How to Forward Calls to an AI Receptionist in Canada

Key takeaways

You don’t change your number. Customers keep calling the number on your truck; your carrier forwards it.
Forward all calls if you want the receptionist to pick up first and put real jobs through to you. Forward on no answer if you want to try answering yourself first.
Rogers, Telus, Fido, Koodo and Freedom use short dial codes. Bell Mobility, Virgin Plus and Vidéotron use your phone’s settings.
Forwarding can cost extra: some carriers charge per minute (from 25¢ to 75¢) unless you add a monthly forwarding feature.
Always test with a call from a different phone before you rely on it.

How does call forwarding to an AI receptionist work?

Your carrier sends calls from your business number to the receptionist’s number, and the receptionist answers as your business. Nothing changes for the caller. You choose when forwarding kicks in: on every call, or only when you’re busy, don’t answer or have no signal. From there, a good receptionist books the visit or puts the call through to your cell with a summary.

Which kind of forwarding to use
Type	What happens	Best for
Forward all calls (unconditional)	Every call goes straight to the receptionist	Owners on the tools all day who want the receptionist to screen and book, and put real jobs through
Forward on no answer	Your phone rings first; unanswered calls go to the receptionist	Owners who like to answer when they can
Forward when busy	Calls go to the receptionist while you’re on another call	Pair it with no-answer forwarding
Forward when unreachable	Calls go to the receptionist when your phone is off or out of coverage	Job sites with bad reception

What are the call forwarding codes for Canadian mobile carriers?

Rogers, Telus, Fido, Koodo and Freedom all use the same pattern: star, code, star, the 10-digit number, then #. Replace NUMBER with the receptionist’s 10-digit number, with no spaces.

Dial codes for Rogers, Telus, Fido, Koodo and Freedom (from each carrier’s support page, Sept 2026)
Forward	Turn on	Turn off
All calls	21NUMBER#	#21# (Fido: ##21#)
When you don’t answer	61NUMBER#	#61# (Fido: ##61#)
When you’re busy	67NUMBER#	#67# (Fido: ##67#)
When your phone is off or out of coverage	62NUMBER#	#62# (Fido: ##62#)

Dial from the phone whose calls you want to forward, then press Call or Send.

How each mobile carrier handles forwarding
Carrier	How to turn it on	Good to know
Rogers	Dial codes above	Check forwarding with *#21#
Telus	Dial codes above	Not available on Telus Prepaid
Fido	Dial codes above	Conditional forwarding only works without Voice Messaging; Canadian or US numbers only
Koodo	Dial codes above (postpaid)	Prepaid supports only forwarding when unreachable
Freedom Mobile	Dial codes above, or phone settings	Canadian numbers only
Bell Mobility	Phone settings: Call Settings → Call Forwarding	Bell doesn’t publish dial codes
Virgin Plus	Phone settings: Call Settings → Call Forwarding	Turn off with Deactivate All in the same menu
Vidéotron	Phone settings: Always, Busy, Unanswered or Unreachable	Canadian or US numbers only

Bell Mobility, Virgin Plus and Vidéotron point customers to the phone’s call settings instead of dial codes. Most phones have a Call Forwarding option in their phone or call settings.

Telus tip: choose how long it rings

Telus mobile supports variable forwarding: dial *004*NUMBER*20# to forward unanswered calls after 20 seconds (10, 20 or 30 are the options), and #004# to turn it off.

How do I forward a home or business landline?

Landline call forwarding (from each carrier’s support page, Sept 2026)
Line and type	Turn on	Turn off
Bell Home Phone, all calls	*72, wait for three beeps and dial tone, then dial the number	*73
Bell business line, all calls	*72, then the number	*73
Bell business line, no answer	*92, then the number	*93
Bell business line, busy	*90, then the number	*91
Rogers Home Phone, all calls	*72, then the 10-digit number	*73
Rogers Home Phone, no answer	*92	*93
Rogers Home Phone, busy	*90	*91

On Bell Home Phone, if the number you forward to doesn’t answer, Bell says to repeat the steps once more to activate. On Rogers Home Phone with voicemail, the *92 and *90 codes only switch voicemail on and off. For a Telus Home Phone, follow Telus’s Call Forward page.

How do I forward calls on a VoIP phone system?

VoIP systems forward calls from their app or admin portal, not with dial codes.

RingCentral: click your profile picture → Call rules → Forward all calls. Admins can set it under Users → the user → Phone → Incoming call rules.
Ooma Office: at office.ooma.com, go to Settings → the extension → Call Forwarding tab. Choose Enabled, or Enabled when devices offline.
Other systems: look for "call forwarding", "call rules" or "incoming call handling" in the admin portal, or ask your provider.

How much does call forwarding cost in Canada?

It depends on your carrier and plan: some include it, some charge per forwarded minute, and most offer a monthly add-on. If you forward more than a few minutes a month, the add-on usually wins: Koodo’s $5 add-on pays for itself after about 9 minutes at $0.60.

What carriers charge for forwarding (published, Sept 2026)
Carrier	Cost
Telus mobile	Call Forwarding North America feature: 3,000 minutes a month, then 75¢/min; pay-per-use if not on your plan. Not available on Prepaid.
Koodo	$5/month add-on, or $0.60/min pay-per-use
Vidéotron	$5/month option (VoLTE SIM and device), or $0.75/min pay-per-use; no setup cost
Bell Mobility	$0.25/min pay-per-use, or a monthly add-on
Virgin Plus	25¢/min
Fido	Pay-per-use unless you have the Call Forwarding add-on
Rogers, Freedom	No fee listed on the support page; check your plan
Home phones (Bell, Rogers)	Monthly calling feature; long-distance charges apply if you forward to a long-distance number

Ask for a forwarding number that’s local to you, so forwarded calls don’t add long-distance charges.

Want it set up for you? We give you the number, walk through forwarding with you and test it before any live call.

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How to forward your business line to an AI receptionist, step by step

1
Get the receptionist’s forwarding number.
Your receptionist provider gives you a number to forward to. With GLO, we set it up during onboarding.
2
Choose all calls or only unanswered calls.
Forward all if you want the receptionist to screen, book and put real jobs through to you. Forward on no answer, busy and unreachable if you want to try answering first.
3
Check your plan’s forwarding cost and voicemail.
Add a monthly forwarding feature if your carrier charges per minute. On some plans, conditional forwarding only works if carrier voicemail is turned off; Fido and Rogers home phone say so on their support pages.
4
Turn on forwarding.
Dial your carrier’s code from the business phone (for example *21*NUMBER# on Rogers, Telus, Fido, Koodo or Freedom), or set it in your phone’s call settings or your VoIP portal.
5
Make a test call.
Call your business number from a different phone. Confirm the receptionist answers as your business, and try a request that should be put through to you.
6
Know your off switch.
Save the turn-off code (for example #21#) so you can take calls yourself on a slow day.

Why isn’t my call forwarding working?

Voicemail is catching the call first. Lower your ring time, use variable forwarding if your carrier offers it, or turn off carrier voicemail.
You’re on a prepaid plan. Telus doesn’t offer forwarding on Prepaid, and Koodo Prepaid supports only unreachable forwarding.
The number was entered wrong. Use all 10 digits with no spaces, and include the final #.
Your phone overrides the code. Check Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding and set it there instead.
The number is outside the carrier’s area. Most carriers only forward to Canadian or US numbers, and Freedom forwards to Canadian numbers only.

Why GLO is the easiest way in Canada to put an AI receptionist on your line

GLO is the best choice in Canada for trades that want an AI receptionist on their existing number without doing the setup themselves, because:

We do the setup with you: the forwarding number, the codes for your carrier and a test call before anything goes live.
You keep your number and can switch forwarding off any time.
It books and hands off: estimate visits go into your calendar, and real jobs reach your cell with a summary first.
It comes with a new website, built free, so callers who check your site can book there too.

Not the right fit if…

you’re on a prepaid plan that doesn’t support forwarding (switch to postpaid or a VoIP line first), or you want every call to reach a human.

GLO plans (CAD, plus tax). Every plan includes: new website, built free, live in 7 days.
Plan	Monthly	Setup	Voice minutes	Best for
Front Desk	$297/mo	$0 setup · first month paid at signing	150/mo	For crews whose website and phone are losing them calls.
Operating SystemRecommended	$797/mo	$1,497 setup · 50% now, 50% at go-live	500/mo	For owner-operators who quote, invoice and chase deposits themselves. It's what the company in our case study runs.
Growth	$1,497/mo	$1,997 setup · 50% now, 50% at go-live	1,000/mo	For operators who want more jobs coming in, not just fewer missed.

Extra voice minutes: $0.35 each, on any plan. Prices in CAD, plus tax. Month-to-month after go-live, 30 days' notice. You own your data. Full details on the pricing section.

Call forwarding FAQ

Can I keep my business number with an AI receptionist?

Yes. You forward your existing number to the receptionist, so customers keep calling the number they know.

What is the code to forward calls on Rogers, Telus, Fido, Koodo or Freedom?

Dial *21* followed by the 10-digit number and # to forward all calls. Use *61* for no answer, *67* for busy and *62* for unreachable. Turn it off with #21# (Fido uses ##21#).

How do I forward calls on Bell or Virgin Plus mobile?

Bell Mobility and Virgin Plus set call forwarding in your phone’s menu: Call Settings, then Call Forwarding. They don’t publish dial codes.

How do I forward a Bell or Rogers home phone?

Dial *72, then the number to forward to. Dial *73 to turn it off. Bell business lines also support *92 for no answer and *90 for busy.

Does call forwarding cost extra in Canada?

Often. Bell Mobility charges $0.25 a minute pay-per-use, Koodo $5 a month or $0.60 a minute, and Vidéotron $5 a month or $0.75 a minute. Telus includes 3,000 minutes with its forwarding feature. Check your plan.

Can I forward only the calls I miss?

Yes. Use no-answer forwarding (*61*NUMBER# on most carriers), plus busy and unreachable forwarding. On Telus you can also choose to forward after 10, 20 or 30 seconds.

Sources

Keep your number and never juggle forwarding codes on your own. We set it all up, with a new website built free.