Australian business phone guide
How to forward business calls to an AI receptionist in Australia
You can keep the number customers already call and divert selected incoming calls to an activated receptionist number. The useful setup depends on whether you want every call answered, only missed calls covered, or a fallback while you are busy or unreachable.
Before changing your business number
- Check that your EarnRelay receptionist number is assigned, carrier approved and shown as active in your workspace. Approval can take time; checkout or a browser demo does not make the phone line live.
- Call that number directly from another phone. Verify that it answers and saves the test enquiry.
- Ask your current phone provider whether your plan supports the forwarding condition you want, whether forwarded calls cost extra, and how its voicemail or missed-call service interacts with diversion.
Do not forward real customers until the destination works. Test calls to EarnRelay use your plan’s call allowance.
1. Choose when calls should divert
These are common carrier options. Their availability and the exact controls vary by service, plan and handset. If you only need missed-call cover, start by checking “no answer” and “busy” before selecting “all calls.”
- All calls
- Every incoming call goes straight to the destination number. Use this only if you want the business mobile to stop ringing for customer calls.
- No answer
- Your mobile rings first; an unanswered call then goes to the destination. Set and test the delay so callers do not reach voicemail first.
- Busy
- A second caller goes to the destination while you are already on a call. Test this with two other phones.
- Unreachable
- Calls can divert when the mobile is switched off or has no network service. Check your provider's exact behaviour.
If your advertised number is an office line, hosted phone system or another provider’s service, use that service’s own forwarding controls. The mobile instructions below may not apply.
2. Use your provider’s current instructions
Enter your activated receptionist number as the destination. Check every digit, including the area code if it is a fixed-line number. Follow your provider’s instructions for activating and checking the particular rule; dial codes are not interchangeable across every service.
Telstra mobile
Telstra lists all calls, no answer, busy and unreachable, with steps to activate, check and remove a diversion. It also explains how MessageBank and Message2Txt can affect missed-call routing.
Read Telstra’s call forwarding guideOptus mobile
In My Optus, open your mobile service, then Settings → Voicemail and call diversions. Choose when to divert, select “Another number” and enter the destination. Optus also documents manual controls and diversion costs.
Vodafone mobile
Vodafone’s handset guides show where call forwarding lives in the phone menu and which diversion types the device offers. Choose your own handset and ask Vodafone about your service if the menu or destination option differs. The linked Samsung guide shows the menu path, but its example forwards to voicemail rather than an external receptionist number.
See a Vodafone device guide example3. Make these test calls before going live
Use another phone for the caller and check the actual call record, not just whether you heard a ring. Write down the forwarding condition, target number and how to turn it off.
- 1
Call the destination directly
From a different phone, call your active receptionist number. Confirm the greeting plays and the test enquiry appears in your EarnRelay workspace.
- 2
Call your published business number
With forwarding enabled, call the number customers already use. Confirm the same greeting and enquiry record appear.
- 3
Trigger every rule you selected
For no answer, let the mobile ring out. For busy, place another call first. For unreachable, use a controlled test with the mobile off. Check where each call lands.
- 4
Check the exceptions
Try an outside-area enquiry and an urgent after-hours enquiry. Confirm your approved transfer, alert, booking and fallback rules; do not assume an unattended transfer succeeded.
- 5
Reverse the change
Turn off the forwarding rule using your carrier's instructions, then call the business number again. Keep the steps documented for staff and outages.
If a test reaches voicemail, a disconnected tone or the wrong number, turn the diversion off and check the destination, voicemail settings and your provider’s help before trying again. Repeat the checks after changing a handset, plan or business phone system.
Try the EarnRelay call flow first
Use the browser voice demo to hear a fictional enquiry and decide what your greeting, service area, booking and urgent-call rules should be. The browser demo does not place a real phone call or make a real booking. After signup, phone answering still requires identity checks, carrier approval and an active number before you can test a real call.