Auto-Attendant Setup

Modified on Wed, 15 Jan at 12:04 PM

Managing inbound calls is a crucial part of how an organization handles everyday business, and the process here is simple, straightforward, and fully customizable. By implementing auto-attendants, you can customize where your callers are routed based on a schedule. Whether they are trying to reach a specific department or the regional office, you get to decide what happens when they call in.

For best results, open Auto-Attendant builder in Chrome or Firefox.

Building Basics

Build. As routes are added to the builder, they are arranged in neat rows and columns so you can see how it all fits together. They can be easily found, moved around, and connected as the auto-attendant is built.
Save. When you're done configuring a route, click [Save], and it will be added to the Auto-Attendant builder canvas. Each route that has an Add icon after it requires an additional route.
Edit. To edit a route, click on the primary card to open the editor for that route on the right side of your window.

Add an Auto-Attendant

Click [+ Add Auto-Attendant].
The Auto-Attendant builder will open in a new window. If your browser doesn't allow pop-ups, it may ask if you want to allow this one.
Enter a name for this auto-attendant.
Click the Add icon to select and add a new route (see the summary below). When a route is selected, the editor will slide out on the right of your window.
Configure the route as needed, then click Save.
Back in the builder, there is now an Add icon next to each new route. Click the icon to add the next route.

Editing Auto-Attendants

For auto-attendants that are Live or Activated, only the Group Route can be edited; all other routes will be view only. See Edit an Auto-Attendant for details.

Auto-Attendant Routes Summary

For more detailed information, refer to the Auto-Attendant Routes Guide.

Field	Description
Schedule	Routes the caller to a call flow based on a defined schedule.
Menu	Plays a recording, typically the readout of the phone menu, and waits for the touch-tone input from the user to determine the next route.
Message	Plays a pre-recorded sound clip.
Group	Routes the caller to a group of users (not devices). This route also supports call queuing, barge-in, night forwarding, and user log in/out. Group routes can be edited in real-time while the auto-attendant is live.
User	Routes the caller to a specific user's devices or the user's voicemail. The call will follow the user's call handling settings.
Forward to Phone Number	Routes calls to an on- or off-net phone number.
Directory	Allows the caller to dial a user in the directory using text to speech.
Hang Up	Ends the call.
Reference	Redirects the caller to another route in this Auto-Attendant. For example, if a call is routed to a user but the user doesn't answer, instead of ending the call there so they have to call back, you could reference the Main Menu so the caller can start over.

Activate an Auto-Attendant

When the auto-attendant is complete, meaning there aren't any open routes and everything is good to go, its status will be updated to "Ready to Activate." At this point, you can click to Activate the auto-attendant and then assign a phone number to it.

AA-Activate

Assign Extension

Assign an extension to the auto-attendant, so users can transfer callers back to the main menu to reach a different department. (Optional)

For the auto-attendant you want to modify, click the extension field (None or an extension) to open the editor.
Enter a unique extension in the field.
Click [Save].

Assign a Phone Number

Once the auto-attendant is activated, a phone number must be assigned to it. This step is required before calls can be directed through the auto-attendant.

If the Phone Number Destinations permission is enabled, Account Manager and Admin end users can assign a phone number that is already on the account to the auto-attendant. Otherwise, they will need to call you to do it for them.

Click Assign Phone Number (a shortcut) or go to Business Cloud > Phone Numbers.
On the Phone Numbers page, locate the phone number this auto-attendant is for and click the map icon on the right.
Update the Phone Number Rings To field to the active auto-attendant, then and click [Save]. If the Auto-Attendant you're looking for isn't listed, make sure it has been activated.
The Auto-Attendant's status is updated to LIVE and it is active on the phone number.