Call forwarding for restaurants: Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt, step by step

Three kinds of forwarding, and the ones you need

• Forwarding all calls sends every call to another number. The restaurant phone stops ringing altogether: that’s the setting for a closing day or the holidays.
• Forwarding on no answer lets the restaurant ring first. If nobody picks up, the call moves on. With Swisscom and Sunrise, that happens after 25 seconds.
• Forwarding when busy takes the call that comes in while you’re already on the phone.

For service, set the last two. The restaurant rings as before, and a call that reaches nobody goes to your receptionist. Before you dial:

• Have the destination number in front of you, the one your AI receptionist gives you. With Aralys, it appears during setup, with the code ready to dial.
• Dial from the line you want to forward. A code typed on your personal mobile forwards your personal mobile.
• Your voicemail works by forwarding too. According to Swisscom’s Combox guide, a new mobile number already forwards to it when you don’t answer, when you’re busy and when the phone is off. The forwarding you set takes its place.

Swisscom, landline

The easiest way is through My Swisscom, or for a business line, the call settings in Swisscom Cockpit. On the phone itself, lift the handset and dial:

• *61 followed by the number: forwarding after 25 seconds with no answer. For example *610791234567.
• *67 followed by the number: forwarding when the line is busy.
• *21 followed by the number: forward all calls straight away.

Wait for the confirmation, then hang up. To cancel: #61#, #67# or #21#. The forwarding that’s active shows in My Swisscom, in your landline’s forwarding settings. According to Swisscom’s help pages, forwarding is free; the call to the destination number may be charged if your subscription doesn’t include calls.

Sunrise, landline

Lift the handset and dial:

• *61*, the number, then #: forwarding after 25 seconds with no answer.
• *67*, the number, then #: forwarding when the line is busy.
• *21*, the number, then #: forward all calls.

Wait for the confirmation, then hang up. To cancel: #61#, #67# or #21#.

Sunrise’s help pages point out two traps. If call waiting is on, forwarding when busy can’t be set: #43# turns call waiting off. And a line that moved from UPC to Sunrise has lost its old forwarding, which has to be set again. On cost, you pay for the call from your line to the destination number; on a subscription with unlimited calls in Switzerland, nothing more. The customer calling you only pays for their own call.

Salt, landline

With Salt Home, forwarding when busy uses a different code: 69, not 67. Lift the handset and dial:

• *61*, the number, then #: forwarding when you don’t answer. The delay can be set: *61*number*30# lets it ring for 30 seconds before forwarding.
• *69*, the number, then #: forwarding when the line is busy.
• *21*, the number, then #: forward all calls.

To cancel: #61#, #69# or #21#. You can do the same in My Account, in your subscription’s telephony settings. According to Salt’s help pages, calls can’t be forwarded to a number outside Switzerland: check that the destination number is Swiss.

The restaurant’s mobile

Sunrise publishes its mobile codes:

• *61*, the number, #, call button: forwarding after 25 seconds with no answer.
• *67*, the number, #: forwarding when the line is busy.
• *62*, the number, #: forwarding when the phone is off or has no signal.
• *21*, the number, #: forward all calls, except with Sunrise Prepaid.

Cancel with #61#, #67#, #62# or #21#. Forwarding to a number your subscription doesn’t call for free is charged like a call to that number.

For a Swisscom mobile, the help pages used here give no keypad procedure. They point to the phone’s settings, where most handsets have a call forwarding menu, and to the call settings in Swisscom Cockpit. The code *#21# only shows forwarding of all calls; check forwarding on no answer and when busy in that menu or in Cockpit. For a Salt mobile, the same applies: go through the phone’s settings, or ask Salt’s customer service.

With a phone system

If your calls go through a phone system, forwarding is set in the system, and the keypad codes may not apply. Ask your installer for forwarding on no answer and forwarding when busy, for the restaurant’s public number.

Test before service

• From another phone, call the restaurant and let it ring without picking up. After the delay, your receptionist should answer.
• While you’re on a call, have someone ring the restaurant. That call should move on too.
• Keep your provider’s cancel codes next to the phone.

Questions