Short answer: In a hurricane, business phones usually fail because the office loses power, internet or local phone lines, or because staff can’t get to work, not because the phone number stops working. If calls are forwarded at the carrier level to an answering service outside the storm’s reach, callers keep reaching a person.
We’ve run a phone business on the North Carolina coast since 1987. Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, a few miles from our office, on September 14, 2018. Here is what fails in a storm, and how to set up your phones before the next one.
What fails in a storm
| What fails | What callers hear | Fix before the season |
|---|---|---|
| Office power | Desk phones and on-site phone systems go dead; calls ring out | Cloud phone service or carrier-level call forwarding |
| Internet | Internet phones go offline | Forwarding rules set at the carrier, not on office equipment |
| Local phone lines | Busy signal or “not in service” | Remote call forwarding you can switch on from a cell phone |
| Staff can’t travel | No one answers, even if the phones work | An answering service outside the storm area, or one with backup staff |
| Voicemail fills up | “Mailbox is full” | Live answering; or a larger mailbox and an outgoing message that gives an alternate number |
Set this up before June 1
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Do these once, before the season starts:
- Learn how to forward your main number without being in the office. Ask your carrier for remote call forwarding, or the steps in your cloud phone app. Write them down and keep a copy off-site.
- Write a storm script. What callers should hear when you are closed or limited: whether you are open, how emergencies are handled, and when normal service resumes.
- Make a storm on-call list. Who is reachable, by which phone, with a backup for each. Cell service is often patchy after a storm, so list a text number and an email.
- Decide what counts as urgent. After a storm, every roof leak feels urgent. Decide in advance which calls get dispatched now, which get a callback, and which wait.
- Test it. Forward your line to your answering service for an evening, call in, and check the message reaches the right person.
After the storm: the call surge
Roofers, restoration companies, plumbers, electricians, tree services and property managers often get more calls in the 72 hours after a storm than in a normal month. A small front desk can’t answer them all, and missed calls go to the next company on the list. Overflow answering takes the calls you can’t, logs each job, and passes emergencies to you first.
How CallNET keeps answering
- Our call system runs in the cloud, not on equipment in our building, so a storm that knocks out power or phone lines in Wilmington doesn’t stop your calls.
- Representatives answer from our call center in Wilmington, with US-based backup representatives for overflow and storms. Your callers still reach a person.
- We can change your script and on-call instructions the same day, so callers hear what’s true right now.
See answering for Wilmington and the Cape Fear region, overflow answering and answering for water utilities.
Questions people ask
What happens to my business phone number during a hurricane?
Your number keeps working at the carrier, but calls fail if your office equipment, power or internet is down. Forward the number at the carrier level to a phone or service outside the affected area.
How do I forward my business phone if I can’t get to the office?
Ask your carrier for remote call forwarding, or use your cloud phone system’s app. Set it up and test it before hurricane season.
Does CallNET keep answering during hurricanes?
Yes. Our call system runs in the cloud rather than on equipment in our building, and US-based backup representatives answer if our office is affected.
When is hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.