How to set up call forwarding to an AI receptionist (UK)

Goal: keep your public number

Most UK businesses should not ask customers to dial a new number. Provision an AI inbound number in SecraAI, then forward your existing landline, VoIP, or mobile business line to that number using your provider’s forwarding rules.

Callers still dial the number on your van, Google Business Profile, and website. The AI answers when your rules say it should.

Step 1 — Prepare SecraAI

Create your account, choose a plan, and provision a UK number. Upload core knowledge: hours, services, location, FAQs, and escalation rules. Configure greeting language and recording/transcription disclosure before you send real traffic.

Step 2 — Choose a forwarding mode

Pick the lowest-risk mode that matches your operations:

• No-answer / busy forward — AI covers overflow during the day
• Time-based forward — evenings, weekends, bank holidays only
• Immediate forward — all inbound calls to AI (less common at first)
• Selective — main line stays human; marketing numbers go to AI

Step 3 — Configure your phone provider

Exact clicks differ by carrier and PBX (BT, Vodafone, Virgin, 3CX, RingCentral, Microsoft Teams Calling, and others). Look for “call forwarding”, “unreachable”, “no answer”, or “schedules / business hours” settings. Enter the SecraAI number as the destination.

If you use a hosted PBX, prefer conditional forward with a short ring time (for example 15–20 seconds) so staff can still pick up when free.

Step 4 — Test before you announce anything

Place test calls from a personal mobile: during open hours, after hours, and while the desk line is deliberately left unanswered. Confirm the greeting, disclosure, FAQ answers, and that transcripts appear in the dashboard.

Fix knowledge gaps before enabling marketing number forwards.

Step 5 — Go live and review weekly

Enable the forward rule, tell staff how overnight and overflow queues will appear, and review transcripts weekly for the first month. Adjust business hours, escalation text, and FAQ wording based on real calls.

If something breaks — wrong hours, loops, or missing disclosure — pause the forward, fix the config, and re-test. Forwarding is reversible; your public number stays put.