How An Auto Attendant Can Be Your Virtual Receptionist

How An Auto Attendant Can Be Your Virtual Receptionist

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Do you pay out good money every day just for someone to answer the phone and transfer calls? If you have to have a receptionist solely for phone duty, it might be cheaper and more effective to install an auto attendant to route incoming calls to the correct extension and save a little on overhead. (After all, an auto attendant doesn’t need a big desk, a comfy, ergonomic chair or a potted plant!)

How does an auto attendant work? It can come as a part of your VoIP or PBX phone system, creating a smooth, rapid process for handling calls in main reception lines as well as various phone extensions. You create customized prompts and your own personalized menu to quickly and professionally direct callers to the correct department. Configuration is easy and settings can be accessed and adapted at any time through an easy-to-use web interface.

You don’t need to be a huge company to realize the benefits of an automated attendant system. With an auto attendant, even businesses with lots of telecommuting employees can easily track and transfer calls to the appropriate person, and the entire system can be handled remotely through your current PBX or VoIP business phone system. Inclement weather won’t stop your team from getting their work done and being available for customers, and deadlines can be met even when office staff can’t make it in for the day.

Another advantage of the auto attendant is the incredible savings that come with virtualizing the workplace. Instead of depending on temps or worrying about receptionist dependability, extra payroll, insurance and other expenses associated with phone desk help, simply automate and let the auto attendant supply reliable, prompt and cheerful service at any time. Even after hours calls can be appropriately routed to the appropriate voice mailbox by creating a second voice greeting and a menu that kicks in when regular business hours end.

You can even route calls and queue them by order of importance – certain menu selections can be identified and set to ring through ahead of other less important calls. Best of all, you can have a unified communication interface right in your browser that keeps the entire network at your fingertips. This allows you to track calls, listen to voicemail, drag and drop calls to quickly transfer them to co-workers, and effectively manage your office from a central or remote location.

You can add as many users and phones as you need to into the network, create various menus depending on your plan, and even have access to a multitude of pay per use features that give you extra options for special situations without a hefty monthly fee – you pay only when you use them. Your overall costs will be greatly reduced, and efficiency increased. An auto attendant can be just what you need to streamline your business phone operations and bring a higher level of professionalism to your office, all with one simple installation.

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