Which kind of forwarding to use
Always
Every call goes to FrontDesk Talk and your phone never rings. Use it when you want the AI to answer everything, or at night and on weekends.
No answer
Your phone rings first. If you don’t pick up, the call moves to FrontDesk Talk. This is the setup most owners start with.
Busy
If you’re already on a call or you decline one, the caller goes to FrontDesk Talk instead of voicemail.
Unreachable
If your phone is off, out of battery, or has no signal, calls still get answered.
Our advice for Aircall: In your number’s call flow, add Redirect to with External number after your Ring to step, and on your after hours branch. Your team rings first, and FrontDesk Talk takes the rest.
Step by step
Open the call flow
In the Aircall Dashboard, go to Numbers and pick your number. Open the Call Distribution tab, then click Edit.
Add Redirect to
Click the + after your Ring to step, or on the At any other time branch of your Time Rule, and choose Redirect to.
Enter your FrontDesk Talk number
Select External number and enter your FrontDesk Talk number.
Publish
Click Publish. Aircall says every call to that number then follows the new flow.
Good to know
- Redirect to ends the call flow, and Aircall says steps after it won’t run. Put it last.
- If nobody answers a Ring to step, Aircall moves the call to the next step. That’s where Redirect to catches missed calls.
- Aircall’s per-user Forward to external number setting asks whoever answers to press 1 within 10 seconds. Aircall says only its support team can turn that off, and it comes back if you toggle forwarding off and on.
- Aircall says inbound calls it sends to an outside number can show as outbound in analytics, because Aircall places that leg of the call. Ask Aircall how those calls are billed on your plan.
- Menus and settings can change. If a step doesn’t match, contact the provider.
Menus and settings can vary by plan. If one doesn’t work, call your carrier.
Test it
- Call your business number from a different phone, like your cell.
- You should hear your FrontDesk Talk greeting instead of a ring or voicemail.
- Hang up and watch for the Talk Note by text and email.
Turn it off
Open the call flow again, remove the Redirect to step, and click Publish.
Before you cancel FrontDesk Talk, turn off forwarding so calls go back to your phone.
Questions
Can I use Forward to external number instead?
We don’t recommend it. Aircall says it plays a press 1 prompt that only Aircall Support can turn off, rings your Aircall app at the same time, and only works while you’re set to available.
Will my callers know the call was forwarded?
No. They dial your usual number and hear your receptionist. Nothing sounds different on their end.
Would porting my number be better?
Forwarding is quickest. Porting moves your number to us so you can drop the old line. Read the porting guide.
Sources, checked October 2026: Aircall: Call flow widgets: Ring to and Redirect to; Aircall: Call flow widgets: Time Rule; Aircall: Call flow routing overview; Aircall: Using the Forward to external number feature; Aircall: Inbound calls marked as outbound when transferred to an external number.
Other phone companies
Stop paying for voicemail.
Setup takes a few minutes. Cancel anytime.