Call forwarding

There are two major kinds of call-forwarding:

Standard Call-Forwarding
a.k.a. Manual Call-Forwarding
If you have the Standard Call-Forwarding feature from your telephone company, you may forward your phone to the answering service by dialing 72# (AT&T users) or *72 (Verizon and most other providers) followed by your assigned answering service number. To disable call-forwarding, dial 73# (AT&T users) or *73 (Verizon and most other providers).
Automatic Call-Forwarding
a.k.a. Fixed Call-Forwarding, Call-Forward No-Answer
If you have the Automatic Call-Forwarding feature from your telephone company, you will need to contact a telephone company representative to configure your phones to forward to your assigned answering service number, and configure the number of rings before the phone is forwarded.
Note: While automatic call-forwarding is convenient, it is also much less flexible. Apartment Lines recommends that all customers using Automatic Call-Forwarding also obtain Standard Call-Forwarding on their phones.

How call forwarding works

This flowchart outlines the call forwarding process for an apartment community when a resident or caller contacts the main office number:

Call forwarding flowchart

The process begins when a caller dials the main office phone number to reach the community office.

The office manages incoming calls, but when staff are unavailable (after hours or during busy times), the apartment community uses a call forwarding service set up through their phone service provider.
This service automatically reroutes incoming calls based on specific conditions (such as after hours).

The phone company facilitates the forwarding service by rerouting the call according to the predefined settings configured by the community office.

Once the call is forwarded, it reaches Apartment Lines.
Residents can leave a voicemail for non-emergency situations or easily reach an operator if necessary.
Operators relay messages based on predefined instructions.