Phone number and click Add.
  3. Choose the Ring mode for incoming calls:
    • Ring all: every device, including the mobile, rings at once.
    • Linear: devices ring one after another in the order listed. Drag the mobile to the bottom to try it last.
    • Twinning: the first device rings first, then the others join it after the delay you set.
  4. Set each device’s Ring time.
  5. Turn on Need to accept a call after the answer on the external number, so the mobile’s own voicemail can’t pick up your callers.
  6. Click Save.
  7. Make sure the User is connected to the Inbound number or to the object that sends calls to them, and connect its No answer path to a Voicemail.

To stop calls reaching the mobile for a while, turn off Incoming calls for that device. The mobile is kept, ready to turn back on.

Apply configuration

Section titled “Apply configuration”

Click Apply configuration in the top-right corner. Nothing changes for real calls until you do.

Check it works

Section titled “Check it works”
  1. Call your business number from a different phone, not the mobile you forwarded to.
  2. The mobile should ring. Answer it. If you turned on the accept option, you’ll hear a prompt: press 1 to connect.
  3. Call again and let it ring out. You should reach voicemail, not the mobile’s own voicemail.

Variations

Section titled “Variations”
  • Forward only after hours: put Time conditions in front, and connect Doesn’t match to the Call diversion. See Business hours and after-hours calls.
  • Office first, then mobile: use Option B with Linear ring mode and the mobile last in the device list.
  • Pause forwarding: in Call diversion, turn off Diversion for a number to stop calls going to it without deleting it.
Section titled “Related”