> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.servicebooked.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect your phone number

> Get a ServiceBooked phone number live, with calls reaching you and missed ones triggering the AI Receptionist.

ServiceBooked needs to own a phone number to do its job. Two ways to wire it up — pick whichever fits your situation.

## Option A — Use the new ServiceBooked number as your business line

**Best when:** you don't have an established business number yet, or you're willing to swap the number you advertise on your website / Google Business Profile / business cards.

**How it works:**

1. The ServiceBooked number is the public number customers call.
2. When they call, ServiceBooked rings your personal mobile (forwarded from the ServiceBooked number).
3. If you pick up — you handle the call normally.
4. If you don't — ServiceBooked sends the auto-text and (on Growth/Pro) hands the call to the AI Receptionist.

**Setup:**

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick a number during onboarding">
    The phone-number step in the wizard lets you search by area code. Pick one — it's yours immediately.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add your personal mobile">
    Go to **Settings → Phone** and enter the mobile you want forwarded calls to ring on. Use the masked format `(613) 555-0100` — we'll normalize it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Turn on call forwarding">
    On the same page, toggle **Ring my phone first**. Set the ring duration (20 seconds is the sweet spot — long enough to grab a call, short enough that callers don't drop).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update your public-facing places">
    Replace your old number on:

    * Your website
    * Google Business Profile
    * Business cards / yard signs / vehicle wraps
    * Any directory listings (Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Option B — Keep your existing number

**Best when:** you have an established business number you don't want to swap (customers know it, it's printed on materials, it's listed everywhere).

**How it works:**

1. Customers call your existing number.
2. Your phone carrier rings it. If you don't pick up within X seconds, the carrier *forwards* the unanswered call to your ServiceBooked number.
3. ServiceBooked then runs the auto-text and (on Growth/Pro) the voice AI Receptionist.

This is called **Conditional Call Forward on No-Answer (CFNA)** and almost every major carrier supports it.

**Setup:**

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick a ServiceBooked number">
    Same as Option A — get one from onboarding or from **Settings → Phone**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run the carrier forwarding wizard">
    Go to **Settings → Phone** and open the **Carrier forwarding** section. The wizard generates the exact dial codes for your carrier (Bell, Rogers, Telus, AT\&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Dial the codes from your business phone">
    The codes look like `*9216135551234` (Bell) or `*7216135551234` (Rogers/Telus) — that tells your carrier "forward unanswered calls to this number." You dial them once and they stick.

    Full per-carrier instructions: [Carrier forwarding](/phone-and-voice/carrier-forwarding).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test it">
    Call your business number from a different phone, let it ring out without answering, and watch the test contact get an auto-text from ServiceBooked.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Which option is "better"?

Most owners with an existing number choose **Option B** because they don't want to re-print materials or risk losing repeat customers who only know the old number. New businesses without an established number go with **Option A** for simplicity.

Both options give you the exact same auto-text + AI voice + transcript features — the only difference is which number is the public one.

## Multiple numbers / multiple locations

Each ServiceBooked organization gets one main phone number. Multi-location operators typically run one ServiceBooked org per location so each has its own dedicated number, calendar, and team. Talk to support if you want to consolidate — we can help you pick the right structure.

## What happens to voicemail?

If you've enabled the voice AI Receptionist (Growth/Pro), voicemail is mostly redundant — the AI Receptionist catches calls you don't answer. If you keep voicemail enabled as a fallback, ServiceBooked will record + transcribe the message and surface it in the inbox alongside the call's metadata.

For Starter or for owners who don't want voice AI Receptionist, voicemail still works the way it always has — your existing carrier voicemail picks up. ServiceBooked is independent of that.

## Next: configure what happens when you don't pick up

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Missed-call auto-text" icon="message-square-text" href="/phone-and-voice/missed-call-auto-text">
    The single highest-impact setting. Reply to missed callers in seconds.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Receptionist" icon="phone-call" href="/phone-and-voice/voice-ai-assistant">
    Have the AI Receptionist answer the phone for you and book appointments.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>