How to forward your business line to Contour

Contour answers on the number your customers already know. You do not change your number or print new trucks. You forward the line, and Contour picks up. This guide covers the two forwarding modes, dial codes for the big three carriers, common VoIP systems, and how to test it.

You will get your Contour forwarding number on the onboarding call. Keep it handy before you start.

Pick your forwarding mode first

There are two ways to forward a line.

Unconditional forwarding sends every call to Contour the moment it comes in. Your phone never rings. This is the right choice if nobody at the shop answers the phone during the day, or if you want Contour to handle everything and only text you.

Conditional forwarding lets your phone ring first. Contour only gets the call if your line is busy or nobody picks up after about four rings (around 20 seconds on most carriers). This is what most shops use. Your office manager still answers during the day. Contour catches the calls that would have gone to voicemail: the one that comes in while she is on another line, the one at 6:45 pm, the one on Saturday.

Mode	Your phone rings?	Best for
Unconditional	No	Shops with no office staff, or owners who want every call handled
Conditional (busy / no answer)	Yes, first	Shops with someone at the desk during the day
Scheduled (VoIP only)	Yes, during hours	Shops that want Contour only after hours

Many owners start with conditional and switch to unconditional once they trust it. You can change modes any time.

Carrier codes for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile

Dial these from the phone that holds the business number, then press the call button. You will usually hear a confirmation tone or see a confirmation message. Replace the number in each code with your ten-digit Contour forwarding number, with no spaces or dashes.

Codes vary by plan, by whether the line is prepaid or postpaid, and sometimes by phone model. The carrier support page is the source of truth. If a code fails, check the page linked below or call the carrier.

AT&T

1. Forward all calls: dial *21* then your Contour number, then #. Example: *21*5551234567#.
2. Cancel forward-all: dial #21#. Many phones also accept ##21#.
3. Forward only when you do not answer: *61* then the number, then #.
4. Forward only when busy: *67* then the number, then #.
5. Forward only when unreachable (phone off or no signal): *62* then the number, then #.
6. Cancel a conditional rule: ##61#, ##67#, or ##62#.
7. Check what is set: *#21#, *#61#, *#67#, *#62#.

Source: AT&T call forwarding support. AT&T's article lists *21* and #21# for the basic on and off. The conditional codes are standard GSM codes that AT&T lines generally accept, but confirm on your plan.

Verizon

1. Forward all calls: dial *72 then your Contour number. Example: *725551234567.
2. Cancel forwarding: dial *73.
3. Forward only calls you do not answer: dial *71 then your Contour number.
4. Cancel conditional forwarding: dial *73.

Source: Verizon call forwarding FAQs. Verizon may bill forwarded minutes against your plan. Check the FAQ for current terms.

T-Mobile

1. Forward all calls: dial **21* then your Contour number, then #. Example: **21*5551234567#.
2. Cancel forward-all: ##21#.
3. Forward when you do not answer: **61* then the number, then #. Cancel with ##61#.
4. Forward when busy: **67* then the number, then #. Cancel with ##67#.
5. Forward when unreachable: **62* then the number, then #. Cancel with ##62#.
6. Reset all forwarding to default: ##004#.

Source: T-Mobile self-service short codes.

For conditional forwarding on any carrier, set all three conditions (no answer, busy, unreachable) if your plan supports them. Otherwise a call that comes in while you are on the phone, or while your cell is in a basement with no signal, goes to voicemail instead of Contour.

RingCentral

RingCentral handles forwarding in the admin portal, not with dial codes.

1. Sign in as an admin and open the settings for the main company number or the user extension that owns the business line.
2. Find the call handling or call forwarding rules. RingCentral lets you set different rules for work hours and after hours.
3. For after-hours only: in the after-hours rule, forward to your Contour number as an external number.
4. For conditional: in the work-hours rule, keep your desk phones ringing first, then add the Contour number as the last step before voicemail. Set the ring time to roughly 20 seconds.
5. For unconditional: set the work-hours rule to forward straight to Contour.
6. Turn off RingCentral voicemail on that number, or set the voicemail step after Contour, so callers never land in a mailbox.

RingCentral's menu names change between versions. Search their help center for "call handling rules" if you cannot find it.

Google Voice

Google Voice can forward to another number, but it was built to ring your linked phones, so the setup is a little different.

1. Open Google Voice settings on the web (not the mobile app) and go to the calls section.
2. Add your Contour number as a linked number. Google will call it to verify, and Contour will answer. Have the verification code ready to read into the call or ask us to help on the onboarding call.
3. Decide which linked phones ring. For unconditional forwarding, unlink your other phones so only Contour rings. For conditional, keep your phones linked and set Google Voice to ring them all at once. Whichever answers first gets the call.
4. Google Voice has no true no-answer rule for linked numbers, so conditional behavior usually means letting Contour ring alongside your phones. Ask us about ring timing on onboarding.
5. Set the do-not-disturb schedule if you want Google Voice to send everything to Contour after hours.

Other VoIP and PBX systems

Most business phone systems (Nextiva, Dialpad, Ooma, Grasshopper, 8x8, Vonage, a local PBX) follow the same pattern.

1. Log into the admin portal for the phone system.
2. Find the main number or auto-attendant that answers your business line.
3. Look for call forwarding, call routing, or call flow settings.
4. Add your Contour number as an external destination.
5. Choose the trigger: always, after a set number of seconds, when busy, or outside business hours.
6. Set the no-answer timer to about 20 seconds. Longer than that and callers hang up.
7. Make sure voicemail is disabled or sits after Contour in the flow.

If your phone system has a separate on-call or night mode, you can point that mode at Contour and leave your day routing alone.

Test it

Do this before you leave for the day. It takes five minutes.

1. From a cell phone that is not the business line, call your business number.
2. If you set conditional forwarding, let it ring. Do not answer. Count the rings.
3. Confirm Contour answers. You should hear the greeting you approved on the onboarding call, including the recording notice.
4. Give a realistic test. Say you have a water heater leaking in the basement at a real address in your service area. Let Contour ask its questions.
5. Hang up, then check your phone. The summary text should arrive within about a minute. If you marked a leak as urgent in your triage rules, the text will start with URGENT.
6. If you booked a slot during the test, check your ServiceTitan or Google Calendar for the job and delete it.
7. Test the busy condition: answer a call on the business line, then have someone else call it. The second call should go to Contour.
8. If you forward after hours only, repeat step 1 after your closing time.

If Contour does not pick up, the most common reasons are a typo in the forwarding number, a plan that does not support the code you dialed, or voicemail catching the call first. Dial the status code for your carrier or check the admin portal, fix it, and test again.

Turning it off or changing it

You stay in control. Cancel with *73 on Verizon, #21# or ##21# on AT&T, or ##21# and the matching ##61# style codes on T-Mobile. VoIP users flip the rule back in the portal. Nothing changes on the Contour side; the forwarding always lives with your carrier.

Once the line is forwarding, read how to set up emergency triage rules so Contour knows what counts as urgent, and connect your scheduler with the ServiceTitan or Google Calendar guide.