Looking for a temporary call forwarding solution

[ConfsuedRob]

Hi Everyone,

I do hope I'm in the right place.

So like most of you, I am stuck working from home and I'm looking for a cheap way to forward our office phone number, which is a Telkom based landline, to a spare Samsung phone. I have considered just setting up Telkom forwarding but from what I can gather the service is both unreliable and expensive?

We would have been on some sort of VOIP solution a while back but we are still on a copper line (can't find an ISP with a fibre provider in our area for love nor money) so I've always been hesitant to move across.

I've had a look FreshPhone who seem to offer a fairly cheap and effective service, especially considering that I don't (by the look of things anyway) have to buy any hardware and can use their Android app. Would this be the sort of service I am looking for or would I be better setting up a Telkom forwarder?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[gfmalan]

Hi Rob,

Are you going to port you number to FreshPhone?

If not, your only option is Telkom’s Forward Call, it’s not as bad as you think.

The last time I set the service up for a customer, you had to be in the office to activate the call forward. Hope you can get in. It took me many calls and emails to convince them to setup and forward all calls remotely.

All the best

 

[websquadza]

FXS device and a VoIP trunk are a good way to do this for next to nothing.

 

[ConfsuedRob]

Hi Rob,

Are you going to port you number to FreshPhone?

If not, your only option is Telkom’s Forward Call, it’s not as bad as you think.

The last time I set the service up for a customer, you had to be in the office to activate the call forward. Hope you can get in. It took me many calls and emails to convince them to setup and forward all calls remotely.

All the best

More than happy to do that, though apparently it takes at least a week? Was hoping to get the phoned forwarded tomorrow.
I am fortunate in that I can access our office as its a school and we can get the relevant police clearance so if that's the case I can set up a Telkom forwarder. Do you have any links as to how their pricing works there? I have found a few but they are all conflicting.

Thanks so much for your reply. I am most very grateful.

 

[ConfsuedRob]

FXS device and a VoIP trunk are a good way to do this for next to nothing.

Thank you for your reply. Let me research those options, I'll be honest they currently mean nothing to me . Lots of time to learn though! Thanks again

 

[gfmalan]

Morning,

You setup a free account, it is prepaid, then you load airtime with credit card.

To port a single number is R135 excl, and yes it can take up to two weeks, but it can happen in 2 days. Porting department is not that busy now, so I would like to think it would be sooner than later.

Once you are ported and after this virus story, you can move over to a per extension hosted model, and just buy Yealink phones, then you are sorted. R65 excl. per ext.

But for now your costs would be R135 excl. for a single number port, and then load airtime to make or forward calls to mobile or other number, if you use the free App, the inbound calls are free.

If you have an IP phone, you can connect that to the line and it is better stable solution.

The quickest option would be to ask Telkom to enable Call Forward (on letterhead), and then go in and forward the main line to the number you wish.

That could also take a day or two.

Kind Regards

 

[ConfsuedRob]

Morning,

You setup a free account, it is prepaid, then you load airtime with credit card.

To port a single number is R135 excl, and yes it can take up to two weeks, but it can happen in 2 days. Porting department is not that busy now, so I would like to think it would be sooner than later.

Once you are ported and after this virus story, you can move over to a per extension hosted model, and just buy Yealink phones, then you are sorted. R65 excl. per ext.

But for now your costs would be R135 excl. for a single number port, and then load airtime to make or forward calls to mobile or other number, if you use the free App, the inbound calls are free.

If you have an IP phone, you can connect that to the line and it is better stable solution.

The quickest option would be to ask Telkom to enable Call Forward (on letterhead), and then go in and forward the main line to the number you wish.

That could also take a day or two.

Kind Regards

You are a star. Thank you for taking time out of your Sunday to assist me!