Auto Attendant

What is an auto attendant?

An automated attendant is an automatic voice response system that greets callers, provides pre-recorded information, and forwards the call to the appropriate person or system. This feature is also known as an auto-receptionist, as it often replaces a live receptionist, such as a secretary, who manually takes business calls and routes them accordingly to meet the caller’s needs. As a caller, if you’ve ever been prompted to “Press 1 for Sales, “Press 2 for Support” on your phone, you’ve experienced how this feature works.

How to set up the auto attendant phone system in MightyCall

Setting up the auto attendant in MightyCall is simple and takes just a few minutes.

1. Go to Call Flow → Incoming Calls.
2. In the section where it says “From regular customers” section, find the “Sun” icon (which means “Working Hours”). You’ll see the voice greeting player.
3. Choose the default greeting or record and upload your own.
4. Find and click on the Voice Menu icon (gold in color, with dots resembling a dial pad on it).
5. You’ll now see voice menu options appear, with the numbers 1, 2, etc., and a green “plus” sign. These stand for the numbers on your dial pad for which you can configure actions.
6. Select the actions for numbers 0 up to 9 (e.g. 1 = forward to Bill, 2 = Forward to Sales, etc.). Use the “plus sign” symbol to add more numbers.
7. Select an action in case a timeout occurs (if a caller does nothing for a long time).
8. Save changes.

Note: To select options for other sections of the call flow, such as non-working hours or calls to VIP clients, repeat steps 3-6 for the appropriate section.

How does an auto attendant work?

An automated receptionist eliminates the need for manual call forwarding by interacting with the caller and forwarding the call as necessary.

1. When the caller dials your number, they will first hear a voice greeting (general or custom, uploaded by you).
2. Next, the caller will be prompted to “Press 1 for X, Press 2 for Y”. When they press the appropriate button on their device’s dial pad, the call is forwarded to the predetermined location (e.g., company extension, department, external number, voicemail, etc).
3. If the caller doesn’t respond, the business phone auto attendant carries out a pre-programmed action (for example, sends the call to voicemail or disconnects the call).

Auto attendant and interactive voice response: What’s the difference?

Both are automated phone systems that businesses use to forward calls. So how are they different? Let’s take a look.

As we can see from the above, the two systems share many similarities, but in most cases, the latter is a more advanced version.

Can an auto receptionist be considered an IVR alternative?

For companies, the main difference between the two systems is centered around the size and needs of your business, and how callers are used to interacting with your voice menu. The auto attendant feature works best for:

• Small and medium-sized businesses
• Companies with one location and/or business number
• Interaction with the caller via their dial pad (not speech recognition or AI)
• Simple call forwarding tasks

IVR, particularly its multi-level version, is a better option for:

• Large companies and call centers
• Companies with “departments within departments”
• Businesses with two or more locations
• Bilingual service businesses
• Voice menu with submenus
• Advanced call forwarding tasks
• Speech recognition/ AI capability

Though there’s a difference in the features above, with MightyCall, you get the best auto attendant phone system for one simple reason: you don’t have to choose between the two options. For those who require multiple voice menu levels, we offer a multi-level auto attendant system.

Key automated answering system features

This telephone system may appear simple, but it comes with several important features that allow you to customize it to meet specific business needs. This doesn’t mean that your business will need to set up all of the following options – choose whatever fits your team size and caller needs.

• Custom voice greetings: An option that lets you personalize what the caller hears when they reach you and your voice menu prompts. We recommend uploading custom voice greetings that reflect your company’s tone.
• Call forwarding to individuals, groups, or queues: This feature lets you forward the call to a specific team member or direct it to an entire group, such as “Sales” or “Support”. You can also choose to route a call to an external number or a call queue.

• Pre-recorded information: Some companies get lots of recurring calls asking for a variation of the same things. For example, your working hours, location, seasonal information, and other FAQ. With this option, you can provide the callers with critical info upfront. Simply route the call to pre-recorded information if this is what the caller is looking for.
• Dial by name directory: This feature is ideal for support specialists, returning customers, partners, and other key contacts. It makes it easy to locate a specific company employee by their name. For example, if they dial “John” on their dial pad, the system will connect them to the extension that you’ve assigned to “John”.

Customize MightyCall’s automated answering service

Voice greetings

1. Go to the Call Flow section in your MightyCall profile.
2. Under the “Incoming calls” tab, you will see the flow for your business number. If you have multiple business numbers, the flows will be available under separate tabs corresponding to each number.
3. Go to the section that has a “Play” icon and click on it. You’ll see the “General Greetings” pop-up.
4. You’ll see an option to upload your own recorded message or keep the existing general greeting.
5. Save changes.

Dial by name directory

1. Go to the Call Flow section in your MightyCall profile
2. Under the “Incoming calls” tab, you will see the flow for your business number. If you have multiple business numbers, the flows will be available under separate tabs corresponding to each number.
3. At the bottom, you will see a golden icon that says “Voice Menu”. Click on it.
4. You’ll see various options under the symbols 1, 2, etc. Click on the round icon with “ABC” on it. This is the “Dial by Name” option.
5. Select it and click “Save changes”.

Route a call to a user, group, or queue

1. Go to the Call Flow section in your MightyCall profile
2. Under the “Incoming calls” tab, you will see the flow for your business number. If you have multiple business numbers, the flows will be available under separate tabs corresponding to each number.
3. At the bottom, you will see a golden icon that says “Voice Menu”. Click on it.
4. You’ll see various options under the symbols 1, 2, etc. Click on the orange round icon with a single silhouette. This is the “Call to user” option.
   4a. To direct the call to a Call Group, in Step 4, click on the green round icon with a double silhouette. This is the “Call to group” option. Save changes.
   4b. To direct the call to a Call Queue, in Step 4, click on the purple round icon with two silhouettes and a clock. This is the “Call queue” option. Save changes.
5. Save changes.

Benefits of an automated attendant

Here’s what we love about the automated receptionist, and the characteristics your own business will profit from.

Professional first impression

An automated attendant greets every caller with a clear, consistent message that represents your business. This creates a polished and professional image, building trust from the very first interaction.

Time-saving

It eliminates the manual work of directing calls, allowing employees and managers to focus on priority service or product tasks. But even more, with an automated answering service, you can quickly provide customers with frequently asked information and avoid losing your team’s productivity over continuous calls.

Fully customizable

Personalize every step of your menu, from the greeting your caller hears, to system prompts (choose a general one, or record your own!), and how the feature works based on the time of day and/or the caller’s number (regular/VIP/block list). Make the call flow as straightforward or as complex as you need.

Simple to use

The system is super intuitive, and the ‘call flow’ tree is entirely visual in MightyCall. This means you won’t have any trouble setting up your system even if you aren’t good with technology. On the callers’ end, things are also simple. If your customers dislike lengthy voice menus and automated systems, you can set up a basic yet useful automated system that will actually speed up the calling process.

Cost-effective

Any business needs a secretary – and this feature allows you to have one without the extra costs of a live agent. Bundled into the business phone system, it’s an option that you can choose to use or not, without any extra costs – so if your business starts to expand, you can enhance your auto attendant phone system as well, at no additional cost.

Use cases

Paying a human operator can be expensive. Plus, they can only talk to one caller at a time, most of whom are probably calling for basic information like opening hours and recent sales. Let’s have a look at cases where having a virtual auto attendant can be helpful.

Small businesses without a receptionist

A local law firm or medical practice may not have the budget for a full-time receptionist. An auto attendant greets callers, routes them to the right extension (e.g., appointments, billing, or urgent cases), and ensures no phone calls are missed during busy times. Think of it as an auto-receptionist.

After-hours customer inquiries

A retail company or service provider can use an auto attendant to handle calls outside business hours. The system can provide store hours, direct callers to voicemail, or forward urgent issues to an on-call staff member, ensuring customers still get timely assistance.

High-volume call environments

In industries like telecom or utilities, companies receive hundreds of calls daily. An auto attendant organizes these by routing billing questions, outage reports, or technical support requests to the right departments, reducing wait times and improving efficiency.

How to choose an auto attendant for your business?

Selecting the right automated phone answering service is a challenging task. However, armed with the following tips, you can make an easier and more informed decision.

Match it to your business needs

Start by defining what you want your auto attendant to do, whether it’s call routing, providing basic information, or handling after-hours inquiries. A clear goal ensures you pick a system that fits your priorities instead of paying for unnecessary features.

Prioritize ease of setup and management

Look for an auto attendant that’s easy to configure and update without heavy IT involvement. A simple, intuitive interface allows your team to make quick changes to greetings or call flows as your business evolves.

Ensure flexibility and scalability

Your business will grow and change, so choose a solution that can handle more calls, multiple locations, or additional extensions without requiring a major upgrade. Scalability helps future-proof your investment.

Focus on customer experience

The caller’s journey should be smooth. Choose a system that offers clear menus, minimal steps, and the option to reach a live agent when needed. A good auto attendant enhances, not hinders, customer satisfaction.

Check integration and reliability

An effective auto attendant should integrate seamlessly with your phone system, CRM, or phone system software. Additionally, consider reliability. Look for a provider with strong uptime and responsive customer support to ensure your communications run smoothly.

Tips to build an effective auto attendant phone system

Auto attendant systems can get a bad rep. However, this issue isn’t a problem of the system itself as much as a mishap on the side of the business that doesn’t put much time or attention into its setup. Here are a few tips to avoid the system sounding generic and actually being helpful.

Keep things simple

Building a sophisticated navigation system of auto attendant menus may be tempting for an ultra-professional look, but the best professionalism lies in simplicity. For most small and medium-sized businesses, the easy navigation and short wait time will pleasantly surprise customers while saving you time on picking up each and every phone call.

Use your own voice

Generic greetings come with automated phone attendant systems, but it’s best to use them as a starting point for your own narrative. Take a moment to consider your company’s tone of voice and record a personal greeting. Inject some mild humor if applicable to your niche, and share the warmth of your voice. You can even record auto attendant phone greetings with a mic or cell phone, adding a personal touch to the interaction.

Put the option to talk to an agent upfront

You know how listening to automated greetings often comes down to one thing – opting for that prompt to “talk to an operator”? Don’t make your customers wait for it – give that as an upfront option. For example, you can say, “Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 to talk to an operator right now!” In any case, make sure that the option isn’t last on a lengthy menu.

Prioritize options

This actually goes hand in hand with the previous point. Think of the concerns your particular customers have and focus your auto attendant around those.

Keep information up to date

Information tends to get outdated every now and then, so don’t keep the same old routine – switch things up. Make sure to keep notices and information relevant, reorganize your menu now and then according to the changing needs of your callers, and try different voice greetings.

Ready to start using the auto attendant?

A business always needs a helping hand. So don’t try to do everything yourself – give your team a smart, automated, and cost-effective assistant, included in your business VoIP subscription. With MightyCall’s auto attendant with VoIP, you can easily switch from a simple option to automatically forward calls to a more complex multi-level solution.

We suggest starting off simple, and adapting to the needs of your team and your growing business – a no-brainer with MightyCall.