Virtual Attendant

Virtual Attendants (VAs) can be used in conjunction with pre-existing Auto Attendants (AAs).  In order to simplify routing, consider creating new VAs (instead of new AAs) whenever possible.

BEFORE Beginning

• Users who are not Account Owners must have the appropriate permissions in their Profiles to use/manage VA features.
• Once a VA is created, it can be managed either from the PCS Premier Portal (Automation Manager (CAM)) or the PCS Mobile App VA menus.

Creating a Virtual Attendant

From any Customer Level screen of CoreNexa Automation Manager:

1. Click Services in the main menu then click Virtual Attendant in the side menu.
2. Click the New Virtual Attendant button.
3. Enter a Name for the Virtual Attendant.
4. Create a Schedule for the Virtual Attendant.
   To read more on VA Schedules and some examples proceed to the VA Schedules section below.
   • For each day of the week, specify a Start and End time (Event) during which the Business Greeting should play.
   • Click the + sign to create more than one event for a day.A time gap must exist between Schedule Events.  For example, if one event is from 12:00 – 1:00, the next event cannot begin at 1:00.  The soonest that another event can be scheduled is 1:05.
   • Click the Trash Can icon to remove an event from a day.
     If there are no events in the schedule, then the After Hours Greeting will play all day.
5. Select a Business Hours Greeting to use for the Virtual Attendant. You can select the Default Recording or upload an audio file to use as a Custom Greeting.
   To read more on greetings jump on ahead to our VA Greetings section below.
   If you want to record a greeting, then select the Default Recording for now. Once a VA has been created, greetings can then be recorded from the editing screen (see Step 10).     

Alert! If you plan to use the Default Recording, make sure to configure the phone buttons to match the Default Recording prompts (Route * to Company Directory; 1 to General Mailbox; 9 to Repeat Options).

6. Select an After Hours Greeting to use for the VA using the procedure in the previous step.
7. Set up the Business Hours Menu Configuration:

• Select an action for each (phone) Button that callers are allowed to press.

For example, if the Business Greeting says “Press 0 to reach the receptionist,” then route the Button 0 to the receptionist’s extension.

• If needed, select additional routing information from the second options list.

For example, if Button 0 is routed to an Extension, then a specific extension number must be selected next.

8. Set up the phone menu configuration options for the After Hours Greeting using the procedure in the previous step.
9. Click Save.
10. If needed, customize Business and/or After Hours Greetings by recording a VA greeting from the phone.This process can also be done from the mobile app.
    • From the VA screen, click on the Name of the VA you want to edit.
    • Scroll down to the Business / After Hours Greeting section.
    • Select Record via Phone.
    • Select an Extension to record the greeting from.
    • Click the Record button to ring your phone.

• Answer your phone and follow the voice prompts to record your greeting.
• Click the Play button to listen to the recording.
• If needed, repeat the steps above to re-record your greeting.

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VA Schedules

A VA Schedule lists all the time-spans (or Events) during which the Business Greeting will play for inbound calls.

• The VA Schedules does not list After Hours time-spans (or Events).  By default, the After Hours Greeting will play during any time periods that are not listed in the Schedule.
• Events are configured by specifying a Start and End time during a specific day.
• Multiple Events can be configured for a day.

Example Virtual Attendant Schedule:

• Monday Event 1 – Start 8:00 AM – End 12:00 PM
• Monday Event 2 – Start 1:00 PM – End 5:00 PM

• Greetings will be played as follows per the above Schedule:
  • Business Greeting will play from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
  • After Hours Greeting will play from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (lunch hour)
  • Business Greeting will play from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
  • After Hours Greeting will play from 5:00 PM until the first Event Start time in the next day’s schedule.

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VA Greetings

Each Virtual Attendant can have one Business Greeting and one After Hours Greeting.

• The Business Greeting will play during all Events listed on the schedule.
• The After Hours Greeting will play during all time periods that are not listed on the schedule.
• When creating a VA, you must select the default recording or upload a prerecorded file.
  • Audio files must be MP3 or WAV format.
  • Maximum audio file size is 10MB.
• After a VA has been created, you will be able to record a Business or After Hours greeting directly from your phone.