Phone calls are still a key tool for connecting customers with the right teams within a company. However, in this context, terms like “call forwarding” and “call transfer” often cause confusion. While both concepts are related to call management, their purposes are different.
Why do we confuse them? Basically, it’s because both involve a change in the destination of a call, but they differ in how that change is made. We understand that both call forwarding and a transferred call change the destination of a call. And this is what leads to thinking they are the same, as in both cases, the customer ends up speaking with someone different from the initial receiver.
What does a transferred call mean?
A transferred call is one that, after being answered by a person or system, is redirected to an agent or department to continue the assistance.The transferred call always starts by being answered by a person or system, such as a virtual switchboard or an agent. In this way, there can be several ways to transfer a call. On one hand, we can see that the transfer can be made to a destination that is not fixed, in which case a call queue is created that directs the call to the first available operator in the desired department.
Another way to transfer calls is that the receiver, before establishing communication with the customer, can decide whether to answer or transfer the call to a more suitable agent, using a CRM and having the customer’s data in front of them.
An example where we can clearly see a transferred call is when a customer calls customer service, for example, to inquire about a service. The agent who receives the call identifies that the query requires technical assistance and transfers the call to the specialized support team. This would be one of the ways to transfer calls.
Transferred calls are a tool for call management that ensure each query is handled by the right person or team.
How to transfer calls in Megacall?
To transfer an incoming call in Megacall, press # and dial the number to which you want to transfer the call, ending with #. For example, if we want to transfer a call to extension 105, it would be #105#.
If before transferring the call we want to speak with the agent, press * followed by the extension number and #. For example, *105#. This way, we can speak with the agent who will receive the call before they communicate with the customer.
So, what does call forwarding mean?
Call forwarding is a feature that allows you to automatically redirect an incoming call to another number or destination that has been previously configured, without the original receiver needing to intervene. It’s a common tool in both business and personal phone systems to ensure that no call goes unanswered.
Call forwarding happens automatically according to the rules set by the user, such as forwarding to another mobile number, a landline, voicemail, or even another department. The user can define the conditions for the forwarding, such as if there’s no answer or if the line is busy. Unlike a transferred call, forwarding doesn’t require someone to answer the call first before redirecting it.
With this, we mention two types of forwarding: unconditional and conditional. Unconditional is the first case we discussed, where all incoming calls are automatically redirected to the configured destination. For example, forwarding calls from a landline to a mobile phone when you’re not in the office. On the other hand, conditional forwarding is when calls are forwarded under specific conditions, as we mentioned earlier, such as if there’s no answer, if the line is busy, or if the user is unavailable.
How to forward calls in Megacall?
With a virtual number from Megacall, you can forward calls from your landline to your mobile (or another device) from Megacall’s virtual switchboard. Simply go to your personal area, where you manage everything related to your virtual number, and enable the call forwarding option in the Extensions section. You can activate both conditional forwarding (such as no answer or unavailable) and unconditional forwarding (always active).
Does call forwarding cost the same as a transferred call?
The answer is no. Call transfers are included in the many features offered by a virtual switchboard, whereas call forwarding must be activated by the operator, and the cost can be either monthly or annual, or based on each call that is forwarded.
This is why technologies like VoIP telephony are what save us from high costs and can offer these features thanks to virtual switchboards, which make it easy to receive calls from a number and answer them from a landline, computer, or mobile, as well as transfer calls to/from any extension, regardless of the device.
