How to Divert Calls to Call Answering

How to divert calls to call answering varies greatly depending on the call answering system in use. It could be as simple as the touch of a button on a fully-featured phone linked to a call answering system, or it could be a click of a mouse on Softphone or other computer-based call answering software. Good call centers make this process as easy as possible to allow the administrator or user the most flexibility when calls come in that they don’t want to deal with at the moment.

It happens all the time. Someone is in a meeting, busy with work or simply doesn’t wish to take the call that’s currently flashing and ringing from their phone or computer. At this moment, knowing how to divert calls to call answering is going to save them a lot of aggravation and possibly a sale or accepted proposal. As voice-over-IP systems become more popular, someone is more likely to simply click the button that says Voicemail or some such on their computer. However, if they’re still using an actual handset, it’s usually just as simple. One button pushed and the caller is off, whether it’s to voicemail system or another extension, local or remote.

The History of How to Divert Calls to Call Answering

How to divert calls to call answering has changed a great deal in the last 25 years. It used to be that the caller would need to hang up and dial the switchboard to either leave a message or be transferred to a different extension if the extension they called didn’t pick up the line. If the person was important, they might have had an answering service take a message for them, which would be delivered the next day or whenever this person was again available.


All that changed when touch tones began to come into wider use in the late 80’s. Now, how to divert calls to call answering might have been as easy as pressing a sequence of buttons on a touch-tone keypad. However, if the answering party did this while the caller was on the line, the results could be unpleasant. Fortunately, digital phone systems were also becoming more popular around this time, and they offered one-button switching. However, these systems were very expensive in the 80’s and required large amounts of capital to install and maintain, since they were proprietary systems.


As the 90’s advanced, so did call centers and phone systems, to the point where a powerful system could be installed in a small business at a price they could afford. Gradually, how to divert calls to call answering became the simple button push it is today.

The Cutting Edge of How to Divert Calls to Call Answering

Today, calls can be diverted to call answering systems based on any number of factors, such as whether someone’s cell phone is within a certain range or whether a user has logged into their computer. Phone systems and computers are combining and getting smarter every day. Computers will continue to anticipate the user’s needs, and eventually, how to divert calls to call answering will be something a user doesn’t even need to consider.