What You Need Before Starting

Call forwarding works with most Australian mobile and landline services, but there are specific requirements and restrictions you need to know about.

• A post-paid mobile or business phone plan. Most prepaid plans don't support call forwarding. If you're on prepaid with Optus or Telstra, ring your carrier to confirm your plan allows conditional call forwarding. Vodafone prepaid, Kogan, Amaysim, and Felix don't support it.

• The phone number you want to forward calls to. This could be another mobile, a landline, a virtual receptionist service, or an AI answering service.

• 2 minutes to dial the forwarding code and test it. No special equipment or technical skills required.

The most common use cases are forwarding to answering services, business partners who cover your calls, or second phones. Some Australian businesses forward to AI answering services like Trillet ($29/month) to handle qualification and appointment booking automatically.

Understanding Call Forwarding Types

Australian carriers support three types of call forwarding. Most businesses want conditional forwarding, which only redirects calls you can't answer.

Unconditional forwarding

Every call goes directly to the forwarding number. Your phone never rings. This is useful when you're traveling overseas or temporarily replacing your number. Code: *21[forwarding number]#

Conditional forwarding (busy/unanswered)

Your phone rings first. If you're on another call, don't answer, or your phone is off, the call forwards automatically. This is what most businesses need. It's intelligent backup, not replacement. Code: *61[forwarding number]# (with carrier-specific variations below)

Conditional forwarding (unreachable only)

Forwards only when your phone is off or out of coverage. Less common for business use. Code: *62[forwarding number]#

Setting Up Conditional Call Forwarding by Carrier

Each Australian carrier uses slightly different codes. The process is the same: dial a code, your carrier confirms activation, done. Takes under 2 minutes.

Telstra (Mobile and Business)

• Activate: *61[forwarding number]*10#

• Check status: #61#

• Deactivate: ##61#

• Default ring time: 15 seconds

The *10 at the end sets the ring delay to 10 seconds. Without it, Telstra uses 15 seconds. If you want longer (to give yourself more time to answer), call 132 200 and request a custom ring time up to 30 seconds.

Optus (Mobile and Business)

• Activate: *61[forwarding number]**10#

• Check status: *#61#

• Deactivate: ##61#

• Default ring time: 10 seconds

Optus uses two asterisks (**10) instead of one. The ring time parameter works the same way. For custom delays, contact 133 937.

Vodafone (Mobile)

• Activate: *61[forwarding number]#

• Check status: #61#

• Deactivate: #61#

• Default ring time: 15 seconds

Vodafone doesn't support ring time adjustment via dial codes. The default is 15 seconds and can't be changed without calling customer service.

Important notes on phone number formatting

• Include area code for landlines: *6102 9876 5432# (for Sydney number)

• Include mobile prefix: *610412345678# (for 0412 345 678)

• No spaces or formatting: Just the digits

When you dial the activation code, your phone will show a confirmation message indicating forwarding is active. If you don't see this, you mistyped the code or your plan doesn't support call forwarding.

Testing Your Call Forwarding Setup

Always test before relying on call forwarding for real business calls. Use a different phone (a friend's mobile, another business line, or your home phone) to verify it works.

Test scenarios to verify:

• Your phone rings first (conditional forwarding shouldn't bypass you)

• Unanswered calls forward after the ring time you set

• Calls forward when you decline them manually

• Busy signal triggers forwarding if you're on another call

The forwarding number should receive the call within seconds of your phone stopping ringing. If there's a long delay or the call drops, the forwarding number might be unreachable or experiencing technical issues.

Some businesses test by deliberately missing a few calls during quiet periods. Real-world testing catches issues that a single controlled test might miss, like network delays or specific caller ID problems.

Common Use Cases for Call Forwarding

Australian businesses use call forwarding for different reasons. The setup is identical regardless of what you're forwarding to.

Forwarding to answering services

Human answering services like Ruby ($325-$950/month) or Smith.ai ($595-$1,695/month) answer calls when you're busy. AI answering services like Trillet ($29/month) do the same but also qualify leads and book appointments automatically. Both work with conditional forwarding, your phone still rings first.

Forwarding between business partners

Sole traders often forward to a business partner who covers calls during court appearances, site visits, or focused work. Therapists forward to practice managers. Tradespeople forward to apprentices or office staff.

Forwarding to second phones

Some business owners maintain separate work and personal mobiles. Conditional forwarding lets your business line roll to your personal phone when you're away from the office, without giving clients your personal number.

Forwarding for after-hours coverage

Unconditional forwarding (not conditional) works for planned absences. Set *21[number]# before leaving on holiday, and every call goes directly to your coverage. Deactivate with ##21# when you return. Telstra and Optus charge per-minute fees for forwarded calls on some plans, check your inclusions before activating.

Troubleshooting Call Forwarding Issues

Call forwarding didn't activate

Dial the status check code for your carrier (#61# for Telstra/Vodafone, *#61# for Optus). Your phone will display the current forwarding number if active. If you see nothing or your voicemail number, forwarding isn't working. Common causes: mistyped activation code, prepaid plan restriction, or insufficient account credit.

Prepaid plans blocking forwarding

Vodafone prepaid, Kogan, Amaysim, and Felix don't support call forwarding at all. Optus and Telstra prepaid plans are inconsistent, some work and some don't. Ring your carrier directly to confirm. If your plan doesn't support it, you'll need to upgrade to post-paid or switch carriers entirely.

Forwarded calls going to voicemail

If calls forward but immediately hit voicemail on the forwarding number, that number is either turned off, out of coverage, or has its own forwarding active (creating a loop). For answering services, verify the number is correct and the service is active. For second phones, check coverage and ensure that phone isn't forwarding elsewhere.

Forwarding costs adding up

Most Australian business plans include call forwarding in their monthly call allowance. Some charge per-minute for forwarded calls. Check your bill for unexpected charges. Telstra business plans typically include forwarding, consumer plans vary. Optus and Vodafone handle it differently depending on your specific plan.

International forwarding blocked

You can't forward to international numbers by default on most Australian carriers. If you need this (offshore answering services or international business partners), contact your carrier to enable it. Expect significant per-minute charges for international forwards.

Why Conditional Forwarding Matters for AI Answering Services

Most AI answering services want to replace you completely. They use unconditional forwarding so every call goes straight to their system. Your phone never rings. This works for some businesses, but it eliminates the option to answer personally when you want to.

Trillet uses conditional forwarding deliberately. Your phone rings first. You answer when you can, Trillet handles it when you can't. This positioning reflects a specific philosophy about AI in business.

AI can't replace humans when it comes to relationships. A therapist who answers their own phone builds trust differently than one who never does. A lawyer who takes calls during breaks strengthens client relationships. A tradie who picks up between jobs demonstrates availability. These interactions matter.

But having AI answer instead of voicemail or nothing is a clear improvement in customer service. Callers get immediate responses, questions get answered, appointments get booked. The business captures leads that would otherwise disappear. Trillet handles the calls you genuinely can't take, not the ones you could have answered.

This is why Trillet positions itself as a copilot, not a replacement. The conditional forwarding setup reinforces this. You stay in control. The AI fills gaps, it doesn't push you out of your own business.

Most answering services charge $300-$900 monthly because they use humans who expect to handle every call. AI services that try to replace you completely cost $200-$500. Trillet costs $29 per month with 150 minutes included and no hidden telephony fees because it's designed to be backup, not primary reception.

If you want to test this approach, set up conditional forwarding with the codes above and try Trillet for a week. Your phone will still ring. You'll still answer most calls. The AI just catches what you miss. That's the difference between a copilot and a replacement.