Auto Attendants

An Auto Attendant (AA) is a menu for callers — "press 1 for sales, 2 for support". Use one as the first step of your call flow, as an after-hours menu, to redirect callers to queues, users, voicemail or a dial-by-name directory, or simply to play pre-recorded messages.

Basic Procedure

Set up the components in this order:

1. Create the auto attendant and give it a proper extension number.
2. Set the Menu Prompt (the recording callers hear).
3. Set the Menu so the key options match what the prompt says.
4. Set the auto attendant Options (what happens on no input / invalid input).

How to Create and Configure a New Auto Attendant

1. Navigate to Auto Attendants in the Portal and click Add Attendant (upper right).
2. In the "Add an Auto Attendant" dialog enter:
   • Name — an appropriate name for the AA.
   • Extension — a number in the 8000 range.
   • Time Frame — select default; you control when this attendant is active from the Inventory section.
3. Click Add. The configuration screen appears. You can also set an optional "Intro Greeting", but the Menu Prompt is usually sufficient.
4. Click the pencil icon to add the menu prompt. Three ways to create it:
   • Text-To-Speech — type your message and pick a voice.
   • Upload — use a previously recorded message saved on your computer.
   • Record — the system calls an extension or phone number so you can record it.
5. Build the menu to match your prompt (see options below).
6. Review the attendant options by clicking the gear icon on the right — set what happens when a caller makes no choice or presses an unassigned key. Click Done.
7. Click Save.

Menu Options

Each key on the menu can do one of the following:

Place It in Your Call Flow

Go to the Inventory section and click the phone number you want to associate with the auto attendant, then set its Treatment to Auto Attendant with the attendant's extension.