How the Auto Attendant Phone System works.

An Auto Attendant is a feature in a business phone system that allows a caller to select the destination of their call from a pre-configured menu system. Think of it as a virtual receptionist, who routes calls to their correct destination.

When a caller phones the company, the Auto Attendant answers the call and provides them with a number of options. Using their telephone keypad, the caller chooses the option that best suits their enquiry and the call is routed onwards. The best Auto Attendants on the market will allow the call to be routed to a variety of destinations giving the caller the ability to get to the correct destination every time.

An Auto Attendant phone system provides significant Benefits to both the business and those calling it:

Professional image

An Auto Attendant phone system can help you to portray a professional image of your company to callers. As people are so frequently greeted with an automated attendant when they call large companies and organizations it’s become a service that’s increasingly expected by consumers. Because an Auto Attendant deals with calls in an efficient manner, it provides a professional image of your business.

The great thing about automated attendants is that they can be customized to provide personalized messages and options to your callers. This could include useful information such as your company opening hours or even promotional content relating to your latest marketing campaign.

 

Reduce costs

A phone system with an Auto Attendant has the ability to significantly reduce costs in your business, for example, they can completely replace the need for a receptionist or an operator. In addition, it will increase efficiency among the rest of your team, ensuring that their phones only ring with calls that are actually for them. The larger your business, the greater the opportunity for savings, especially if you operate across multiple sites or remote locations.

Improve customer service

As you most likely know from personal experience, calling a company just to be put on hold and transferred between people is incredibly frustrating. This bouncing around tends to lead to dissatisfaction and tension when the caller eventually reaches their desired destination. An Auto Attendant minimizes this risk, by helping customers to be routed to their destination first time. This results in happier customers, easier calls and better customer service.

Increase efficiency and productivity

Finally, a well-configured Auto Attendant is ultimately an efficient call routing solution. With the ability to control the flow of calls, ensuring that the correct departments and individuals are connected with the caller at the first attempt, it can free up your agents’ time and improve the efficiency of your  business.