Call Routing Types for Businesses

A simple process that ensures every call reaches the right destinotion.

A number calls your business

The caller calls the tollfree or local number in your Forward account.

Your routing rules are checked

Forward evaluates your selected routing method, business hours, destinations, availability and other rules.

Call is directed automatically

The call is sent to the appropriate person, department, location or number based on your rules.

Your team answers the call

If the primary destination doesn't answer, your configured fallback rule determines what happens next.

Find the best call routing workflow for your business based on team size, customer needs, and communication goals.

Routing type	Best for	Main benefit	Complexity
Simultaneous Call Routing	Small teams	Faster response times	Easy
IVR Call Routing	Customer support	Department-based routing	Medium
Round Robin Call Routing	Sales & support teams	Balanced call distribution	Medium
Business Hour Routing	Small businesses	Time-based automation	Easy
Location Based Routing	Multi-location businesses	Localized call routing	Medium
Smart Call Routing	Growing businesses	Intelligent automation	Advanced

Choose the call routing workflow that best matches your business communication process and customer experience goals.

Need multiple team members to answer calls at the same time?

Need to direct callers to specific departments or teams?

Want to distribute calls evenly across agents?

Need calls routed based on working hours?

Need advanced routing logic and automation?

Build the Perfect Call Routing Workflow for Your Business

Forward gives businesses the flexibility to combine multiple call routing methods and create smarter inbound call workflows from one cloud platform.

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1. What is call routing?

Call routing automatically directs incoming calls to the right person, team, department, or destination based on predefined rules. It helps businesses handle calls efficiently without manually transferring each caller.
2. What types of call routing does Forward support?

Forward supports six routing methods: Simultaneous Ringing, IVR Call Routing, Round Robin Call Routing, Time-Based Call Routing, Location-Based Call Routing, and Smart Call Routing. Each method is designed for different business communication needs.
3. How do I choose the right call routing type for my business?

The right method depends on how you want incoming calls handled. For example, simultaneous ringing works well for small teams, IVR is useful for departments, round robin distributes calls evenly, and time-based routing handles calls according to schedules.
4. Can I use multiple call routing methods together?

Yes. You can combine different routing rules to create a call-handling workflow that matches your business requirements. For example, you can use time-based rules together with simultaneous ringing or other routing methods.
5. Can call routing help reduce missed calls?

Yes. Call routing can send incoming calls to multiple team members, departments, locations, or fallback destinations based on your rules. This helps increase the chances that someone is available to answer the call.