---
title: "Phone calls and call forwarding"
url: "https://help.virtualfrontdesk.com/en/article/phone-calls-and-call-forwarding"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-10-14T14:47:59.255Z"
---

# Phone calls and call forwarding

### **Phone calls and call forwarding**  
 

Virtual Front Desk can reach people by phone as well as by video. You can add phone numbers to your stations in three ways: a button that dials a number directly, call forwarding for a user who cannot answer a video call, and phone-only groups.

## **1\. Phone call button**

A phone call button dials a number as soon as the visitor presses it.

1.  In the main menu, click **Stations**, open the station, and go to the **Buttons** tab.
2.  Click **Add button** and enter a **Button name**.
3.  Under **Button action**, select **Phone call**.
4.  Under **Option details**, enter the international code, the **Phone number** and, if needed, an extension.
5.  Click **Add button**.

![A phone call button](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/62dce8e0-d492-43d8-8c45-3d6fea848118)

*A phone call button*

## **2\. Call forwarding for a user**

With call forwarding, a video call is forwarded to a user’s mobile phone or landline when they cannot answer it in Virtual Front Desk. The system dials the forwarding number:

-   when the user is offline, or
-   when the user is online but does not answer the video call in time (30 seconds by default).

Each user can set their own forwarding number:

1.  Click the gear icon next to your name at the bottom left of the dashboard.
2.  Under **Personal**, select **Notifications & calls**.
3.  Turn on **Call forwarding** and enter the international code, phone number and, if needed, an extension.

![Call forwarding in Notifications & calls](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/cceac436-69eb-415f-a78f-2f301a6870d0)

*Call forwarding in Notifications & calls*

Administrators can also set call forwarding for any user under **User management > Users** by editing the user. To learn more, read [Users](https://help.virtualfrontdesk.com/en/article/users).

## **Change the forwarding delay**

The delay before a call is forwarded is 30 seconds by default. An administrator can change it for the whole organization under **Settings > Organization > Features > Call forward time**. This delay applies to users and to groups that do not use a call queue.

![The Call forward time setting](https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/f7171950-f028-4a43-8d1a-7ffbb9dd6c42)

*The Call forward time setting*

## **3\. Phone-only groups**

A group can contain only a phone number, with no users. When a visitor selects the group, the system dials that number directly.

Unlike a single phone call button, phone-only groups let you build a submenu: select several groups on one **Video call group** button, and visitors choose from a list of names. This is especially useful to display a company or department name instead of a person. For example, a coworking space can create a group for each tenant company with only that company’s phone number, and list all of them in one submenu. Pressing a company’s name dials its number.

To learn how to create groups, read [Groups and call queue](https://help.virtualfrontdesk.com/en/article/groups-and-call-queue).