Call Forwarding Options: A Guide for AnswerHero Customers

AnswerHero can be set up to cover your calls in a few different ways; every call, just the ones your team can’t get to, specific hours, or holidays and weekends. Which combination makes sense depends on how your business runs day to day. This guide walks you through the five most common forwarding setups our customers use and when each one tends to fit.

1. Unconditional Forwarding: Every Call Goes to AnswerHero

Unconditional (or “always”) forwarding sends 100% of incoming calls straight to AnswerHero the moment they come in, no ringing your front desk first, no voicemail, no gaps.

When it makes sense:

• You want AnswerHero to be the face of your business 24/7/365, whether that’s human receptionists, AI receptionists, or our hybrid setup that combines both.
• Your team works entirely in the field (contractors, real estate agents, home service providers) with no one consistently at a desk phone.
• You get a steady mix of English and Spanish-speaking callers and want AnswerHero’s 100% bilingual receptionists answering every call in either language.

It’s also the simplest setup to manage day to day, since there’s no schedule or rule logic to maintain.

2. Certain Hours: AnswerHero Covers the Hours You Choose

Scheduled forwarding routes calls to AnswerHero only during the specific hours you set like evenings after your front desk closes, or during a lunch window when no one’s at the phone.

When it makes sense:

• Your office has set business hours, and you want your own staff answering during those hours, with AnswerHero covering everything outside them.
• You’re a multi-location or multi-time-zone businesses and want AnswerHero to fill coverage gaps between shifts.
• Staffing varies through the week, a smaller weekend crew, a receptionist who only works mornings, and you want the phones covered either way.

Since AnswerHero offers live, AI, and hybrid receptionist options, you can match the type of coverage to the hours themselves, for example, an AI receptionist during your busiest windows and a human receptionist for quieter stretches.

3. Overflow: AnswerHero Picks Up When Your Team Can’t

Overflow forwarding kicks in only when your own team is already on the phone or “overwhelmed”, after a set number of rings, or when every line is busy, so AnswerHero becomes the becomes the backup, not the first stop.

When it makes sense:

• Call volume spikes unpredictably like during promotions, seasonal rushes, or after a marketing push.
• You run a lean front desk and don’t want callers stuck in queue or dropped into voicemail when things get busy.
• You want your own team answering most calls, with AnswerHero’s receptionists catching everything that overflows.
• You’re trying to eliminate missed calls during peak hours without hiring additional in-house staff.

Overflow forwarding is one of the highest value rules a growing business can set with AnswerHero because it protects revenue during exactly the moments missed calls are most likely, when you’re already busy serving someone else.

4. After-Hours: Coverage Once You’ve Closed for the Day

After-hours forwarding routes calls to AnswerHero once your office has closed for the day; evenings, early mornings, or anytime outside normal business hours so your business never goes dark.

When it makes sense:

• You get calls outside business hours and don’t want them landing in a voicemail box most callers won’t bother using.
• Your industry involves urgent, time-sensitive needs like HVAC, plumbing, legal, healthcare, or IT support.
• You want to capture leads and book appointments around the clock without paying for a 24/7 in-house staff.
• You’ve noticed patterns of “no one answered” in customer feedback outside of standard hours.

5. Holidays and Weekends: Coverage on Dates, Not Hours

Holiday and weekend forwarding routes calls to AnswerHero on dates rather than hours; federal holidays, company closures, and weekends, when your regular routing doesn’t apply. AnswerHero doesn’t charge extra for this: coverage on holidays and weekends is included, not an add on.

When it makes sense:

• Your business closes on weekends or holidays, but customers still call expecting a response, especially in property management, healthcare, and emergency services.
• You want different rules for Saturday and Sunday than for a weeknight (for example, lighter staffing on weekends but full coverage every night).
• You run seasonal promotions or see holiday-driven call spikes (retail, home services, HVAC during extreme weather) and don’t want those calls missed while your team is off.
• You’ve had a holiday weekend where calls went unanswered for two or three days straight.

Layering the Rules Together

Most customers don’t rely on just one of these rules, they layer them. A common setup: calls ring in-house during business hours, overflow to AnswerHero the moment the team is swamped, forward entirely to AnswerHero after closing, and follow a separate holiday/weekend schedule the rest of the time.

If you’re a new customer getting set up, or a current customer looking to change your setup, contact our customer care team and we’ll help you get it configured. You can also check out our carrier-by-carrier instructions article for forwarding your number to us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I combine multiple types of call forwarding? Yes. Most customers combine scheduled, overflow, and after-hours forwarding so different rules apply depending on the time of day and how busy your team is.

Is there an extra charge for holidays and weekends? No, holiday and weekend coverage is included at no additional cost.

What’s the difference between overflow and after-hours forwarding? Overflow forwarding sends us the calls your team can’t get to while you’re open; after-hours forwarding sends us every call once your business has closed for the day.

Should I use a live receptionist or AI for a given scenario? You can choose whichever fits, or use a mix. That said, we don’t recommend AI-only coverage for calls that tend to be emergency or high-emotion in nature – those are better handled by a human.

How do I set up a holiday-specific schedule? If you’re not already on unconditional (always-on) coverage, we can build a holiday-specific schedule in addition to your regular weekly hours. Contact our customer care for assistance. If you’re already on unconditional coverage, holidays are handled automatically.

Questions About Your Current Setup

If you’re not sure which combination of these rules is currently active on your account, or you’d like to adjust your schedule, our customer care team can pull up your account configuration and make changes with you. You can also check your plan details if you want to compare your minute allowance against your current call volume.

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