System and method for ensuring activation of call forwarding to answering service or the like

A method performed by an answering service, the answering service for answering a call to a called party unable or unwilling to answer the call directly, the call being forwarded to the answering service by way of a call forwarding service of the called party (hereinafter, ‘call forwarding’), the called party normally being expected to activate call forwarding when the called party goes off duty, the method for at least attempting to ensure that call forwarding is activated after the called party goes off duty, the method being performed by a computing system of the answering service and comprising:

• determining with reference to a database when the called party goes off duty, and creating a check record for the called party in the database, the check record including a call time at which to effectuate a check call to a calling device of the called party to establish whether the called party has in fact activated call forwarding to the answering service with regard to such calling device, the call time in the call record corresponding to when the called party goes off duty;
• taking up the call record from the database at the call time thereof and employing same to place the check call to the called party at the calling device thereof, the placed check call presumptively occurring after the called party has gone off duty and after such called party has activated call forwarding with regard to the calling device;
• and
• determining whether the check call to the device automatically forwarded to the answering service,
• if the check call did automatically forward to the answering service:
• concluding that the check call succeeded and that the called party in fact activated call forwarding;
• and
• marking the check record as completed,
• if the check call did not automatically forward to the answering service:
• concluding that the check call failed and that the called party did not in fact activate call forwarding;
• updating the check record;
• sending an electronic message to the called party that call forwarding is not activated;
• and
• inviting the called party to respond that a further check call is not to be made.