Skip to main content
You don’t have to give clients a new number to use Rivet. The practice you’ve been running with your existing line keeps running — you just route the calls that would have rolled to your voicemail over to your Rivet number instead. Every missed call lands in the Rivet inbox with transcription + auto-reply firing within seconds. There are two patterns for setting this up. The right one depends on how often you want to think about it.

​
Pattern 1 — Forward when away

You toggle forwarding on when you step away and off when you’re back. Lunch breaks, end of day, weekends, vacations, between sessions. The desk phone keeps ringing during the times you’re willing to pick up. To turn it on (do this from your office phone):
1

Pick up your office phone

Most carriers want you to dial these codes from the line you’re forwarding. Cell forwarding works too, but the dial pattern is the same.
2

Dial *72

You’ll hear a tone or some beeps. That’s the carrier confirming it’s listening for the destination number.
3

Dial your Rivet number

Use the 10-digit form (no +1 prefix needed). You’ll find your Rivet number on the welcome screen, in Settings → Phone, or in the inbox header.
4

Wait for the line to answer, then hold for 5 seconds

The Rivet line picks up and plays your greeting. Don’t hang up immediately — the carrier needs the connection to hold for a moment to register the forwarding rule.
5

Hang up — forwarding is active

From now until you cancel it, every call to your office phone goes straight to Rivet. Your desk phone won’t ring.
To turn it off: pick up the office phone, dial *73, listen for two beeps. Calls ring your desk normally again. This pattern works with every Canadian carrier. No special features required. The tradeoff: you have to remember to toggle.

​
Pattern 2 — Replace your voicemail

Rivet becomes your voicemail system. Calls ring your desk phone first; if nobody picks up within 4–5 rings, the carrier automatically forwards to Rivet. Nothing to toggle. This is the right pattern if you want the experience to be permanent — callers always get either you on the line, or Rivet. Your carrier’s old voicemail goes away. The setup is carrier-specific — different providers use different codes (*92, *004*, online portals). Rivet’s in-app forwarding guide has the exact steps for your phone system. Open the app → Call Forwarding → “Replace Your Voicemail” tab → pick your provider from the dropdown. The codes are pre-filled with your Rivet number so you can read them off the screen as you dial. Providers Rivet has detailed step-by-step instructions for:
  • Bell business + home phone
  • Rogers
  • TELUS (mobile + landline)
  • Cogeco
  • Shaw
  • Nortel office systems
  • Mitel office systems
  • Generic VoIP / hosted PBX
If your phone system isn’t listed, the underlying pattern is the same. Look for “Call Forward No Answer” (CFNA) in your provider’s calling features. The destination number is your Rivet line.

​
The voicemail gotcha

There’s one thing worth knowing before you start Pattern 2: most carriers’ voicemail intercepts calls before conditional forwarding can trigger. That means if you have your carrier’s voicemail turned on AND CFNA set up, callers still hit the carrier voicemail, not Rivet. You usually need to disable your carrier’s voicemail before “Replace Your Voicemail” actually works. The in-app guide flags this for the specific providers where it matters (Rogers is the strictest about it). If you’re not sure, call your carrier and ask: “If I set up Call Forward No Answer to forward to an external number, will your voicemail still intercept?” If yes — disable your carrier voicemail. Rivet is your voicemail now.

​
Which pattern should you pick?

If you…Pick
Want to keep using your carrier’s voicemail for some calls (e.g. internal lines)Pattern 1 — toggle when away
Want every missed call to land in Rivet without thinking about itPattern 2 — replace voicemail
Don’t have a desk phone and just use your cellEither works; Pattern 2 is simpler once set up
Have a multi-line office and only want SOME lines forwardedPattern 1 per line
Most solo practitioners end up on Pattern 2 — set it once, forget it. Group practices with shared lines often start with Pattern 1 so the front desk keeps answering during business hours.

​
When forwarding is on, auto-reply still fires

This is the part that makes Rivet feel different from a regular voicemail. The caller leaves a message, hangs up, and within seconds a text arrives back on their phone — “Got your message about booking, we’ll be in touch by end of day” or similar, based on what they said. They’re not staring at a black hole; they have a confirmation in their pocket before they put the phone away. Make sure Auto-Reply is switched on under Settings before you start forwarding, otherwise callers hit Rivet but get no reply text. See How auto-reply works.

How voicemail works

The lifecycle of a voicemail once it reaches Rivet.

How auto-reply works

What the caller sees within seconds of leaving a voicemail.

Receiving calls on Rivet

When forwarding is OFF and someone dials Rivet directly.

Test your line

The 5-minute verification loop to confirm forwarding works end-to-end.