You can keep the number your customers already know. Sawy gives your agent its own phone number, and you set up call forwarding with your current carrier so calls to your business number reach that Sawy number. Your number stays with your carrier, and you can switch forwarding off at any time to go back to your previous setup. Sawy does not currently offer self-serve number porting.
Forwarding vs. porting
| Forwarding to Sawy | Porting your number | |
|---|---|---|
| Who keeps the number | Your current carrier | The new provider |
| How to undo it | Turn forwarding off with your carrier | Port the number again |
| Available with Sawy | Yes | Not self-serve |
| Typical cost to check | Carrier forwarding and airtime charges | Port-out and new-provider fees |
For most small businesses forwarding is the lower-risk choice: nothing moves, and rollback is a single change on your phone line.
Choose a forwarding mode
Carriers usually offer two kinds of forwarding. Names and setup steps vary by carrier and by line type (mobile, landline or VoIP), so follow your carrier's own instructions.
- Forward all calls (unconditional). Every call goes straight to Sawy and your phone does not ring. Use this when nobody can answer, for example after hours or while you trial Sawy on a quiet day.
- Forward when busy or unanswered (conditional). Your phone rings first; if you don't pick up or you're on another call, the call goes to Sawy. Use this to keep answering yourself while Sawy handles the overflow. See overflow calls.
As one example, Verizon's call forwarding article (checked November 2026) describes immediate forwarding and a "No Answer/Busy Transfer" option that forwards after the phone rings three or four times. It notes that airtime charges still apply to forwarded calls and that additional per-minute charges may apply. Check your own carrier and plan in the same way before you rely on forwarding. Business phone systems and VoIP providers usually set forwarding in an admin portal rather than with dial codes. Some services restrict forwarding to automated systems: Google's Voice help page (checked November 2026) says forwarding a Google Voice number to an automated system is unsupported, so publish your Sawy number or forward a carrier line instead.
Before you forward: checklist
- Configure and test the agent first. Add your business details, hours, services and FAQs, then run a full enquiry in Test chat. See getting started and how to test an AI receptionist.
- Get a Sawy number. In Numbers, provision a number and assign it to your agent. A verified email address is required before a live number can be provisioned.
- Set your escalation number carefully. The forward/escalation number in your agent settings must reach a person or voicemail directly. Never use the business number you are forwarding to Sawy, and never use a line that forwards back to Sawy, or callers who ask for a person will loop.
- Ask your carrier about charges. Confirm whether forwarding is included in your plan and whether forwarded minutes are billed.
- Note how to turn forwarding off. Write down the code, menu path or portal setting before you start.
- Check your Sawy minutes. When a plan reaches its included voice minutes, calls are not answered by the agent until the next billing period or an upgrade. See pricing.
Set up and test the route
- Turn on forwarding with your carrier, pointing to your Sawy number.
- From a different phone, call your business number.
- Confirm that you hear your Sawy greeting, ask a routine question and leave synthetic contact details.
- Ask to speak to a person and confirm the transfer reaches your escalation number, not Sawy again.
- In the dashboard, open Calls and check the transcript, then check that the caller's number and details appear in Leads. Carriers handle caller ID on forwarded calls differently, so confirm the number you see is the original caller's.
- If you use conditional forwarding, test both cases: let the call ring out, and call while the line is busy.
- Repeat the test call outside business hours if Sawy will cover evenings.
Roll back if something is wrong
Turn forwarding off with your carrier and your phone will ring as it did before. Do this if the greeting is wrong, transfers fail or calls don't arrive, then fix the setting and test again. Keep your previous answering arrangement, such as voicemail or a human answering service, ready until your test calls pass.
Limits to know
- Sawy answers inbound calls only; it does not make outbound calls.
- Transfers go to a single escalation number. There is no menu of departments or call queue.
- SMS replies are not currently available, so text messages sent to your business number are not handled by Sawy.
Create an account, try the demo or compare plans. For the term itself, see what is call forwarding.