Do I need a new phone number?
No. You get a dedicated number, and you choose whether to forward your existing line to it or hand the new one out. Most businesses forward, because the old number is printed on a van, a shopfront and a Google listing, and changing it costs more than it saves.
The two ways to run it
Callers keep dialling the number they already know. Your carrier forwards to the AI — either always, or only when you do not pick up within a few rings. Nothing printed anywhere has to change.
Simpler, and worth it if the new number is going somewhere fresh: a new location, a specific campaign, or a line you want measured separately.
Forward everything, or only what you miss
Most carriers offer both. "Forward on no answer" lets your team pick up first and sends only the calls nobody reaches — which is usually the point. "Forward always" suits a business with no one on the phones at all. You can start with the first and move to the second once you trust it.
What about porting?
Moving the number itself is a bigger step and rarely necessary. Forwarding gets you the same outcome in a few minutes, with none of the downtime risk. Port later if you decide you want the number to live with the service permanently.
Frequently asked
Yes. Forward it to the number you are issued and callers carry on dialling what they already know.
No. "Forward on no answer" sends only the calls your team does not reach, which is the setup most businesses choose.
On a forwarded call they dial yours. Your caller ID for outbound calls is unchanged, because the AI is inbound-only.
Not usually. Forwarding achieves the same thing in minutes without the downtime risk that porting carries.
Usually it is included, though some carriers bill forwarded minutes separately. It is worth one look at your plan before you switch it on, since it is the only cost that does not appear on our side.
At any time, from your own carrier, and it takes effect immediately. That is the practical argument for forwarding over porting — the arrangement stays reversible by you without anybody’s involvement.
It is released. If you forwarded your existing line, you simply turn the forwarding off and everything goes back to how it was.