> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.voxworks.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Forward Your Existing Number > The canonical carrier dial-code guide for pointing your existing business number at Voxworks — Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone mobiles, landlines, and PBX/VoIP systems, with activation, ring-time, and deactivation codes. ## Overview Your business number is already on your website, your van, and your Google listing — you don't need to change it to use Voxworks. Instead, set up call forwarding with your carrier so calls to your existing number divert to the Voxworks number assigned to your AI receptionist (or to any inbound script). Your customers keep dialling the number they already know; Voxworks answers. Forwarding is configured with your carrier — usually by dialling a short code from the phone being forwarded — not inside the Voxworks app. This page is the complete reference for those codes on Australian services. The same instructions are also generated for you in the app: on the receptionist editor's **Settings** tab, in the **Your phone number** card, click **Click here** for instructions on forwarding an existing number, which opens a **Forward your number to \[your receptionist's name]** dialog. Pick your **Carrier** (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, or Other / not sure), **Phone setup** (Mobile, Landline, or PBX / VoIP system), and **When to forward** — the dialog opens with Telstra, Mobile, and Only when unanswered pre-selected — then copy each dial code with your assigned Voxworks number already substituted in. If no number is assigned to the receptionist yet, the dialog reminds you to pick one in the **Your phone number** section so the instructions can include it automatically. See [Receptionist Number & Call Forwarding](/receptionist/phone-number) for a tour of that dialog. Porting your existing number into Voxworks is coming soon; until then, forwarding achieves the same outcome — your receptionist answers every call made to your existing number. In the dial codes below, replace `` with the Voxworks number assigned to your receptionist or script. *** ## Choose a forwarding mode There are two ways to forward, matching the **When to forward** options in the app: | Mode | What happens | Best for | | ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Forward all calls** | Every call goes straight to your receptionist. | You want Voxworks to handle everything — you never want the phone to ring in your pocket. | | **Only when unanswered** | You get first crack at the call; the receptionist picks up what you miss (replaces voicemail). | You answer when you can, and Voxworks catches the calls you'd otherwise lose. | In **Only when unanswered** mode on a mobile, calls divert after roughly 15 seconds of ringing by default. You can also optionally divert calls when your phone is busy or out of coverage, so no scenario falls through to carrier voicemail. Two notes apply to almost every setup: * **Charges** — the forwarded leg of each call may be billed to your account depending on your plan. Check with your carrier. * **Prepaid plans** — many prepaid plans don't support conditional (no-answer) forwarding, including Vodafone prepaid, amaysim, Kogan, and felix. If a code is rejected, check with your carrier. *** ## Mobile phones The GSM diversion codes below are standard across Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone mobiles, so they also work on most other Australian mobile carriers. Open your phone's dialler, enter the code, and press call. ### Forward all calls | Action | Dial code | | ---------------------------- | ------------------------ | | Turn on — every call diverts | `*21*#` | | Check whether it's active | `*#21#` | | Turn off | `#21#` | You should see a confirmation on screen that call forwarding is active. This code works the same on Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, and most other carriers. ### Only when unanswered | Action | Dial code | | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------ | | Turn on — divert calls you don't answer (\~15 seconds) | `*61*#` | | Optional — also divert when your phone is busy | `*67*#` | | Optional — also divert when out of coverage | `*62*#` | | Turn off the no-answer diversion | `#61#` | Dialling all three "turn on" codes gives you complete coverage: missed, busy, and unreachable calls all go to your receptionist instead of voicemail. ### Choosing how long your phone rings first * **Telstra** — rings for 15 seconds by default before diverting. To choose a different ring time (5–30 seconds, in steps of 5), dial `**61***20#`, replacing `20` with the number of seconds you want. * **Optus** — same syntax: `**61***20#` sets the ring time (5–30 seconds). * **Vodafone** — the ring time before diverting is fixed at 15 seconds and can't be changed with a dial code. Contact Vodafone if you need a different delay. ### Cancelling every diversion at once To remove all diversions on a mobile service in one go — forward-all, no-answer, busy, and unreachable — dial: `##002#` This is useful if you've experimented with several codes and want a clean slate. *** ## Landlines Landline codes are similar to the mobile ones but omit the second `*`. Pick up the handset, wait for dial tone, and dial the code. Listen for the confirmation tone, then hang up. | Action | Dial code | | -------------------------------- | ----------------------- | | Forward all calls | `*21#` | | Forward only when unanswered | `*61#` | | Turn off forward-all | `#21#` | | Turn off the no-answer diversion | `#61#` | Landline diversion codes can vary between providers. If a code is rejected: * Check your provider's feature-code list, or * Ask them to enable **Call Forward Immediate** (for forward-all) or **Call Forward No Answer** (for unanswered) on your service. *** ## PBX / VoIP systems Office phone systems (3CX, Cisco, Yealink, hosted VoIP, and similar) don't use dial codes — forwarding is set in the system's admin portal. Exact menus differ between systems, but your system administrator or provider can apply this in minutes. ### Forward all calls 1. Log in to your phone system's admin portal (or ask whoever manages it). 2. Find the call routing / call forwarding settings for your main number and set "Forward all calls" (sometimes called Call Forward Always or Immediate) to your Voxworks number. 3. Save and place a test call to your main number to confirm your receptionist answers. ### Only when unanswered (overflow) 1. Log in to your phone system's admin portal (or ask whoever manages it). 2. Set the "Forward on no answer" / overflow destination of your main number, ring group, or hunt group to your Voxworks number. 3. Choose how long calls ring internally before overflowing (15–20 seconds works well), then save. 4. Place a test call and let it ring out to confirm your receptionist picks up. If your system sends missed calls to voicemail, disable voicemail on the main number (or set its timeout longer than the overflow) so the receptionist answers first. *** ## Turning forwarding off When you no longer want calls diverting to Voxworks: * **Mobile** — dial `#21#` to remove forward-all, `#61#` to remove the no-answer diversion, or `##002#` to cancel every diversion on the service at once. * **Landline** — pick up the handset and dial `#21#` or `#61#`. * **PBX / VoIP** — remove or disable the forwarding destination in your system's admin portal. Turning forwarding off doesn't change anything in Voxworks: your receptionist keeps its assigned number and continues to answer calls made directly to it. *** ## Testing and troubleshooting After setting up forwarding, call your existing business number from another phone: * In **Forward all calls** mode, your receptionist should answer immediately with her greeting. * In **Only when unanswered** mode, let it ring out — the call should divert after the ring time and your receptionist should pick up. * The call then appears in your **Call Log** and on the receptionist's **Calls** tab like any other inbound call. If something isn't working: | Symptom | Likely cause | Fix | | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | The dial code is rejected or errors | Prepaid plan without conditional forwarding, or a landline provider using different feature codes | Check with your carrier; on landlines, ask for Call Forward Immediate / Call Forward No Answer to be enabled | | Voicemail answers before the receptionist | Voicemail timeout is shorter than the forwarding ring time | Shorten the ring time (Telstra/Optus: `**61***20#` with a smaller value), or ask your carrier to extend/disable voicemail; on PBX systems, disable voicemail on the main number | | Nothing answers the forwarded call | The Voxworks number in the code was mistyped, or no script is assigned to it | Re-dial the activation code using the copy-ready version from the in-app dialog, and confirm the number has a receptionist or script assigned in **Numbers & Routing** | | Not sure whether forwarding is on | — | On a mobile, dial `*#21#` to check the forward-all status | *** ## Next Steps * [Receptionist Number & Call Forwarding](/receptionist/phone-number) — assign a Voxworks number to your receptionist and use the in-app instruction generator. * [Phone Numbers](/numbers/overview) — claim a Voxworks number, name it, and assign the script that answers it. * [Service Addresses & Regulatory Verification](/numbers/service-addresses) — the service address every assigned number needs. * [AI Receptionist Overview & Quickstart](/receptionist/overview) — set up a receptionist from zero to Ready.