Forwarding Your Studio Phone to the AI Receptionist

Your clients keep calling the number they already know. You forward that number's calls to your AI receptionist's phone number, and the receptionist picks up: it answers questions about your services, prices and hours, and tells callers which times are open. Setting it up takes one code dialled from your phone and one test call.

Before You Start

You need two things:

Your AI receptionist's phone number. We give it to you when phone answering is set up for your studio. Write it down as 10 digits, with no +1, spaces or dashes, for example 8335550123.
The phone your clients call. That's the phone you dial the code from.

Then pick how much to forward:

Option	What happens	Best for
Only when I don't answer	Your phone rings as usual. If you don't pick up, the receptionist answers instead of voicemail.	A personal cell, so calls from friends and family still reach you first
Every call	Every call goes straight to the receptionist. Your phone doesn't ring.	A dedicated studio line

Forwarding can't tell clients from anyone else. With Every call, your personal calls go to the receptionist too.

Step 1: Turn Off Call Screening (Cell Phones Only)

If you chose Only when I don't answer, switch off your phone's own call screening. Otherwise it answers missed calls before they can be forwarded.

iPhone: Settings → Apps → Phone. Turn off Live Voicemail, and set Screen Unknown Callers to Never.
Google Pixel: Phone app → Settings → Call Screen. Set unknown callers to Ring phone.
Samsung: Phone app → Settings. Turn off Bixby text call.

Step 2: Dial the Code

On the phone your clients call, dial the code for your carrier like a normal call, with your AI number in place of NUMBER. Wait for the confirmation tone or message, then hang up.

Carrier	Every call	Only when I don't answer
Verizon, and most landlines (Spectrum, Xfinity and others)	`*72NUMBER`	`*71NUMBER`
AT&T, T-Mobile and most other cell carriers	`*211NUMBER#`	`*611NUMBER#`

Example: on Verizon with the AI number 8335550123, dial *728335550123.

Using a business phone system such as RingCentral, Grasshopper, Vonage, Ooma or Nextiva? There's no code. Open your provider's admin settings, find call forwarding or call handling, and forward to your AI number there.

Code not working? Your carrier's app (My Verizon, myAT&T, T-Life) has the same setting under call forwarding, or the carrier's support line can switch it on for you.

Step 3: Make a Test Call

Don't skip this step. It's the only way to know forwarding is on.

Call your studio number from a different phone, such as a friend's or a second line. Calling a phone from itself doesn't forward.
With Every call, the receptionist answers within a ring or two. With Only when I don't answer, let it ring. After about 20–30 seconds the receptionist picks up.
Listen for your studio's name in the greeting.

If you hear your normal voicemail instead, see Troubleshooting below.

What Changes

Missed calls go to the receptionist, not voicemail. Voicemail stops while forwarding is on.
Texts aren't forwarded. Texts to your number still arrive on your phone as before. No carrier forwards texts.
The receptionist doesn't book appointments over the phone yet. It answers questions and gives callers open times, so they can book online or with you.

Turning Forwarding Off

Dial the off code from the same phone:

Carrier	Turn off
Verizon and most landlines	`*73`
AT&T, T-Mobile and most other cell carriers	`##21#` for every call, `##61#` for "only when I don't answer"

Leaving BukaTime or ending phone answering? Turn forwarding off first. Otherwise your clients' calls go to a number that no longer answers.

Google Voice

Google Voice has no forwarding codes. Instead:

In Google Voice, go to Settings → Calls and add your AI number as a linked number.
Turn off Screen calls, or every caller hears "press 1 to accept".
Turn off Show my Google Voice number as caller ID when forwarding, so the receptionist can see who is calling.

Google Voice rings all linked numbers at once, so the receptionist answers about 15–20 seconds in. Pick up in the Voice app before then and the call is yours.

Troubleshooting

What you hear	What to try
Your usual voicemail	The code didn't take: dial it again and wait for the confirmation. On a cell, check Step 1.
"Number not in service" or silence	Re-dial the code using the 10-digit number only, without `+1` or dashes.
Your phone rings and rings, then voicemail	Your plan may not support "only when I don't answer". Use Every call, or set it in your carrier's app.
A greeting with a different studio's name	Contact us. Your number is linked to the wrong studio.