What Is Conditional Call Forwarding?

Conditional call forwarding is a carrier feature that redirects calls only when specific conditions are met. Unlike standard forwarding that sends every call to another number, conditional forwarding activates based on your phone's status.

The three standard conditions are: busy (you're on another call), no answer (phone rings but you don't pick up), and unreachable (phone is off or out of coverage). Each condition forwards to a different number if you want, or all three can point to the same backup number.

For AI answering services, you typically activate "no answer" forwarding. Your phone rings for 15-20 seconds. If you don't answer, the call forwards to your AI service automatically. The caller never knows they're being redirected.

How Does This Differ From Regular Call Forwarding?

Regular unconditional forwarding diverts every call immediately. Your phone never rings. Conditional forwarding only activates when you can't answer. Your phone rings first, giving you the chance to take important calls while AI handles the rest.

This matters for 2026 business communication. Clients expect real humans when possible but hate voicemail. Conditional forwarding gives them both: you when you're available, intelligent screening when you're not.

The technical difference is in the GSM forwarding flags. Unconditional uses CFU (Call Forward Unconditional). Conditional uses CFB (Call Forward on Busy), CFNR (Call Forward on No Reply), or CFNRc (Call Forward on Not Reachable). Your carrier's network reads these flags and routes calls accordingly.

What Carrier Codes Work in Australia?

Australian carriers use standard GSM codes with minor variations. These codes work on Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, and most MVNOs that use their networks.

To activate "no answer" forwarding (most common for AI services):

• Dial **61*[forwarding number]**[seconds]# from your mobile

• Replace [forwarding number] with the AI service number (include area code)

• Replace [seconds] with ring time: 05, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30

• Press call. Your phone displays confirmation.

Example: **61*0383761234**20# forwards after 20 seconds of ringing to Melbourne number 03 8376 1234.

Other useful codes:

• Check current forwarding: *#61#

• Deactivate forwarding: ##61#

• Busy forwarding: **67*[number]# (forwards when you're on another call)

• Unreachable forwarding: **62*[number]# (forwards when phone is off)

These codes work regardless of your phone model or operating system. They're carrier-level settings stored in the network, not on your device.

What Happens When You're Available vs. Busy?

When you're available, your phone rings normally. You see the caller ID and answer like always. The forwarding doesn't activate. The AI service never sees the call.

When you're busy (in a meeting, on another call, or just don't pick up), the forwarding triggers after your specified ring time. The call transfers mid-ring to your AI service. The caller experiences a seamless transition, they often don't realise they've been forwarded.

The AI service answers with your custom greeting, asks qualifying questions, and handles the call based on how you've configured it. For Trillet users, this means the AI already knows your business details because it scraped your website, reviews, and social media during the 5-minute setup. Other services require manual configuration, which delays deployment.

After the call, you receive a summary via email or SMS showing what the caller wanted, whether they qualified as a good lead, and any follow-up actions needed. You're not getting voicemail transcripts, you're getting structured intake data.

Do You Need a New SIM or Phone Number?

No. You keep your existing number, SIM, and phone. Conditional forwarding is a network-level feature that your carrier already provides. You're just activating it.

This matters for established businesses. Your number is on your website, business cards, Google Business Profile, and advertising. Changing it means updating hundreds of touchpoints and confusing existing customers. Conditional forwarding preserves all of that.

The AI service provides you with a forwarding number (usually a standard Australian landline or mobile number). You dial the activation code once to point your carrier's forwarding to that number. That's the entire technical change on your end.

Your phone continues working exactly as before. You can still make outbound calls, send texts, and use data normally. The only difference is missed calls now route to AI instead of voicemail.

How Long Does Setup Take?

The carrier forwarding takes 30 seconds. Dial the code, press call, get confirmation. Done.

The time-consuming part is configuring the AI service itself: writing greeting scripts, defining qualifying questions, setting up integrations with your CRM or booking system. Traditional AI answering services charge $1,000+ setup fees because agencies spend days manually researching your business and programming responses.

Trillet's automated research framework cuts this to 5 minutes. The system scrapes your website, Google Business reviews, Facebook page, and any other public data to understand your services, pricing, and common customer questions. It generates the greeting and qualifying questions automatically. You review and adjust if needed, then activate.

For context, many businesses don't realise they're paying marketing agencies 5-10x markup for the same underlying AI technology. These agencies position themselves as custom solutions but typically white-label platforms like Trillet or competitors, then charge for manual setup that Trillet's research AI does automatically. You can go direct and get the same capability without the agency markup.

Advanced integrations (connecting to trades CRMs like ServiceM8 or Tradify, syncing with Xero, custom API connections) require the Pro plan and typically add another 15-30 minutes of OAuth authentication. But the basic AI answering service works immediately after the 5-minute automated setup.

What About Emergency Calls or VIP Clients?

Emergency calls (000 in Australia) bypass all call forwarding by law. If you dial 000, it connects directly to emergency services regardless of your forwarding settings. This is a safety requirement built into the GSM standard.

For VIP clients or family members, most businesses use two strategies. First, save VIP numbers in your contacts and set a distinctive ringtone. When you see that contact calling, you answer. The forwarding never activates because you picked up.

Second, give VIPs a direct line that doesn't have forwarding enabled. Many business owners keep a separate mobile for personal use or high-value clients. Alternatively, some AI services (including Trillet on the Pro plan) support allowlists where specific numbers always ring through to you without AI intervention.

The key insight for 2026 is that conditional forwarding gives you control. You decide the ring time (how long before AI takes over), you decide which calls to answer personally, and you can deactivate forwarding anytime with ##61# if you need to.

Does Conditional Forwarding Work With VoIP or Landlines?

The carrier codes above work exclusively on mobile networks. If your business uses a landline or VoIP service (like Telstra Business Voice, Optus Loop, or providers like Vonage or 8x8), the forwarding setup is different.

VoIP systems typically configure call forwarding through a web portal or app. Log into your provider's dashboard, find call routing settings, and enable forwarding on no answer. Set the forwarding destination to your AI service number and specify ring duration.

Landlines vary by provider. Telstra landlines use *21*[number]# for unconditional forwarding but don't support conditional forwarding via dial codes. You need to call Telstra support or use the My Telstra app to configure time-based or conditional routing. Optus and other carriers have similar web-based management.

The good news: most Australian businesses now use mobiles as their primary number, even for business calls. If you're forwarding a mobile, the GSM codes above work immediately with no provider support needed.

What Are the Costs Beyond the AI Service?

Conditional call forwarding itself is free on most Australian mobile plans. Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone include it as a standard feature. No monthly fees, no per-minute charges for the forwarding mechanism.

However, forwarded calls consume your plan minutes as outbound calls. When a call forwards from your number to the AI service, your carrier counts it as you making a call to that number. If you have unlimited calls (most business plans do), this costs nothing extra. If you're on a limited-minute plan, forwarded calls deplete your allowance.

Trillet charges $29 per month with 150 minutes included. This covers the AI service itself and incoming telephony costs. There are no hidden carrier fees or per-minute charges beyond that monthly rate. Many competitors charge separately for phone system costs on top of their monthly subscription, which adds another $50-100 per month.

For businesses running ads and getting high call volume, this pricing matters. An agency-managed AI service might quote $300 per month plus setup fees plus telephony costs, totalling $400-500 monthly. Trillet's flat $29 rate (with telephony included) means a plumber running Facebook ads can scale call handling without variable costs.

Can You Test Forwarding Before Going Live?

Yes, and you should. After entering the activation code, call your business number from another phone. Let it ring past your specified threshold (20 seconds if you used **20 in the code). The call should forward to your AI service, which answers with your configured greeting.

If forwarding doesn't activate, check three things. First, verify the code was entered correctly (check with *#61#). Second, ensure you waited long enough (count 20 full seconds if you set 20-second delay). Third, confirm your AI service number is correct and active.

Most issues stem from incorrect number formatting. Australian landlines need the area code (03 for Melbourne, 02 for Sydney, 07 for Brisbane, 08 for Perth/Adelaide). Mobile numbers need the leading 04. If you're forwarding to 0383761234, enter it exactly as 0383761234 in the dial code, not as +61383761234 or without the leading zero.

Test during a quiet period, not during peak business hours. You'll know within one test call whether it's working correctly.

What Happens If the AI Service Goes Down?

If the AI service phone number becomes unreachable (service outage, maintenance, billing issue), forwarded calls fail. The caller either hears a busy signal or "the number you have dialled is not available." Your phone doesn't ring because the carrier forwarded the call away.

This is why reputable AI services run redundant phone infrastructure and monitor uptime aggressively. Trillet uses carrier-grade telephony with automatic failover. If one path fails, calls reroute through backup numbers. The system monitors every forwarded number continuously and alerts if forwarding breaks.

As backup, you can deactivate forwarding immediately by dialling ##61# if you suspect issues. Your phone returns to normal behaviour (missed calls go to voicemail) until you reactivate forwarding. This takes 10 seconds, making it practical to disable during known maintenance windows.

For Australian businesses operating across time zones (Perth to Brisbane is 3 hours), this reliability matters more than feature count. A working AI answering service at 2am Perth time beats a feature-rich service that drops calls during Brisbane business hours.

Conditional call forwarding turns your existing phone number into a smart routing system. Your phone rings first, AI handles overflow. No new number needed, no SIM changes, just one dial code. The technology has existed in Australian mobile networks since the early 2000s, but AI answering services like Trillet now make it practical for small businesses without IT departments. See setup guides at trillet.ai with your business details pre-configured.