PBX Call Transfer: Professional Call Handoffs for Your Team
PBX call transfer lets employees move an active telephone call to another extension, department or supported external number without asking the caller to hang up and dial again. Learn how attended and unattended transfers work, and how they help businesses handle customer calls more efficiently.
What Is PBX Call Transfer?
PBX call transfer is a business telephone system feature that allows a user to redirect an active call to another destination. This could be a colleague's extension, a sales department, a remote employee or a supported external telephone number.
Unlike call forwarding, which redirects calls according to predefined rules, call transfer usually happens while an employee is already handling a call.
In simple terms: Call forwarding decides where an incoming call should ring. Call transfer allows someone who has answered the call to pass it to another person.
Why Use PBX Call Transfer?
Call transfer helps your team connect customers with the right person without requiring the customer to start another telephone conversation.
Professional Call Handoffs
Transfer customers to the appropriate colleague or department while maintaining a professional business telephone experience.
Faster Customer Assistance
Direct calls to employees with the right knowledge, reducing unnecessary callbacks and repeated enquiries.
Support Remote Employees
Transfer calls between compatible extensions regardless of whether employees work at the office, remotely or from another branch.
Choose How Calls Are Transferred
Use attended transfers when you need to introduce a caller, or unattended transfers when the call can go directly to another destination.
Attended vs Unattended Call Transfer
Most business PBX systems support two common methods of transferring active calls.
Attended Call Transfer
The employee placing the transfer first speaks to the person receiving the call. Once that person is ready, the original caller is connected.
- Allows an introduction before connecting the caller.
- Useful for sensitive or complex customer enquiries.
- Helps provide context to the receiving employee.
Unattended Call Transfer
The employee transfers the active call directly to another destination without first speaking to the person receiving it.
- Useful for straightforward departmental transfers.
- Requires fewer steps from the transferring employee.
- Final handling depends on the receiving destination.
Which should you use? An attended transfer is useful when the receiving employee needs an introduction. An unattended transfer is suitable when the caller can be directed immediately to the correct destination.
How Does PBX Call Transfer Work?
When an employee transfers a call, the PBX manages the change in destination while maintaining the caller's connection according to the transfer method.
An Employee Answers
A receptionist or staff member answers an incoming business call through a compatible telephone or softphone.
The Transfer Is Initiated
The employee selects the PBX transfer function and enters the destination extension or supported telephone number.
The PBX Routes the Call
The system establishes the transfer using the selected method. With attended transfers, the receiving employee can be consulted first.
The Caller Is Connected
Once the transfer completes successfully, the caller continues speaking with the intended employee or destination.
Device compatibility: Transfer buttons and procedures can differ between SIP desk phones, softphones and mobile VoIP applications. External transfers may also depend on account permissions, carrier routing and outbound calling capacity.
Call Transfer in a Business Environment
Reception Transfers a Customer to Sales
A customer calls the company's main telephone number to enquire about a product. The receptionist answers and identifies that the sales department is best equipped to assist.
Using an attended transfer, the receptionist can inform the salesperson about the enquiry before connecting the customer.
The customer does not need to hang up and dial the sales extension separately.
Is PBX Call Transfer Included?
Call transfer is included as a feature of our hosted Cloud PBX offering. External transfers may incur additional usage charges.
Final pricing, VAT and applicable charges will be confirmed in your quotation.
- Attended and unattended transfers.
- Internal transfers between configured extensions.
- Support for compatible SIP phones and softphones.
- External transfers subject to permissions and call rates.
- Additional Cloud PBX features available according to setup.
PBX Call Transfer FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions about transferring calls in a business telephone system.
What is the difference between attended and unattended call transfer?
An attended transfer lets you consult the receiving person before connecting the caller. An unattended transfer sends the call directly without that introduction.
Can I transfer calls to mobile numbers?
Yes, where external calling and transfer permissions are enabled. Transfers to mobile or other external numbers may be billed at the applicable outbound rate.
Can remote employees receive transferred calls?
Yes. Remote employees using a compatible registered SIP phone or softphone can receive transferred calls through their configured extension, subject to network connectivity and system configuration.
What happens if the receiving person doesn't answer?
The outcome depends on the transfer type and PBX configuration. A call may return to the transferring employee, follow another routing rule or reach voicemail where configured.
Does transferring calls cost extra?
The call transfer feature is included in the hosted PBX offering. Transfers to external destinations can generate outbound call charges. Internal extension transfers generally do not require a separate PSTN call leg.
Can I transfer calls between different office branches?
Yes, if the branches and employees are connected through the same compatible PBX environment, or appropriate inter-system routing is configured.
What is the difference between call transfer and call forwarding?
Call transfer redirects an active conversation, usually initiated by an employee. Call forwarding automatically routes incoming calls according to predefined rules. Read our PBX Call Forwarding guide for more information.