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Step by step
Forward OpenPhone calls to your AI answering service
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Set call flow or business hours to forward to your AI answering number.
3
Choose whether to forward all calls or only after-hours calls.
4
Place a test call to confirm.
OpenPhone business-hours settings make after-hours-only forwarding straightforward.
Why plumbers forward to AI
Forwarding only matters if the call gets answered
Missed-call capture
Forwarding to voicemail loses most plumbing callers — they hang up and dial the next plumber. Forwarding to an AI answering service captures the issue, address, and urgency instead.
After-hours coverage
Most plumbing emergencies land outside office hours. Forward nights and weekends so burst pipes and no-hot-water calls reach a real intake flow.
Keep your number
Forwarding routes calls behind the scenes. Customers keep dialing your published OpenPhone number; the AI just answers when you cannot.
Pair this with the plumber call forwarding guide to decide which calls to forward, and the plumber answering service overview to see how the AI handles intake.
Common questions
OpenPhone forwarding FAQ
Will I keep my existing OpenPhone number?
Yes. Call forwarding routes calls from your current OpenPhone number to the AI answering number behind the scenes. Callers still dial your published business number.
Can I forward only my missed plumbing calls on OpenPhone?
Yes. OpenPhone supports conditional forwarding, so calls ring your phone first and only route to the AI when you are busy or do not answer.
What does the AI do once a forwarded call comes in?
It answers as your plumbing business, asks about the issue, urgency, address, and water status, then sends you a structured lead summary so you can call back or dispatch.
How do I turn OpenPhone forwarding back off?
Remove or disable the forwarding rule in your OpenPhone settings, then place a test call to confirm calls return to your phone.