Calling Features

Unlimited Calling Features

Any or all of the features below are included with your 3 Rivers Voice Service.

Click feature name for full description and instructions.

Other Special Calling Services Available. Please call 3 Rivers at 406-467-2535 for details.

Depending on the type of service you have, some calling features may work differently than described here. For details contact 3 Rivers at 406-467-2535 or email 3rt@3rivers.net.

Anonymous Call Rejection

*77

Anonymous Call Rejection rejects incoming private calls and informs callers who have blocked their name and number that the party they are trying to reach does not accept blocked calls. The blocked caller then has options.
(See Caller ID Blocking options.)

To Activate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *77 (1177 on rotary).
Follow recorded instructions.

To Deactivate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *87 (1187 on rotary).

Call Forwarding

*72

Call Forwarding lets you forward calls to another number you select.

To Activate:

Lift the receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *72 (1172 on rotary).
Listen for two quick tones.
Dial the 10-digit number where you want your calls to go to. Speed calling codes may be used if you also have this feature. If forwarding to a long distance number you must first dial "1". Long distance charges may apply.
Two quick tones means Call Forwarding is activated.

Once Call Forwarding is activated, the phone will make one short ring each time a call is forwarded. You still can make outgoing calls from a phone that is Call Forwarded.
Change the Call Forwarding number by going through the deactivate steps below and repeating the steps above.

To Deactivate:

Lift the receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *73 (1173 on rotary).
Two quick tones mean your calls are no longer being transferred.

Call Forwarding Busy

*90

Call Forwarding Busy forwards an incoming call to a telephone number of your choice instead of the caller encountering a busy signal.

To Activate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *90 (1190 on rotary) and listen for two quick tones and another dial tone.
Enter the 10-digit number you want your calls to go to. If forwarding to a long distance number you must first dial "1". Long distance charges may apply.
Two quick tones means Call Forward Busy is activated.

To Deactivate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *91 (1191 on rotary).
Two quick tones mean your calls are no longer being forwarded.

Call Forward Don’t Answer

*92

Call Forward Don't Answer forwards incoming calls to a telephone number of your choice if you do not answer the call within 4 rings.

To Activate:

Lift the receiver and listen for a dial tone.
Press *92 (1192 on rotary) and listen for dial tone.
Enter the 10-digit number that you wish to forward to. If forwarding to a long distance number you must first dial "1". Long distance charges may apply.
A series of short tones confirms that Call Forwarding Don't Answer is activated.

To Deactivate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *93. (1193 on rotary)
Two quick tones mean your calls are no longer being forwarded.

Call Forwarding Remote Access

Call Forward Remote Access lets you activate or deactivate Call Forwarding, Call Forwarding Busy or Call Forwarding Don't Answer from a remote location.

To Activate:

Lift the receiver and listen for a dial tone.
Dial the access number (406 plus your exchange prefix plus
1000. If dialing long distance, 1-406-your exchange prefix-1000).
Listen for ringing and then a special dial tone.
Dial the 10-digit number you wish to call forward (if forwarding to a long distance number you must first dial "1"--long distance charges may apply) and your 4-digit personal identification number followed by the number sign key (i.e. 1234#).
The number you wish to call forward must have Call Forward Remote Access and any of the Call Forward Features (Call Forwarding, Call Forwarding Busy, Call Forwarding Don't Answer).
Listen for two quick tones and another dial tone.
Enter the Call Forwarding code you require (*72 for Call Forwarding, *90 Call Forwarding Busy, or *92 Call Forward Don’t Answer).
Listen for two quick tones and another dial tone.
Enter the 10-digit number you want your calls to go to. If forwarding to a long distance number you must first dial "1". Long distance charges may apply.
Two quick tones means Call Forward Busy is activated.

Quick Guide For Call Forward Remote Access

Listen for dial tone.
Dial access number (include 1-406 if long distance)
406 - _______ - 1000.
Listen for ringing and then a special dial tone.
Dial the 10 digit number you wish to activate/deactivate
Call Forward Feature _______ - __________
and your 4 digit pin# ___________.
Listen for two quick tones and another dial tone.
Enter the Call Forwarding code you require (*72, *90 or *92).
Listen for two quick tones and another dial tone.
Enter the 10-digit number you want your calls to go to. If forwarding to a long distance number you must first dial "1". Long distance charges may apply.
Two quick tones means Call Forward Busy is activated.

Call Waiting

Call Waiting will give short tone signals that tells you another person is trying to call you when you are on the phone. You can put one call on hold while handling the second call, or alternate between the two.

To Use Call Waiting:

When you hear a brief tone, quickly press and release the receiver button, flash button or link button on your phone. Your first call is put on hold and you can answer the second call.
To return to the first call or alternate between calls, quickly press and release the receiver button each time.
You may also answer the waiting call by hanging up and waiting for the phone to ring.
To cancel either call, simply hang up. When your phone rings again, you'll be connected with the person who's still on the line.

To Cancel Call Waiting Per Call:

Here is how you can temporarily turn off your Call Waiting feature before making a call that you don't want to be interrupted:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *70 (1170 on rotary). You will hear three short tones followed by a dial tone.
Place your call.
Call Waiting is restored when you hang up.

Caller ID

Caller ID will let you know who is calling before you answer the telephone. Caller ID information is sent to the called party between the first and second ring. Caller ID requires a display unit, which will also store names and telephone numbers of recent callers.

To Use Caller ID:

Once your Caller ID service is activated, follow the instructions included with your display unit to install and operate.
Calls displaying "PRIVATE" or "ANONYMOUS" are callers who have chosen to block delivery of their name and number.
Calls displaying "OUT OF AREA" or “UNKNOWN" means that the calling party's local service or long distance provider's equipment isn't transporting the information.

To block anonymous callers - see Anonymous Call Rejection.

Caller ID Blocking Options

All telephone numbers are either public or private. Because there may be occasions when you want to complete a call with or without having your name and number displayed, the following options are available:

Block Code (blocks your number)

Press *67 (1167 on rotary) before you place a call. This code will block your public number on caller ID units. There is no charge to use this feature and your number will go back to public after completing the call.

Delivery Code (delivers your telephone number)

Press *82 (1182 on rotary) before you place a call. This code will deliver your private number on caller ID units. There is no charge for this feature and your number will go back to private after completing the call.

Caller ID on Call Waiting

Caller ID on Call Waiting delivers caller name and phone number information on an incoming call while the subscriber is on another call.

Conference Calling/Three Way Calling

Conference Calling (also called Three Way Calling) allows you to talk to two different people at the same time, to add a second person to your call or to put one call on hold and make a second call. Three way calling can be used for local or long distance calls. Once you hang up, both calls are disconnected.

To Activate:

Put your first call on hold by quickly pressing, then releasing the receiver button, flash button or link button on your phone.
Listen for dial tone and make your second call. Speed calling may be used if you also have this feature.
When that person answers, you may talk privately before completing your three-way connect or;
Firmly and quickly push, then release the receiver button to connect all three of you.

If for some reason the call to the third party is not completed, quickly press, then release the receiver button, flash button or link button on your phone to
return to your held party.
The first call will end when that person hangs up. The second call will end when you push, then release the receiver button.
Both calls will end when you hang up.
Long distance charges apply if long distance calls
are made when using Conference Calling.

Conference Calling Plus

Conference Calling Plus allows you to transfer a call to a third telephone number or it will allow you to hang up on a Conference Call and the other two parties can continue their conversation. You can hang up without disconnecting the other two parties. You must have Conference Calling/3 Way Calling on your telephone line in order for this feature to work.

To Activate:

Follow instructions under Conference Calling/3 Way Calling.
Once the conference call is established, hang up. The other two parties can continue their conversation.

Long distance charges still apply, even after you hang up and the other parties continue the call.

Continuous Redial

*66

Continuous Redial will redial a busy phone number while you continue to make and receive other calls.

To Activate:

When you call a number that is busy, hang up.
Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *66. (1166 on rotary)
The busy line will be checked for up to 30 minutes to see when or if the busy line becomes available.
When the line becomes available, you are notified by a distinctive ring - simply pick up the phone and the call will connect.

To Deactivate:

Lift the receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *86. (1186 on rotary)
Two quick tones mean the redial has been cancelled.

Customer Originated Trace

*57

This service is available to most customers on a pay per use basis.

Customer Originated Trace is a service that gives you another option in dealing with harassing or obscene telephone calls. It allows you to initiate a trace on the last incoming call. You can then follow up with your local law enforcement agency for further action.

To Use Customer Originated Trace:

1. Lift the receiver and listen for dial tone.

2. Press *57 (1157 on rotary) immediately after hanging up from the call.

3. You will hear a recording telling you whether the trace was successful or not.

4. The telephone number of the caller (if capable) will be recorded by 3 Rivers.

5. Follow up with your local law enforcement agency for further action. 3 Rivers is not able to give you the name or the telephone number of the person who called you.

Distinctive Ringing

*61

Distinctive Ringing allows a customer to establish a list of up to 12 special (priority) telephone numbers. A distinctive ring indicates an incoming call from a number on the priority list.

To Activate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *61. (1161 on rotary)
Follow the recorded instructions to establish or change your distinctive ring list.

To Deactivate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *81. (1181 on rotary)

Last Call Return

Last Call Return gives you the number of the last incoming call and allows you to return the call, whether the call was answered or not. (Some numbers not provided.)

To Activate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *69. (1169 on rotary)
The recorded announcement will give number
of the last incoming call.

Selective Call Acceptance

Selective Call Acceptance allows you to establish a list of up to 12 telephone numbers. When the feature is activated, only the telephone numbers on this list will ring your phone. All other incoming calls will receive a recorded rejection announcement.

To Activate/Deactivate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *64 (1164 on rotary) and follow the recorded instructions.

Selective Call Forwarding

Selective Call Forwarding allows you to establish a special call forwarding list with up to 12 priority numbers on it. When activated, only incoming calls from the priority list will be forwarded to a telephone number of your choice.

To Activate/Deactivate:

Lift the receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *63 (1163 on rotary) and follow the recorded.

Selective Call Rejection

Selective Call Rejection allows you to establish a special rejection list with up to 32 numbers on it. When activated, calls from numbers on the list will be routed to a recording, telling them that their call is being denied at this time.

To Activate/Deactivate:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Press *60 (1160 on rotary) and follow the recorded instructions.

If you do not know the last incoming caller's number, follow the steps above and listen to the recorded instructions on how to add the last caller's number to your list.

Speed Dialing

*75

Speed Dialing allows you to reach 30 frequently called numbers by dialing just one or two digits instead of the entire phone number.

To Program Speed Dialing List:

Lift receiver and listen for dial tone.
Dial *75 (1175 on rotary) and listen for dial tone.
Dial one of the 30 two-digit access code numbers (20-49).
Dial the telephone number you wish to add to the list. (For long distance entries, dial "1" and the area code before the number.) Listen for a confirmation tone to indicate your Speed Dialing
number is established.
To change your speed dialing list, repeat the programming steps and overwrite the current speed dial number.

Repeat this process for each number you wish to add to the list, assigning a different speed dial number to each telephone number.

To Use Your Speed Dialing List:

For touch-tone, dial the one or two digit code, followed by the # button.
For rotary dial, dial the one or two digit code.

2nd Ring (formerly Teen Service)

The 2nd Ring feature is a second telephone number that shares an existing telephone line. A unique second ring is particularly useful for someone that is running a small business out of their home - a distinctive ring for the second number tells you that the incoming call is for the business, for example. Call Waiting will also give a distinct double tone when the second number is called. All long distance originates from the main number.

Verified Account Codes

This service allows controlled access to toll calls. When placing a call on a line with verified account codes, you must know the account code that has been verified and programmed on your line in order to complete a long distance toll call. With Verified Account Code billing, the monthly toll bill is organized by account code. In addition to providing billing advantages, many businesses utilize account code billing to assign costs to a specific client, project, employee or department. Please contact our business office for more details.

Voice Mail

This service works like a built-in answering machine to automatically answer incoming calls. It greets callers with your pre-recorded greeting and allows them to leave messages for you. You will be notified that you have a message when you lift the receiver and hear a message indicator stutter dial tone. If your phone is equipped and line equipment allows, an indicator light will be lit when you have a message. You also have the ability to add e-mail notification.

For more information on this feature and many more to add to your Voice Mail, please see our Voice Mail Instruction Guide.