# Can an AI Receptionist Use Your Existing Business Phone Number? Source: https://webkms.com/blog/ai-receptionist-existing-phone-number Published: 2026-10-02. Category: AI receptionist. > Yes, you can keep your business number. How call forwarding works with an AI receptionist (all calls, unanswered calls or after hours), when porting your number makes sense, and what to test before you go live. ## In brief - You don't need a new number. You keep your existing number and forward calls to the AI receptionist's number, so nothing changes for your customers. - Forward all calls, only the calls you don't answer, or only calls after hours. Most businesses start with unanswered calls. - Porting (moving) your number to a new provider is rarely necessary and takes longer. Forwarding works with almost any carrier, landline, mobile or VoIP. **Short answer:** yes. You keep your existing business number and set up call forwarding to the AI receptionist. Customers still dial the number on your truck, website and Google profile, and the AI answers. You don't change carriers, phone hardware or marketing. Here's how it works in practice, and the choices you'll make along the way. ## How forwarding works The AI receptionist gets its own phone number behind the scenes. You tell your phone provider to forward calls from your business number to that number. When a customer calls you, your carrier passes the call along and the AI picks up, greeting the caller in your business name. The caller sees nothing unusual. They dialled your number, and your business answered. ## Three ways to forward You choose when the AI takes the call. **1. Forward all calls.** Every call goes straight to the AI receptionist. Good if you never want to answer the phone yourself, or you want the AI to screen and route every call. **2. Forward only unanswered (or busy) calls.** Your phone rings first. If nobody picks up after a few rings, or the line is busy, the call goes to the AI. This is where most businesses start, because it only catches the calls you'd otherwise lose to voicemail. **3. Forward after hours.** Calls ring your team during business hours and go to the AI at night, on weekends and on holidays. Many VoIP systems and some carriers let you set this on a schedule. You can change your mind later. Switching from "unanswered only" to "all calls" takes a minute. ## How to turn on call forwarding The exact steps depend on your provider, so check its help page for "call forwarding" or "conditional call forwarding". The common patterns are: - **Mobile phones on most North American carriers** use dial codes. On many networks, `**21*` followed by the number and `#` forwards all calls, `**61*` forwards unanswered calls and `**67*` forwards busy calls. `##002#` usually cancels all forwarding. - **Some carriers and landlines** use star codes instead, such as `*72` to turn forwarding on and `*73` to turn it off. - **VoIP and cloud phone systems** (RingCentral, Zoom Phone, Teams, Google Voice and similar) have forwarding or "ring group" settings in the admin dashboard, often with schedules. Codes vary by carrier and plan, so treat the ones above as examples and confirm with your provider. ## Forwarding vs porting your number Porting means moving your number to a new phone provider entirely. Some AI receptionist companies offer it, but for most small businesses it's not needed: - **Forwarding** takes minutes, keeps your current carrier and plan, and is easy to undo. - **Porting** can take days or weeks, makes the new provider your phone company, and is harder to reverse. Consider porting only if you want to replace your phone system completely. Otherwise, forward. ## What to test before you rely on it Spend ten minutes on this before you announce anything. 1. **Call from a phone that isn't yours** and let it ring through. Check that the AI answers with the right business name. 2. **Ask your three most common questions** (hours, service area, pricing) and check the answers. 3. **Pretend it's urgent.** Make sure urgent calls are flagged or transferred the way you expect. 4. **Check the summary.** Confirm the text or email arrives with the caller's name, number and reason for calling. 5. **Test after hours** if you set up schedule-based forwarding. 6. **Check your carrier's forwarding charges.** Most business plans include forwarding, but some charge per forwarded minute. ## How it works with Webkms The [Webkms AI Receptionist](https://webkms.com/ai-receptionist-demo) gives you a local number in the US or Canada and works with any carrier, including Rogers, Bell, Telus, AT&T, Verizon and VoIP providers. You forward always-on or only when you miss a call. Every call sends you a text and email summary with the full transcript. You can try it free for 7 days on a real number (up to 25 answered calls, no card), then it's $0.90 per answered call. If you're still comparing options, see [AI receptionist vs answering service](https://webkms.com/blog/ai-receptionist-vs-answering-service). ## FAQ ### Do I need a new phone number for an AI receptionist? No. You keep your existing number and forward calls to the AI receptionist. Your customers keep dialling the same number. ### Will my customers know their call was forwarded? No. They dial your usual number and hear your business greeting. Forwarding happens inside the phone network. ### Can I forward only the calls I miss? Yes. Conditional forwarding sends calls to the AI only when you don't answer or the line is busy. Most businesses start this way. ### Does call forwarding work with VoIP and mobile phones? Yes. Forwarding works with landlines, mobile phones and VoIP or cloud phone systems. Mobile phones usually use dial codes; VoIP systems use a setting in the admin dashboard. ### Should I port my number to the AI receptionist provider? Usually not. Forwarding is faster, keeps your current carrier and is easy to undo. Porting only makes sense if you want to replace your phone system entirely.