# Call Forwarding

{% hint style="info" %}
Call forwarding calls from Chaty to another landline or mobile attract additional [call forwarding fees](/configuring-your-agent/call-forwarding-charges.md)
{% endhint %}

Chaty can forward calls to;

* Departments - A department is a phone number that might be shared across multiple team members.
* Staff members - You can forward calls directly to the phone numbers of team members within your organisation.

Call forwarding phone numbers can only be a **local landline** or **mobile number** within the country the Phone Agent is setup for.

## Forward calls to a department 

A department is a generic phone number that might be answered by a group of individuals. 

To add a department to an Agent:

1. If you have multiple agents, Navigate to the Agent, and then click on the 'Call Forwarding' menu item on the left menu .
2. Next to the Departments section, you'll notice a button that allows you to add a new Department, once you have clicked it complete the form:
   1. Name - The name of the department might be "Accounts", "Group Bookings" etc...
   2. Phone Number - This is the answering point for this department.
   3. Email - This is the email address where a message will be sent if the phone number is not answered.
   4. Context - This describes the nature of this department to the AI. For instance if this is the Accounts department, we might set the context to "The accounts department takes payment or manages queries for  invoices."
   5. Click on "Update Department" to save the settings. 

## Adding a Staff Member

In order for a staff member to be available for accepting calls, they need to be a user of Chaty and they need to be "available for Call Forwarding". To set the user as available for call forwarding:

1. Navigate to Call Forwarding on the left menu
2. Tick the checkbox next to the user you want to be available for call forwarding
3. You can instruct the AI on when to forward the calls by editing the user. 
   1. The "profile" gives the AI the context of what this individual is responsible for. eg: James is the Events Manager and is responsible for group bookings and events. 
   2. The Shift Hours determine the times of the day that this user is available for call forwarding.
   3. You can also set exceptions to these times by adding in "Holiday" hours.

### Troubleshooting

<details>

<summary>In Australia, Why can't Chaty show the caller's original number when a call is transferred?</summary>

Due to Australian caller ID and anti-scam rules, transferred calls may show your Chaty number instead of the original caller’s number. This is because the phone network treats the transfer as a new outbound call from Chaty, and providers generally cannot display a caller ID that Chaty does not control. Where available, we’ll still provide the caller’s details in the call notification or transcript.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Chaty isn't picking up the correct department when someone asks to speak to someone</summary>

Chaty uses the "Context" field to understand when this phone number needs to be used. To improve the likelihood that Chaty will understand the request, give it more clear context to understand the purpose of the department or the user.&#x20;

</details>


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