Auto Attendant Setup

This menu is used to configure the auto attendant facilities provided by the phone system. Up to 9 auto attendants are supported. The Auto Attendant field drop down list is used to select which auto attendant is being configured.

When Do Calls Go to an Auto Attendant?

The Basic Edition voicemail supports the configuration of up to 9 auto attendant services to answer and redirect calls. If an auto attendant has been configured, it can be used to answer calls as follows:

•Immediate Auto Attendant Service
One of the auto attendants can be specified as the Coverage Destination for a particular line. The call is presented immediately to that auto attendant.

•Delayed/Optional Auto Attendant Service
The VMS Schedule setting of each line can be used to set whether unanswered calls should go to a selected auto attendant. The settings can be enabled for day service, night service, both or never (the default). The delay used before going to the auto attendant is set by the line's VMS Delay - Day and VMS Delay - Night settings as appropriate.

Greeting Times

The auto attendant can provide different greetings at different times of the day. The greeting is always followed by the separate menu options greeting. These fields are used to set the time periods during which each greetings is used.

If the time periods overlap, the greeting used is the first one that is valid for the time period in the order morning, afternoon or evening. For call outside a configured time period or when the system is set to night service, the out of office hours greeting is used.

•Morning: Default = 08:00 to 11:59
Set the operation times for the morning greetings.

•Afternoon: Default = 12:00 to 17:59
Set the operation times for the afternoon greetings.

•Evening: Default = 18:00 to 21:00
Set the operation times for the evening greetings.

Configure Profiles

These are the general settings for the auto attendant.

•Auto Attendant:
This drop down list is used to select which auto attendant is being configured. For Release 6.1+, up to 9 auto attendants are supported.

•The Add button can be used to create a new auto attendant. Up to 9 auto attendants are supported.

•The Delete button removes the currently selected auto attendant. It does not erase any greetings that have been recorded for the auto attendant. The first auto attendant cannot be removed.

•Maximum Inactivity: Default = 8 seconds. Range = 1 to 20 seconds.
This field sets how long after playing the prompts the auto attendant should wait for a valid key press. If exceeded, the caller is transferred to the operator (the first extension in the system).

•Menu Prompt: Default = Each menu uses its own prompt, Software level = 6.1
Each time profile option used by an auto attendant can have its own set of actions and therefore may require a separate actions prompt to be played after the appropriate greeting prompt. The settings Each menu uses its own prompt does that. Alternately one of the menu options can be selected as the menu option prompt played at all times of day.

•Direct Dial By Number: Default = On for the first default auto attendant. Off for other auto attendants.
This setting affects the operation of any key presses in the auto attendant menu set to use the Dial By Number action.

•If selected, the key press for the action is included in any following digits dialed by the caller for extension matching. For example, if 2 is set in the actions to Dial by Number, a caller can dial 20 for extension 20.

•If not selected, the key press for the action is not included in any following digits dialed by the caller for extension matching. For example, if 2 is set in the actions to Dial by Number, a caller must dial 2 and then 20 for extension 20.

•Follow Night Service: Default = On, Software level = 6.1+
When selected, while the system is in night service, the auto attendant will switch to using its out of hours greetings and menu actions. If not selected, when the system is in night service, the auto attendant will use the greetings and menu options as determined by its time profile settings.

•Dial by Name Match Order: Default = Last then First.
Determines the name order used for keys set to the Dial by Name action. The options are First then Last or Last then First.

•Language: Default = Match system language, Software level = 6.1+.
This settings controls the language used for auto attendant action prompts. If not set the system Language setting is used.

•Morning
When this Profile is selected, the morning greeting and morning menu options are used during the times indicated in Greeting Times for morning. The Record Greeting number indicates the internal number that can be dialed to hear the current greeting and record a new greeting.

•Afternoon
When this Profile is selected, the afternoon greeting and afternoon menu options are used during the times indicated in Greeting Times for afternoon.  The Record Greeting number indicates the internal number that can be dialed to hear the current greeting and record a new greeting.

•Evening
When this Profile is selected, the evening greetings and evening menu options are used during the times indicated in Greeting Times for evening. The Record Greeting number indicates the internal number that can be dialed to hear the current greeting and record a new greeting.

•Out of office hours
For times not covered by the morning, afternoon or evening settings, the Out of Hours greetings and Out of Hours menu options are used. If Follow Night Service is selected, this also applies when the system is put into night service. The Record Greeting number indicates the internal number that can be dialed to hear the current greeting and record a new greeting.

•Menu options
This greeting should details the options available to callers after hearing the auto attendant greeting. The Record Greeting number indicates the internal number that can be dialed to hear the current greeting and record a new greeting. Note that number changes depending on whether you are selecting the menu options for the morning, afternoon, evening or out of hours. The Menu Prompt setting (see above) controls whether separate menu prompts are used for each time state or not.

•Emergency Greeting: Software level = 6.1
Using the Transfer to Emergency Greeting action from an auto attendant, an emergency greeting can be recorded and activated or deactivated. When active, the emergency greeting is played to callers in advanced of any other auto attendant greeting. The Record Greeting number indicates the internal number that can be dialed to hear the current greeting and record a new greeting. Use of this feature requires the system password to be set. When an emergency greeting message is active, a message to that effect is also displayed on the Alarm Extension (see below).

•Alarm Extension: Default = 10, Software level = 6.1
When the auto attendant's Emergency Greeting is active (see above), a warning message is also displayed on the extension indicated by this field.

Setup Auto Attendant Actions

This table allows you to assign which key presses have associated actions for the auto attendant.

•Type: Software level = 6.1
The auto attendant menu options can be varied according to the time of day. These radio buttons are used to select which set of actions are current displayed and editable within IP Office Manager.

•The button below the key actions table can be used to copy the current set of actions for the selected Type to all the other types in the current auto attendant. This overrides all the existing settings for actions and destinations.

•Key
The standard telephone dial pad keys, 0 to 9 plus *, # and Fax.

•Action
The following actions can be assigned to each key.

•No Action
The corresponding key takes no action.

•Dial by Name
Callers are asked to dial the name of the user they require and then press #. The recorded mailbox name prompts of matching users are then played back for the caller to make a selection. The name order used is set by the Dial by Name Match Order setting. Users without a recorded name prompt or set to Exclude from Directory are not included. Users can record their name by accessing their mailbox and dialing *05.

•Dial By Number
This option allows callers with DTMF phones to dial the extension number of the user they require. No destination is set for this option. The Direct Dial-By-Number setting above determines how the digits dialed with this action are used.

•Transfer to Auto Attendant: Software level = 6.1+
This option transfers the caller to another indicated auto attendant. This will skip the greeting menu of that auto attendant, playing just the current menu options greeting instead.

•Transfer to Emergency Greeting: Software level = 6.1+
This option transfers the caller to a set of prompts for recording the emergency greeting and for selecting whether the emergency greeting is active or not.

•If a system password has been set, the caller is asked to enter that password before they can continue.

•When the emergency greeting is active, it is played to other auto attendant callers before any other auto attendant greeting.

•When the emergency greeting is active, a warning is displayed on the auto attendant's Alarm Extension.

•Transfer to Number
Transfer the call to the extension or group selected in the Destination field.

•Replay Menu Greeting
Repeat the current menu options greeting.

•Destination
Sets the destination for the Transfer to Number action. The drop down list can be used to select from the available extension and groups configured on the phone system. This list contains an option to collect voicemail. For Transfer to Auto Attendant allows selection of the target auto attendant.

•The option 76: Modem can be used to select the V32 modem supported by the first analog trunk. This can be used for basic remote access for maintenance.

Recording Auto Attendant Greetings

Dialing the appropriate number shown in the table below allows recording and playback of the matching auto attendant prompt. It is important to remember that callers always hear two prompts, a greeting prompt and then a menu prompt. In addition, they may also first hear the emergency greeting if it has been activated.

The Auto Attendant Access numbers allow internal access to an auto attendant. Calls can be transferred to these numbers.