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When your practice calls already go to someone’s mobile

Use this if your practice line already diverts to someone’s mobile when nobody answers. Terva can take that mobile’s place, or sit after it.

Your phones ring first, so the front desk gets the first chance to answer. Terva answers when nobody picks up.

Enter it once and every code on this page uses it. Copy works once it’s filled in.

Turn off voicemail first

Voicemail or a recorded message that answers first stops the call reaching Terva.

  1. On an iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Phone. Turn off Live Voicemail, and set Call Screening to Never (on older iPhones, turn off Silence Unknown Callers). Otherwise the iPhone answers new patients before Terva can.

  2. If the mobile’s own voicemail picks up these calls today, Terva never gets them. Either option below fixes that.

Choose when Terva answers

We recommend When no one answers, left on all the time. The rest are optional.

Aim for a 15-second ring time. 10 to 20 seconds is fine. If calls enter a queue, set the caller’s total wait to about 15 to 30 seconds.

Simplest: send the divert to Terva instead

  1. Find how the practice line diverts to the mobile today: a code, your online account or your phone company.

  2. Change its destination from the mobile to your Terva number, using your line’s guide. Keep it a no-answer divert, after about 15 seconds.

  3. The mobile stops ringing for these calls. Terva answers them instead.

Or keep the mobile ringing first

  1. Leave the practice line’s divert to the mobile as it is.

  2. On the mobile, forward unanswered calls to your Terva number, using its guide: Telstra, Optus or Vodafone mobile.

  3. Callers wait longer this way: the practice line rings, then the mobile, then Terva answers.

Ring time

Set the no-answer ring time to 15 seconds where you can. 10 to 20 seconds is fine. For a call queue, set the caller’s total wait to about 15 to 30 seconds.

Each step rings for its own time. A landline that rings for 20 seconds, then a mobile for 15, keeps a caller waiting 35 seconds before Terva answers.

Check it works

  1. From another phone, not one on your practice line, ring your practice number.
  2. Don’t answer at the practice. Let it ring out.
  3. Terva answers.
  4. Do it again once after hours. If voicemail, or someone carrying the practice phone, answers first, the call won’t reach Terva.

Ringing your Terva number directly doesn’t test forwarding. To test When busy, keep another call going on the line first. Test the after-hours route after closing.

Signed up to Terva? Press Check it works on Phone line, and Terva rings your line for you. How the check works.

Turn forwarding off

  1. Point the divert back at the mobile, or turn off the mobile’s forward with its guide.

Someone else looks after your phones?

Copy this, fill in the [brackets] and send it. It has your Terva number once you enter it above.

Your phone company

Codes don’t work, the account holder has to ask, or the line runs through an adaptor or older phone system.

Request for your phone company

Hi, I’m [your name], the account holder for [practice name].

On our number [practice number], please turn on call forwarding when not answered, to 0X XXXX XXXX, after 15 seconds. Please don’t forward every call: our phones should ring first.

Please also: - turn off message bank (voicemail) on this number, or tell me how, so it doesn’t answer first - set this at your end, not on our phone system or adaptor box - keep the caller’s number showing on forwarded calls

What does a forwarded call cost on our plan, and how do I turn this off again? I authorise this change.

When it’s done, Terva will ring our number to check it works.

Thanks, [your name]

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