Set up Automatic Call Handling

Automatic call handling (or Auto Attendant) is a way to route inbound calls to your business. Use auto attendant to let your callers interact with the automated voice menus you define, and self-direct the calls without requiring any manual operator or receptionist. You can plan what you want your callers to experience when they call your company, define schedules and rules, and set up professional greetings for your business.

We recommend that you set up users, ring groups, and call queues before setting up your auto attendant.

Benefits of Automatic Call Handling

  • Look more professional: Auto attendants make your company look more professional.
  • Replace the receptionist: It replaces the need for a receptionist and saves you money.
  • Route calls efficiently: It connects your callers to the right resource quickly and efficiently.
  • Customize for different hours: You can play different menus for business hours versus after-hours.
  • Creating your greetings is easy: You can record your own and upload them, or upload customized prerecorded greetings. You can even use the 8x8 Audio Production Store for professionally recorded greetings that enhance your image.

Features

The following features are available in automatic call handling:

  • Shared schedule: Update your business hours centrally, and use the hours across multiple auto attendants. The business hours schedule is automatically adjusted for the time zone of the auto attendant.
  • Audio prompts: Manage your auto attendant’s audio prompts centrally.
  • Text-To-Speech prompt: Create Text-To-Speech (TTS) prompts using over 50 languages.
  • Simplified menus: Take advantage of the simplified open, closed, and holiday menus.
  • Lunch schedules: Define lunch hours for any working day.
  • Exception schedules: Define exceptions for any changes in your regular business hours.
  • Holiday menu: Prepare an alternative prompt for holidays with shortened or closed business hours.
  • Alternate menu: Prepare an alternative prompt during an emergency that prevents you from operating during your regular hours.
  • Test menu: Test your auto attendant and enter a valid phone number to call, listen, and interact with the menu. You must log in as a user to run the test, and have 8x8 Work services assigned to the user profile you log in to.
  • Call direction: Direct callers to ring groups, call queues, voicemail, and even additional auto attendants.
  • Ability to clone: Clone an existing auto attendant and edit the site or language information, select a phone number, and get them going quickly.

Limitation

Auto attendant's caller ID does not appear correctly.

Use Case Examples

The links below show some examples of auto attendant use:

Set up Automatic Call Handling

To set up automatic call handling, you must follow the following steps:

View Auto Attendants

You can view your auto attendants by going to Home > Auto Attendants > Auto Attendants. For customers with multiple sites and a large number of auto attendants are able to filter the auto attendants based on their sites. It helps them paginate and locate their auto attendants quickly. To view auto attendants:

  1. Go to Home > Auto Attendants > Auto Attendants.
  2. Under Filters, click a site(s) or/and a PBX(s).
    The auto attendants for the selected site(s) or/and PBX(s) appear on the page.

Clone Auto Attendants

If you have a lengthy auto attendant menu that must be replicated for multiple offices or in multiple languages, you can clone an existing auto attendant and edit the site or language information, select a phone number, and get them going quickly.

To clone an auto attendant:

  1. Go to Home > Auto Attendants > Auto Attendants.
  2. Click next to an existing auto attendant, and select Clone.
  3. A copy of the existing auto attendant opens. Enter the name and site or location, make the desired changes and save.

FAQ

Refer to the following frequently-asked questions for more information: