Auto Attendant

An Auto Attendant is a recorded greeting and associated menu that provides the caller with the ability to select from multiple options to route their call. The caller can dial any extension defined for the Hosted PBX, as well as choose from a set of options that map to the digits on a phone dial pad.

The Auto Attendant screen displays a list of all Auto Attendants. From here you can view, edit, add, search for or delete an Auto Attendant.

Displaying the Auto Attendants Page

All auto-attendant tasks are performed from the Auto Attendants page. To display this page:

1. From any Level 2 screen, click Customers in the main menu then click the Customer’s Name.
2. Click Services in the main menu then click Auto Attendant in the side menu.

The following figure shows an example of the Auto Attendants page.

Creating a New Auto Attendant

Click here to watch a video on how to configure an Auto Attendant or follow the steps below.

In CoreNexa Automation Manager (CAM):

1. Navigate to your customer.
2. Select Services in the main menu then click Auto Attendant in the side menu.
3. Click the New Auto Attendant button.

1. In the General Settingssection, enter the appropriate information.
   1. Attendant Name – A name given to each auto attendant to identify it and distinguish it from others. For example: “After Hours”, “Main”, etc.
   2. Attendant Timeout – The amount of time after the greeting has finished playing before the “Timeout” rule is executed. For more information about the Timeout feature, see the Button Configuration section below.
   3. Digit Timeout – The delay time (in seconds) between key presses before the Hosted PBX attempts to connect the caller to the dialed digits.
2. In the Announcementsection, choose whether to record your announcement or select it from another source:
   1. Record via Phone – Record your Auto Attendant announcement using your telephone:
      1. Click the Record via Phone option button.
      2. Type your phone’s extension number in the text field to the right of the Record button below the feature description text box.
      3. Click the Record button to ring your phone.
      4. Answer your phone and follow the voice prompts to record your announcement.
      5. Click the Play button to listen to the recording. Repeat the steps above to re-record your announcement, if desired.
   2. Upload a File – Upload an existing audio file to serve as your announcement:
      1. Click the Upload a File option button.
      2. Click the Select File button.
      3. In the File Upload box, search for and select the desired file, then click the Open button. NOTE: The audio file must be in MP3 or WAV format, and no larger than 10 MB.
   3. Default Recording – Use the system’s pre-recorded announcement:
      1. Click the Default Recording option button. NOTE: For a transcript of the announcement, see the text box to the right of the Announcement option buttons.
   4. Mailbox – Choose your Auto Attendant announcement from an existing voice mailbox:
      1. Click the Mailbox option button.
      2. Click the Select Mailbox dropdown list and select a mailbox.
      3. Click the adjacent dropdown list and choose a recording from the message type dropdown list: Busy, Greeting or Unavailable.
3. In the Button Configuration section, for each button do the following:
   • Click the Route To dropdown list and make a selection.

• After a Route To selection is made, select an option from the adjacent dropdown list or fill in required information if necessary (some Route To options have none):

• Choose a Route To for the Timeout feature (at the bottom of the list).

7. Click the Save button.

NOTE: Once Auto Attendant has been setup and routed, test your system by dialing your main number and allowing the auto attendant to pick up.

Editing an Auto Attendant

1. In the Auto Attendant list, click on the Name or on the Edit icon to the right of it.
2. Edit the fields as necessary using the instructions for Creating a New Auto Attendant above.
3. Click the Save button to save your changes.

Deleting an Auto Attendant

In the Auto Attendant list you can:

1. Click on the Name or on the Edit icon to the right of it then click the Delete button. Or,

2. Click the Delete icon to the left of the Auto Attendant’s Name.

An Auto Attendant can only be deleted if there are no Incoming Routes assigned to it.

Auto Attendant Best Practices

When configuring your auto attendant, observe the following best practices:

• Consider your callers. Do they know with whom they want to talk or what function they need (customer service, sales, and so on)? Taking your callers into account will help you determine how to configure your auto attendant.Note: If you would like to change the directory sorting order from First Name to Last Name, navigate to Settings > Account Settings > Service. In the PBX Features section, Choose No or Yes radio next to Directory by FirstName. Remember to click Save if you made a change.

• If callers know with whom they want to talk, assist them by providing options such as:
  • “Dial your party’s extension at any time. ”
  • “Press x for a dial by name directory. ”
  • “Press x for the first available person/general voicemail. ”
  • “Press 1 for Bob, 2 for Susan, ” and so on. However, this approach does not scale well.
• If callers do not know a specific person but need a function, provide options such as:
  • “Press x for a dial by name directory. ”
  • “For sales, press 1. ”
  • “For customer service, press 2. ”
  • “For accounting, press 3. ”

Note: Try to keep greetings brief. Do not flood callers with too much information (hours, directions, fax numbers). Instead, place that information into a “play message” option.