RRAMELO

Setup question · 2026

Do I need a new phone number for an AI receptionist?

It's the first practical question almost every med spa owner asks. The short answer: no. You keep the number on your business cards, your Google listing, and every ad you've ever run. Here's exactly how that works with Ava.

The short version: You keep your existing business number. Ava is assigned a dedicated line, and you forward your number to it — about two minutes from your carrier's online portal. No porting, no new number to advertise, and you can switch forwarding off at any time. Your clients keep calling the same number they always have.

Published June 2026 · By RAMELO · ramelo.ai

Why you don't need a new number

Your phone number is one of your most valuable marketing assets. It's printed on signage, saved in returning clients' phones, listed on Google, Yelp, and Instagram. Changing it would mean updating all of that and losing calls in the gap. So Ava is built around the opposite assumption: you keep your number, and Ava sits behind it.

The mechanism is ordinary call forwarding — the same feature your phone carrier already offers for free. You point your existing number at Ava's dedicated line. From the caller's side, nothing changes: they dial your number, and Ava answers.

Two ways to forward — you choose

Option 1 — Full forwarding (Ava answers everything)

Every call to your business number routes straight to Ava. Best for after-hours, for solo operators, or for any practice that wants the front desk fully covered.

Option 2 — Conditional forwarding (your team answers first)

Calls only forward to Ava when your line is busy or goes unanswered after a few rings. Your staff picks up when they can; Ava catches the overflow and the after-hours calls. Most practices start here.

How to set it up — about two minutes

From your carrier's online portal or phone settings

Most carriers let you turn on forwarding from an app or web dashboard. On many phones you can also dial a short code (for example *72 for full forwarding on some US carriers) to enable it. We give you the exact steps for your carrier during onboarding.

Point it at Ava's dedicated line

You enter the dedicated number we assign you. That's the whole change. We confirm a test call goes through before you go live.

Common questions

Will my caller ID still show my business name?

Forwarding doesn't change your number, so your outbound caller ID is unaffected. Inbound callers still reach you at your published number.

Can I turn it off if I want to?

Yes — forwarding is yours to control from your carrier. Disable it and calls ring your phone as before. You're never locked in at the carrier level.

What if I'd rather use a brand-new number?

You can. Some practices prefer a fresh line for a new location or a specific campaign. Ava works either way — keep your number with forwarding, or use the dedicated line directly.

Honest note: forwarding is a standard carrier feature, but the exact steps differ by provider (and a few VoIP systems handle it through their own dashboard rather than a dial code). During setup we walk you through your specific carrier so it works on the first test call — you don't have to figure it out alone.

Hear it before you change anything

Call the demo line and talk to Ava. No sign-up, no forwarding needed to try it.

+1 (650) 489-4915

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