Hosted desk phone call forwarding to Terva

Use this if your desk phones plug into a network socket and your phone company runs the system: Telstra DOT or T-Biz Voice, Optus Loop, or a PortSIP system from a reseller. A code moves only the phone you dial it on. If your main number rings a group of phones, change the group in the portal, or ask your provider.

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

Your Terva number

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

Type the codes into the dial pad yourself. iPhone blocks links that turn on call forwarding, so there’s nothing to tap.

Turn off voicemail first

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

Ask your provider to turn off voicemail on your main number, or replace it with your Terva number in the group’s no-answer step.

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.

Telstra DOT or T-Biz Voice

On the desk phone that rings for your practice number, dial this, then enter your Terva number when asked.
*92

PortSIP

On the desk phone that rings for your practice number, dial this, then enter your Terva number when asked.
*92

Check with your provider

If the phone doesn’t ask for a number, or you have Optus Loop or another provider, ask your provider for its no-answer forwarding code or portal setting.

Telstra DOT or T-Biz Voice

Dial this, then enter your Terva number when asked.
*90

PortSIP

Dial this, then enter your Terva number when asked.
*90

For most practices, When no one answers already covers after hours because nobody picks up. Check that voicemail doesn’t answer first, and make a test call after closing.

Check with your provider

We couldn’t confirm that hosted desk phones can forward on a schedule. Ask your provider if you need one.

Only if you want every after-hours call to skip your phones

At closing, on Telstra DOT or PortSIP, dial this and enter your Terva number when asked.
*72
At opening, turn it off again.
*73

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.

Check with your provider

Your provider sets how long the phone rings before a no-answer forward. Ask for about 15 seconds.

Check it works

From another phone, not one on your practice line, ring your practice number.
Don’t answer at the practice. Let it ring out.
Terva answers.
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

Telstra DOT, T-Biz Voice or PortSIP

When unanswered:
*93
When busy:
*91
After-hours forward-all:
*73

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.

Whoever runs your phone system

3CX, Maxo, Teams, Zoom, RingCentral, TIPT, hosted desk phones, or an IT company that manages them.

Request for whoever runs your phone system

Hi, we’re setting up Terva to answer our practice’s calls when our team can’t. Please make this change for calls to our main number, [practice number]:

1. Find what answers that number first: a menu (auto attendant), ring group, queue or time switch. 2. When nobody answers within 15 seconds, or a caller has waited 30 seconds in a queue, send the call to our Terva number 0X XXXX XXXX as an external number. Use +61 X XXXX XXXX if the system needs +61. 3. If a menu answers, send callers who press nothing to the same place after the timeout. 4. Outside our opening hours ([opening hours]), send calls to 0X XXXX XXXX instead of voicemail or a closed message.

Please also: - make sure voicemail doesn’t answer before this - turn off any “press 1 to accept” or call confirm on forwarded calls - keep the caller’s number showing (caller ID pass-through) - leave our daytime ringing as it is, so our phones ring first

Please tell us what you changed and how to undo it. When it’s done, Terva will ring our number to check it works.

Thanks, [your name]

Good to know

Telstra no longer sells DOT or T-Biz Voice, and ends both on 30 August 2027. Ask Telstra what replaces your service.

Sources

These steps follow the provider’s own guides, checked in September and October 2026. Menus change, so if a step doesn’t match what you see, check with your provider.

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