Auto Attendants

Using the Auto Attendant, calls can be forwarded simply and automatically without, for example, a person being present at reception. An Auto Attendant is advantageous especially for callers in the central office, since they will be forwarded directly to the desired destination. Furthermore, employees do not have to answer with the company name, since it was announced clearly before in the greeting before answering.

No special users or lines need to be configured. You can use a set of rules here that evaluates which announcements are played for the caller based on date, time and/or caller number. All you need is an XPhone Connect Auto Attendant license, corresponding announcements and an Auto Attendant.

Hint

Per XPhone Connect - Auto Attendant License you may use up to 20 Auto Attendants.

Example scenarios

  • Scenario 1

    The central office is forwarded to the Auto Attendant, with a menu for the caller. If the caller call on public holidays, weekends or outside of business hours, the greeting Central office - Outside of business hours is played indicating that no one is available. Otherwise, the caller hears the greeting Central office - Menu before answering, where the options for forwarding are provided, e.g. distribution (1), support (2), central office (3, no selection). Depending on the button the caller now presses, he will be connected to the corresponding department.

  • Scenario 2

    The distribution hotline is forwarded to an ACD (Automatic Call Distribution). If all employees are busy, the caller is forwarded to an Auto Attendant. It plays the corresponding greeting and also gives the caller the option to leave a voicemail. This voicemail is sent to the central distribution mail box sales@company.com, which all distribution employees can access.

Access to the XPhone Connect Directory

For Auto Attendants to be able to identify the caller already at the server (caller data are already displayed in the email), it may be necessary to give them special authorisations in the corresponding data sources. This may be necessary, for example, if access to a data source is only permitted for a certain security group. Since users do not have to be created for the Auto Attendants, it is sufficient to set the authorisation also for Auto Attendants in the corresponding data sources of the administration interface of the XPhone Connect Directory. Chapter: XPhone Connect Directory.

Creating / editing

To add an Auto Attendant, click New Auto Attendant. The Create new Auto Attendant dialogue opens. To edit an Auto Attendant, Select it and click Edit or click directly on the name. You now have the following setting options/sections.

General

First, enter a name, description and telephone number for the Auto Attendant.

Example:

Name:

Sales drop

Description:

Drop from call centre + leave message

Phone number:

28123

Rules

Similar to voicemail greetings, you can specify here, which greeting is to be played in which condition. Please note the sequence of the rules in the table. The first condition that is satisfied will be executed.

  1. To deactivate a part of the rules, remove the check under Active checkbox_leer for the desired greeting.

  2. To move a part of the rules keep the corresponding button verschieben_icon (at the end of each row) pressed and drag the rule part to the desired position. An arrow shows you where the rule part is put after releasing it.

  3. Under Greetings, you can select the voicemail messages created under System settings > UM > Voicemail > Greetings.

To do this, create the respective conditions for date, time or telephone number by selecting the desired criterion from the existing values in the dropdown list or creating new conditions:

Add new date

  1. To do this, select from the pulldown list Add date…. This opens the Add new date dialogue.

  2. First, assign a unique name (mandatory field).

  3. Please select:

    • Weekdays

    • or freely definable days

  4. Freely definable days:

    • Additional freely definable days can be added by clicking the + button add . Another row appears.

    • If a conditions repeats itself yearly select the Repeat yearly check box.

  5. A row can removed again by clicking the - button remove.

    • If you only want to define one data, simply fill in the On/From field.

  6. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

Edit date

  1. Select the date you want to edit from the pulldown list.

  2. Then click the Change date change button.

  3. You can adjust the settings in the dialogue that opens now.

  4. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

Delete date

  1. Select Delete date… from the pulldown list.

  2. You can remove all deletable rows by clicking the - remove button in the Delete time dialogue that opens now.

  3. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

Adding a new time

  1. To do this, select from the pulldown list Add time…. The Add new time dialogue opens.

  2. First, assign a unique name (mandatory field)

  3. Assign a freely definable time.

    • Additional freely definable times can be added by clicking the - add button .

    • A row can be removed again by clicking the - remove button .

  4. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

Edit time

  1. Select the time you want to edit from the pulldown list.

  2. Then click the Change time changetime button.

  3. You can adjust the settings in the dialogue that opens now.

  4. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

Delete time

  1. Select Delete time… from the pulldown list.

  2. You can remove all deletable rows by clicking the - remove button in the Delete time dialogue that opens now.

  3. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

Add new phone number filter

  1. To do this, select from the pulldown list Add telephone number filter…. The Add new telephone number filter dialogue opens.

  2. First, assign a unique name (mandatory field).

  3. Select the conditions:

  • Withheld telephone number (no telephone number transferred)OR:

  • Caller’s telephone number starts with

    • Entry required: complete main number or only one part starting in the E.164 Format - e.g.: +49...

  • Caller’s telephone number does NOT start with

    • Entry required: complete main number or only one part starting in the E.164 Format - e.g.: +49...

  • Caller’s telephone is within the range

    • Entry required: main number in the E.164 format - e.g.: +49.... + from extension + to extension

  • Caller’s telephone number is the same

    • Complete main number in E.164 format - e.g.: +49...

  1. Additional telephone number types can be added by clicking the + button add. A row can removed again by clicking the - button remove.

  2. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

Editing the telephone number filter

  1. Select the telephone number filter you want to edit from the pulldown list.

  2. Then click the Change telephone number filter change.

  3. You can adjust the settings in the dialogue that opens now

  4. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

Deleting a telephone number filter

  1. Select Deleting a telephone number filter… from the pulldown list.

  2. You can remove all deletable rows by clicking the - remove button in the Delete time dialogue that opens now.

  3. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return into the previous dialogue.

    • By clicking Cancel you will return to the previous dialogue and the new settings are discarded.

  4. You can also find details on the configuration of new criteria in the description on creating voicemail greetings.

  5. Close the configuration by clicking Save and you will return to the overview list of the Auto Attendant.

    • By clicking Cancel the new settings are discarded; new settings like date, time and telephone number that are already saved remain for later access and are not discarded.

Voicemails

If greetings are used in the configuration of the Auto Attendant, where the record function is activated, all recorded voicemails are sent as emails with audio file attachment.

To do this, enter the email address(es) to which the voicemail messages are to be sent (separate several email addresses with ,).

Now select the Language for the emails from the dropdown list:

  • German

  • English

  • French

  • Italian

Alternatively, you can send the messages directly to the voicebox of an XPhone Connect Server user. Select the user directly with the Select user button.

You can also specify whether you want to send voicemails also if the caller has not left a message or was transferred. For Auto Attendant voicemail messages, enter a sender email address, e.g. AA-Sales@company.com.

In addition, you can also define the maximum length of the message (in seconds) and the file format:

CCITT a-Law

8.000 kHz

8-Bit

Mono

~7 KB/s

CCITT u-Law

8.000 kHz

8-Bit

Mono

PCM

8.000 kHz

8-Bit

Mono

~7 KB/s

Delete

To delete an Auto Attendant, select the Auto Attendant to be deleted and click (top) Delete.

Confirm the notification Do you really want to delete the selected Auto Attendant? with OK.

A notification will appear in the upper part of the window after successful deletion.

To duplicate an Auto Attendant, select the Auto Attendant to be copied and then click (top) Duplicate.

The Auto Attendant is now duplicated and saved with the addition - copy(2) to the name.

You can change the name by clicking Edit.

Testing

You can test an Auto Attendant if you want to know, for example, which greeting is to be played on the next public holiday at 10 am, if a caller with the number +41... calls.

To test an Auto Attendant, select the Auto Attendant you want to test in the Overview list of Auto Attendants and click Test Auto Attendant. You need to enter the telephone number of the end device in the dialogue that opens.

By clicking Select Auto Attendant you can change to a different Auto Attendant and a search field appears. Auto Attendants can respond differently to a call depending on the conditions (caller telephone number, date, time). To conduct the test as accurately as possible, you can simulate date, time and caller telephone number.

If you want to start the test now, click on the play button play. While you are connected to the greeting system, the numeric keypad is also clickable, with which, depending on the configuration, actions can also be performed during the greeting.

End the call by hanging up or clicking the corresponding button hang.

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