How to transfer incoming calls to your company’s landline to your mobile [perfect for promoting telework]

Notes

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VoiceWarp® is a trademark of the automatic call forwarding service for NTT East/NTT West’s landline and Hikari Denwa.

In order to promote telework in earnest, the question of “what to do about the company’s fixed-line phone support” cannot be avoided.

Even today, when mobile phones have become popular, there is still a tendency in Japan to believe that fixed-line phones are more reliable.

Especially in business, there is a possibility that a company without a fixed phone number will be questioned as “Does it really exist?”

In this article, we will explain how to transfer to a mobile phone as a phone countermeasure in a telework environment.

There are several ways to successfully telework while maintaining a landline, so please refer to them when considering a service.

Issues with telephone support in the telework era


The extension system using business phones used by many companies is extremely convenient for making calls and relaying calls between employees who are working in the office.

However, since the system was based on the premise that employees would be able to answer the phone at their own desks, working styles away from the office were not envisioned.

For this reason, if you promote telework while using a landline phone, various inconveniences will arise.

Need to come to the office to answer the phone

Incoming calls to the company’s phone number can only be answered by a landline, so even if everyone wants to telework, someone has to come to the office to answer the phone.

In the past, everyone in the office answered the phone, but now that only a few people in the office have to answer the phone, the day I come to work as a phone number, I’m busy answering the phone and doing other work. You may not be able to

It takes a long time to reply and send messages

If the person to whom you are calling is in the office, you can use the forwarding function of your business phone to immediately transfer the call to them.

However, if there are many cases where employees are not in the office because they are working from home or out of the office, it will be troublesome to return the phone and leave a message.

The other party called because he/she wants to talk now, but I can’t get the person in charge to take over immediately.

Business slows down because you have to wait for a call back. In addition, if the timing of the turnaround is not correct, there may be times when you will cross paths many times.

Fixed-line support is possible even if you are not in the office


In order to promote telework, it is first necessary to think about how to support landline phones at home or on the go.

See also  [How to transfer to another extension] Put the call on hold and then transfer the call

Therefore, I would like to consider “forwarding to a mobile phone” .

There are several ways to forward incoming calls to landlines to other numbers or phones, but there are some that allow you to specify a mobile phone number or smartphone app as the forwarding destination.

In modern times, it has become commonplace for each person to own a mobile phone, and more and more companies are providing smartphones.

It can be said that a service that forwards calls from a landline to a mobile phone is the most suitable for answering calls at home or on the go.

How to extend your mobile phone with Cloud PBX


As a way to deal with landlines outside the company, the use of “smartphone extension” by cloud PBX is increasing.

The switchboard of the conventional extension system was installed on the premises of the office, but the cloud PBX is the switchboard built on the cloud.

Cloud PBX communicates via the Internet, so the phone must be able to connect to the Internet.

There are dedicated devices called “SIP phones” that look like landline phones, but smartphones (iPhone/Android) are most commonly used as cloud PBX phones .

If you install and set up a cloud PBX compatible smartphone app, you will be able to use your smartphone as an extension phone.

merit


Let’s take a look at the benefits of deploying a cloud PBX.

Your device replaces your phone

You can make calls by installing an app on your smartphone, computer, or other Internet-connected device, so you can make effective use of the devices you already have without purchasing a dedicated device.

Can be used in the same way as a company extension

With Cloud PBX, you can use external/extension calls and transfer functions like a conventional private branch exchange.

A call received on an outside line can be forwarded to another employee’s extension, so even if the person in charge is teleworking, it is possible to forward the call as it is.

Inter-site calls can also be made via extension

Since a private branch exchange was installed in each office, calls to other offices, even within the same company, had to be made through outside lines.

With Cloud PBX, calls between bases are treated as extensions, so migrating from private branch exchanges to Cloud PBX will help reduce call charges.

You can make calls from your landline number

When you make a call from the app, the phone number displayed to the other party will be your extension number for internal calls, and your company’s landline number for external calls.

If you don’t want your mobile phone number to be known when you call back, Cloud PBX allows you to make calls using your company’s number for peace of mind.

Demerit


At first glance, using a cloud PBX seems to solve most of the problems of telework phone calls, but there are also disadvantages, so let’s check in advance.

Time consuming and costly to build

Since Cloud PBX does not have an actual machine, the burden of maintenance and replacement is greatly reduced, but since the entire telephone system is replaced, system construction at the time of introduction takes time and cost.

Therefore, it is not suitable for sudden needs such as “I want to do full telework from next month” or temporary use such as “I want to use it only during disasters or during measures against infectious diseases”.

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Manual operation is required to transfer to the person in charge

When answering the main phone number of a company or department, asking for the name of the person in charge and making an intermediation, manual operation is required in the same way as when responding to a landline phone.

Although it will be possible to answer the phone regardless of the place of work, it does not reduce the work load of the answerer.

How to forward calls to a mobile phone using a call forwarding service


Another way to forward calls from a landline phone to a mobile phone is to use a call forwarding service provided by a telecommunications carrier.

Call forwarding services offered by major carriers include:

  • NTT East/West “Voice Warp”
  • Softbank “Multi-Function Forwarding Service”
  • KDDI Hikari Direct (au) “Call Forwarding Service”

This service allows you to automatically forward incoming calls to a specific phone number to another phone number.

You can also specify a mobile phone number as the forwarding destination, so if you have a mobile phone with a voice call contract, you can transfer landline calls to your mobile phone and take calls during telework .

merit


Here are the benefits of using a carrier’s call forwarding service.

Only apply to use

Call forwarding service is characterized by being able to use it just by applying to the carrier.

It may take a few days to start using the service due to processing by the carrier, but no troublesome advance preparation is required.

After starting the service, the user performs initial settings such as registering a forwarding number.

Since it can be set by push operation from the phone, anyone can easily set it by following the voice guidance.

Select conditions for automatic forwarding

The call forwarding service is automatic forwarding, but the forwarding conditions can be selected by the user.

You can also change your chosen forwarding conditions at any time.

You can change the transfer method according to the situation, such as when everyone is teleworking and the office is completely absent, or when there are people in the office due to hybrid work.

  • Unconditional forwarding (forward all incoming calls)
  • Call Forward No Answer
  • Specify the number of calls before forwarding
  • Busy forwarding (Forward when the forwarding source is busy)

Can be set externally by remote control or Internet operation

For carrier call forwarding services, initial setup may have to be done from a landline.

However, it is possible to start/stop forwarding, change the forwarding destination, etc. by remote control (operating by dialing a dedicated number from an external phone) and operation from the Internet screen, so you do not have to go to the office during telework. You can even change the settings remotely.

Demerit


Let’s also check the disadvantages of call forwarding services.

Can only forward to one number

With the call forwarding service, you can register 4 to 5 phone numbers as a forwarding list.

Note, however, that not all of these numbers can be forwarded to at the same time.

Only one call from the list can be forwarded to, so the person with that number must answer all calls while the call is being forwarded.

See also  The fee for using the paid forwarding service is high! Reasons why calls are charged for incoming calls

Inevitably, there will be a lot of return correspondence.

Outgoing call will be mobile phone number

Call forwarding services allow you to receive calls to the forwarding number, but you cannot make outgoing calls on the forwarding number.

When you make a call, it will be your mobile phone number, so you need to be careful about notifying the number to the other party and paying for the call, especially when using a private device.

Troublesome operations are unnecessary with the automatic transfer service “Canario”

NEC Networks & System Integration’s “Canario” is a recommended service for answering phone calls during telework.

With “Canario”, AI will answer the company’s phone calls, so there is no need for employees to respond first.

In addition, since the call is forwarded by listening to the name of the person in charge, it is possible to relay the call without any manual operation.

You can receive calls to yourself on your mobile phone even when you are teleworking or out of the office, so you can do business quickly.

You can reduce the time and effort required for referrals, and dramatically improve the productivity of the entire company.

Article Summary

Here’s how to forward your company’s landline to your cell phone.

Cloud PBX allows you to use the office phone system as it is on your mobile phone, but the hurdles for introduction are somewhat higher.

Call forwarding services from carriers are easy to implement, but they can only choose one forwarding destination, which puts a burden on the person handling the call.

The AI-supported call forwarding service “Canario” eliminates these disadvantages.

Easy to set up when installing. Even after the introduction, you can leave everything to AI.

By introducing “Canario,” all employees will be able to concentrate on their original mission without being distracted by fixed phone calls.