Telephone answering – non-geographic number e.g. 0844, 0870, 0800

If you have a non-geographic number (NGN) such as 0844, 0870 or 0800 you can arrange for calls to come to our telephone answering service by either:

programming the number so that calls to it come to us under whatever circumstances which suit you; for example at certain hours of the day or day(s) of the week.

or

using Call Divert at the number to which it is currently pointing.

Programming your non-geographic number (s)

If you already do this then we do not need to “teach granny how to suck eggs”; if you don’t then we suggest you discuss your requirements with the company which has provided you with the number(s).

Call divert at the existing landline number.

You can arrange to divert your calls by entering the code directly on your telephone instrument, and BT has Smart divert which enables you to activate it remotely e.g. when you are away from the office.

Once your provider has enabled the service, you have 4 options for getting your calls to our live telephone answering service and you simply choose the one to suit you. In this example we use BT’s Star Services’ coding. If you use another telecoms provider, please check with them for their coding as it may be different although the principle is the same.

Divert all calls.

On your telephone enter *21*, followed by the number we give you at our switch, followed by #

• This is useful when your office is unmanned for any reason or you do not want to be disturbed – you are a meeting or you want private time to concentrate on a particular matter.

Divert when your line is busy

On your telephone enter *67*, followed by the number we give you at our switch, followed by #

• This is useful when you are in the office and want to handle most calls yourself.

Divert if no answer within 15 seconds (this is about 6 rings. It is embedded by BT and you cannot change it)

On your telephone enter *61*, followed by the number we give you at our switch, followed by #

• This is useful when you are around the office but might be a distance from the telephone. It gives you time to answer the call.

Note:

Generally your caller will hear an announcement to the effect the call is being diverted. We recommend that you ask BT to disable this feature, quoting Product code A53133.

Divert when your line is engaged or no answer within 15 seconds.

On your telephone enter *66*, followed by the number we give you at our switch, followed by #

• This is the most popular option as you can enter the code and then just leave it as it covers all eventualities. You do not have to remember to activate and cancel the divert.

To cancel call divert

On your telephone enter # followed by the divert code you are using, followed by #, e.g. #66#.