How To Divert Calls On An iPhone

As a small business owner or sole trader, you might find you have a bit of a love/hate relationship with your phone. New leads, interesting partnerships, and building relationships with your customers can all happen effectively over the phone. So, when an incoming call appears, you might find yourself very happy to answer. 

But for many people trying to run a successful business, having the time or capacity to handle calls is not always so smooth sailing…

If you find you’re seeing voice messages, unanswered calls, or getting cold calls that waste your time, you might be less inclined to delight in an incoming call. This is where a call forwarding or call diversion option can be incredibly helpful.

What is call diverting?

Call diverting is a feature that allows you to redirect a call to a different number. The device connected to the number you have diverted to will then ring, and the call will be transferred. The person calling you will be none the wiser that their call has been redirected, and your number will still appear on their phone.

Now, how might call diversion be useful to you? Well, as a business owner, you’re always spinning lots of plates… You might be stuck in meetings, on a job, working with your team, in an area with poor network connectivity or creating a healthy work/life balance. That’s why, when you can’t reach the phone, having an expert on hand to answer your redirected calls – preventing calls from being missed entirely or your phone ringing out – makes all the difference to your overall customer service strategy.

Almost all modern phones and phone carriers (also known as phone networks) will have a call diversion or call forwarding screen. Using these settings will allow you to direct incoming calls to another phone number.

How to divert calls on an iPhone – Call forwarding instructions for an alternate phone

Using Apple’s built-in call forwarding function makes it incredibly easy to divert calls on an iPhone. Easily set up your device in just a few simple steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. About halfway down the menu, click “Phone” to open call settings.
3. Click “Call Forwarding” to toggle call forwarding on.
4. Call Forwarding is turned on when the button is moved to the right.
5. Then, click “Forward To”.
6. Finally type in the phone number of where you want calls to be diverted to. The setup team at alldayPA will give you a ten-digit phone number to put in here, which will divert your calls straight to our expert team of PAs and call handlers.
7. Once you’ve put your number in, just tap the back button and your changes will save automatically!

Set up call forwarding and call waiting on iPhone with alldayPA

At alldayPA, our qualified customer service team provide you with everything you need to get started with our comprehensive call answering service. This includes helping you divert calls to our team on an Android phone, landline phone or iPhone. 

Our Virtual Office phone and desktop app is also available. The Virtual Office app allows users to quickly switch call forwarding to alldayPA on and off again. What’s fantastic about this service is it’s designed to work around you, and you will only ever have to pay for the calls you need diverting – nothing more.

Once set up, any of your calls will be directed straight through to the alldayPA team, unless your phone is out of service. Because you have no phone service, the calls won’t reach you in this instance, meaning they can’t be forwarded through to us.

How to turn off call forwarding on your iPhone

If you want to turn off call forwarding on your iPhone, it’s very simple to do so.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Click “Phone”.
3. Click “Call Forwarding”.
4. Click or swipe the button to the left to switch off call forwarding.
5. Press the back button and your changes will be saved!

Conditional vs. unconditional call forwarding

On an iPhone, there are options for both conditional and unconditional call diverting. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Conditional call forwarding

Conditional call forwarding is an option that forwards your incoming calls to another number when you don’t pick up the phone. This option is also sometimes referred to as call forwarding conditional (CFC) or selective call forwarding. When activated, the phone will ring, and you can choose to decline, send the call to voicemail or forward the call to another number. If the call rings out, it will be forwarded to another number automatically.

Unconditional call forwarding

Unconditional call forwarding immediately forwards all calls to another phone number without allowing the device to ring. This option is also called call forwarding unconditional (or CFU). When activated, callers will not have to wait for you to decide what to do with the call! They also won’t be kept waiting while your phone rings out before being redirected. This makes forwarding calls quicker and more seamless, both for you and for the caller, but it does mean you don’t have the option to instantly screen your calls or pick up when it might be important.

How can alldayPA help you to divert calls efficiently

At alldayPA, we have invested heavily in our call answering technology, so there are many different options available to suit you and your business’s needs.

When you first sign up with alldayPA, our team will talk you through the setup process in its entirety. You won’t have to worry about being left in the dark, and if you run into any issues, we’ll be able to support you!

Our call handling service allows you to divert your phone calls to a professional team of PAs. This means that whenever you need to take time for yourself, you can rest assured your callers will never be hearing a dial tone!

At alldayPA, our team endeavours to pick up every call within three rings, so even when you’re away from the phone, there is a friendly voice on the other end to take messages, book appointments or solve issues on you and your team’s behalf. 

Our team can also offer advice on the right options and packages for you. This helps improve your customer experience without creating more work for you as a business owner or leader. With decades of experience on our side, we know what is important to small business owners and sole traders, and are specialists in call diverting and call handling. 

To find out more about call diverting and call handling, or to learn about any of our other services we offer small business owners, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our business development team.