How to keep your existing number when you set up Ringar AI

Setting up Ringar AI does not mean giving up the number your customers already call. Most businesses forward their existing number to the new one, so every call still reaches Ringar AI while the number on your van, your website and your Google listing stays exactly the same.

How this actually works

During setup you are given a new Ringar AI number. Forwarding means switching on a setting with your existing phone provider so that any call to your current number is automatically redirected to that new one. A caller dials the number they already have saved, it rings, and Ringar AI answers, exactly as if they had dialled the new number directly. Nothing about the call looks different to them.

Your existing number stays registered with your existing provider throughout. Forwarding does not move it or cancel it.

Forwarding a mobile number

Most UK mobile networks support call forwarding through a standard dialling code, which works the same way on EE, O2, Vodafone, Three and networks that run on them.

1. Find your new Ringar AI number. It is shown in your dashboard once your account is set up.
2. On the mobile you want to forward, open the phone app.
3. Dial **21*, then your new number written in international format (+44 in place of the leading 0), then #, and press call. For example, **21*+441234567890#.
4. You should see a message confirming call forwarding is on.
5. Call your existing mobile from a different phone and check it now rings through to Ringar AI.

To check whether forwarding is currently on, dial *#21#. To turn it off, dial ##21#. To cancel every divert set up on that line at once, dial ##002#.

A few things worth knowing before you start:

• Not every plan allows diverting to another number. Some pay-as-you-go plans only allow diverting to voicemail, not to a different number, so check with your provider if you are not sure.
• Diverting calls can use minutes from your plan, or be charged at your provider's standard rate, in a similar way to making a call yourself. This varies by provider and tariff, so check with yours if cost matters to you.
• If the dialling code does not work on your phone, the same setting is usually in your phone's own settings under call forwarding, or in your network's app.

Forwarding a landline or business number

Landline and business phone systems vary far more between providers than mobiles do, so there is no single code that works everywhere. Most UK providers, including the major landline operators and hosted business phone systems, offer call forwarding as a standard feature. The quickest way to set it up is usually one of:

• your provider's own account portal or app, where call forwarding or "divert" is normally under call settings
• calling your provider's support line directly and asking them to forward your number to your new Ringar AI number

Either way, you are giving your existing provider one piece of information: the new number to send calls to.

Testing it properly

Once forwarding is set up, test it before you rely on it. Call your existing number from a phone that is not the one you just changed, and check it is answered by Ringar AI. Then check your dashboard. The call should appear there with what was said and what happened next, so you can confirm everything reached Ringar AI correctly.

If you would rather move your number across instead

Forwarding is not the only option. Some businesses prefer to transfer their number across permanently rather than forward it indefinitely. That is a different process, involving your existing provider and ours, and it is not something you can do yourself from your phone. Tell us that is what you would prefer during setup, and we will handle the transfer with you.

If you already have a larger phone system in place

If your business runs its calls through an existing switchboard or a hosted business phone platform rather than a single mobile or landline number, forwarding a single number may not be the right fit for your setup. Get in touch and we will talk through the best way to connect it.