How to set up call forwarding for your toll-free number

How to set up call forwarding for your toll-free number

Estimated 3 minute read

Updated Jul 7, 2025, 12:00 AM EST

Table of contents

You will learn
About call forwarding
Before you begin
Set up call forwarding in Klaviyo
Additional resources

You must be an Owner, Admin, Manager, or Campaign Coordinator to set up call forwarding.

You will learn

Get step-by-step instructions for setting up call forwarding for your US toll-free number. Implementing call forwarding is a best practice for businesses sending SMS messages to the United States, as some states’ telemarketing laws can be interpreted to require SMS recipients to be able to call the number you are using to send text messages.

This information is intended solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice. The content provided is general in nature and may not reflect the most up-to-date information. Klaviyo strongly advises consulting with a qualified legal counsel to ensure your compliance with applicable laws and regulations in connection with your use of our services.

About call forwarding

There has been an uptick in litigation in some states, including Florida and Oklahoma. These claims argue that under those states’ telemarketing laws, if a phone number is displayed during a telephonic sales call, the recipient must be able to call that number and reach the solicitor.

In other words, say a business calls you to try to sell you something. If you can see the number that called you, you should be able to call that number and reach that business.

How this affects SMS marketing

Text messaging presents its own set of challenges under these telemarketing laws. Text messaging is often included under the same telemarketing laws that apply to phone calls, but the laws don’t always clearly apply to SMS marketing.

For instance:

Short codes don’t support phone calls at all.
Toll-free numbers present a gray area, as many are registered only for SMS, not for phone calls.

In general, there has been an overall lack of clarity in whether and how these telemarketing laws apply to businesses running SMS programs in these states.

The bottom line is that while there are gray areas, the best practice is to forward calls from your US toll-free number to your primary customer support or main business line.

Before you begin

Please note:

You can only forward calls from US toll-free numbers, and the forwarding number must also be a US number.
It’s recommended to set up call forwarding while your toll-free number is being verified. Calls will only be forwarded after your toll-free number is verified.
You can edit or delete the call forwarding number at any time.
Most consumers do not try to call phone numbers used for text message marketing, so there will likely be a low volume of incoming calls.

Based on the current legal requirements, call forwarding is not available from US short codes or from non-US sending numbers. However, Klaviyo monitors global SMS legislation and will expand this if there are any new laws or updates.

What happens if I use a toll-free number for both the US and Canada?

Once your toll-free number is verified and call forwarding is set up, calls from both US and Canadian phone numbers are forwarded to your US forwarding number.

Set up call forwarding in Klaviyo

To forward calls from your US toll-free number:

Select your account name in the lower left corner.
Navigate to Settings > Text message > Sender preferences.

Scroll down to the Call forwarding section.

Select Set up.
In the modal that appears, type in the number you want to forward calls to under Forwarding number.

Select Save.

Once your toll-free number is verified and you’ve saved a forwarding number, calls from US and Canadian phone numbers are forwarded to the number you entered. To change this number, go to the Call forwarding section and click Edit, enter the new Forwarding number, and select Save.

Additional resources

How to create a branded shortened link for SMS

Learn how to add your brand name to shortened links in your Klaviyo SMS messages. Branding your shortened links makes them more personalized to your brand and credible, indicating to recipients that this link will take them to your website or page. - How to configure your opt-out keyword settings

Learn how to control when an opt-out keyword results in an unsubscribe. - Basics: SMS compliance

Get an overview of 7 important aspects of SMS compliance.

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