Glossary
Auto attendant
An auto attendant is the recorded voice that answers a business number, offers a short list of options and connects the caller. It is the simplest kind of IVR and the one most businesses use.
An auto attendant is a phone system feature that answers incoming calls with a recorded greeting, offers a short menu of options and routes each caller to the department, extension or voicemail they choose. It replaces a live receptionist for the first step of a call. The term describes the simple main-menu form of IVR; more complex interactive flows are usually called IVR rather than auto attendant.
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What it means
An auto attendant does the first job a receptionist does: greet the caller and send them to the right place. It plays a greeting, lists options, waits for a keypress, and transfers. Most also let callers dial an extension directly, reach a directory by name, or stay on the line to be connected to a person. A different greeting can play outside business hours.
Good auto attendants are short and specific. They name the business, offer the two or three reasons people usually call, and never trap a caller. The greeting is recorded in a real voice, ideally by someone at the business, and updated when hours or departments change.
How it is used in a business phone system
- Day greeting: 'Thank you for calling. For appointments press 1, for billing press 2, or stay on the line.'
- Night greeting: hours, an emergency option that rings the on-call phone, and voicemail for everything else.
- Language choice as the first prompt, with an English and a French version of the menu behind it.
- Holiday greeting scheduled in advance so nobody has to remember to change it on the day.
How 3CTel uses it
The main menu is part of every 3CTel phone system. A specialist works out the options with you, sets the business-hours and after-hours versions, records or uploads the greetings, and connects each option to its destination. Bilingual menus are built with English and French branches. The menu is tested on a temporary number so you can call it and hear exactly what a customer hears before the real number is switched over.
Call routing
Decide who answers, in what order, and what happens when they cannot.
Learn more: Call routingAfter-hours calls
A plan for every call that arrives after closing, on a weekend or on a holiday.
Learn more: After-hours callsBusiness Phone
Reliable calling with routing your team will actually use.
Learn more: Business PhoneCommon questions about auto attendants
Should a small business use an auto attendant or have a person answer?
Many small businesses do both. The auto attendant answers immediately, offers two or three options, and 'stay on the line' rings the team. Callers who know what they want get there faster, and everyone else still reaches a person. If nobody is free, the fallback is voicemail with a transcript or an AI receptionist that takes the details.
What is the difference between an auto attendant and an AI receptionist?
An auto attendant plays a fixed recording and routes on keypresses. An AI receptionist listens to what the caller says, answers common questions, takes messages and books appointments in conversation, and transfers to a person when needed. The auto attendant is the right tool for sorting callers by department; the AI receptionist handles the calls a menu cannot resolve.
Related pages.
Business Phone
Reliable calling with routing your team will actually use.
Learn more: Business PhoneAI Receptionist
Answers, understands and books — in English and French.
Learn more: AI ReceptionistCall routing
Decide who answers, in what order, and what happens when they cannot.
Learn more: Call routingFrequently asked questions.
Yes. Direct extension dialling during the greeting is standard, and a dial-by-name directory can be added for callers who know the person but not the number.
Anyone at the business with a clear voice can record it, or a professional recording can be supplied. Either way the text is agreed first and the recording is tested on a temporary number.
Not sure which of these you need?
Describe how your calls arrive today and a 3CTel specialist will map them to the right pieces, build them on a temporary number and quote the result before anything is billed.