Hosted VoIP PBX Auto Attendant Solution
Auto-attendant Solution by Vulcan Telecom
Personal touch is great, but any size office may want to use the phone feature of an auto-attendant.
This allows the calls to be answered every time with a warm, professional, recorded greeting that can be changed easily.
An auto-attendant is a feature of a Vulcan Telecom PBX system that allows incoming calls to be automatically routed to the appropriate extension or department.
It is typically used as a way to manage incoming calls in a business or organization, especially when there is not enough staff available to answer calls manually.
An auto attendant typically works by answering incoming calls with a recorded message that prompts the caller to select from a list of options or to leave a message.
For example, the message may ask the caller to press 1 to speak with sales, press 2 to speak with support, or press 3 to leave a message.
The PBX system then routes the call to the appropriate extension or department based on the option selected by the caller. If the extension is unavailable, there is the option of voicemail.
Auto attendants can be configured to provide different options based on the time of day or the day of the week. For example, a business may set up different options for regular business hours and after-hours calls.
Auto attendants can be useful for businesses that receive a high volume of incoming calls, as they allow calls to be efficiently routed to the appropriate extension or department without the need for manual intervention.
They can also be useful for businesses that have limited staff available to answer calls, as they allow calls to be handled automatically.
Overall, the auto attendant feature of a PBX system is a useful tool for managing incoming calls in a business or organization. It can help to improve efficiency and reduce the workload of staff by automating the routing of calls to the appropriate extension or department.
A sample script of Auto-attendant might sound like:
Thank you for calling Acme Heating and Air, your HVAC dealer for efficient products and excellent service. If you know your party’s extension, you may dial it at any time.
- For product sales, dial “1”
- For service scheduling, dial “2”
- For customer service, dial “3”
- For accounting, dial “4”
- To reach the company directory, dial “5”
- For the operator, dial “0”
Changing Auto-attendant Language
In different countries and cases, it can be very useful to be able to change the language spoken to calling customers via the Auto-attendant feature. Here in Alabama, Vulcan Telecom has experience with requests to change the Auto-Attendant language for callers from default English to Spanish as well.
One of the basic requirements for being able to change the language of Auto-attendant is the need to create an appropriate recording of the required Auto-attendant dialogues for each language we wish to offer customers.
Create your Auto-attendant
All calls will start in English by default, and only then can you offer to change the Auto-attendant jacket to another one.
Once the caller has used this offer and changed the language of the Auto-attendant, their choice will then remain active for the rest of the call and therefore all dialogues set up for the Auto-attendant will be in that language.
Specific extensions will be required when creating the auto-attendant operators used to change languages.
Select the Auto-attendant language
Setup Routing Users
• SetLanguageEN - English (USA)
• SetLanguageES - Spanish (Mexico)
Setup Forwarding
Updating an Auto-Attendant Greeting by Telephone
Once the Auto Attendant is created, it is possible to update the Greeting menu by dialing the passcode from any registered device. This feature of Vulcan Telecom's system is particularly useful when the business we run needs to change the Auto Attendant message frequently. An example of such a business might be a restaurant that presents daily specials to callers in this manner as part of the Auto Attendant service.
Again, keep in mind that this feature can only be used when calling from a device that is registered in the same domain as the Auto Attendant.
It should also be taken into account that a 180-second timer is used on Auto Attendant Greetings. This restriction only applies to the on-call recording method and does not apply if the file is uploaded directly.
In order to use the Auto Attendant greeting change, you need to know the passcode to change the desired Auto Attendant greeting. Logically, each of the Auto Attendant greetings in use must have a different access code. To find the passcode of a particular Auto Attendant greeting, you must click through the settings in the Manage Menu Prompt on the appropriate Auto Attendant configuration page.
This will open a modal window in which you will find the Access Code. This code is in this Auto Attendant specific greeting configuration dialog and displayed in the field labeled "Star Code to Record".
Now that we know the star code of the specific Auto Attendant greeting we want to change, we just need to enter this star code from any registered device. Entering it will allow us to record a new greeting at will.
Auto-Attendant Timers
Auto attendant timers can be used to set time limits for the auto attendant feature, which can be useful for businesses that want to ensure that calls are not held on the auto attendant for an extended period of time. For example, a business may set a time limit of 30 seconds for the auto attendant, after which the call will be routed to a voicemail box or another extension.
Auto attendant timers can be configured to work with different options within the auto attendant feature. For example, a business may set different time limits for different options within the auto attendant, such as longer time limits for calls that are routed to a voicemail box and shorter time limits for calls that are routed to an extension.
Auto attendant timers can be useful for businesses that want to ensure that calls are not held on the auto attendant for an extended period of time, as they allow businesses to set time limits for the auto attendant feature. They can also be useful for businesses that want to ensure that calls are efficiently routed to the appropriate extension or department, as they can help to reduce wait times for callers.
The timers that can be set are as follows:
- 'Timeout before first button press'
- 'Timeout after last button press'
- 'Maximum number of button presses'
There is a 'Set Custom' button for each option. This button opens a scroll bar with options 1-10 (in seconds).
It should be remembered that for Auto Attendant greetings there is a MAX time of 30 minutes. You need to adjust your settings to be able to block robo callers or spam with this setting. Therefore, it is advisable to configure a "hang up when no button is pressed" rule to limit blocking of lines by the just mentioned kind of spam calls. Especially for any "night greeting" or if you have any toll-free numbers routed to an automated operator, this measure in the settings is highly recommended.
Types of the Auto attendant timers
Timeout before first button press
Timeout after last key press
Maximum number of key presses to collect
