When using an automated attendant system, there should always be an option that allows the caller to

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Introduction to Health Care

Haroun/Mitchell

A study has revealed that 34% of callers that hang up don’t call back your business. Therefore, it is critical for your business to pick up every ringing phone on desks. However, it is not easy as it sounds because you can witness large number of inbound calls on a given day. 

While your agents can try their level best to entertain every call, it is not possible if all of them are busy. The next caller will probably hear a busy tone and will hang up after some time. 

An auto attendant or automated attendant or auto attendant phone system helps your company to solve this problem particularly. It simply picks up incoming calls, greets your customers with a personalized message, and routes calls to specific internal departments. 

For some customers, an auto attendant may be the first point of contact for your business. As there is a famous saying, “The first impression is the last impression.” It is right in this scenario, as well. If your auto attendant does not appear to be professional, then it can damage the reputation of your organization and customers might form a wrong image inside their heads. 

Auto attendants or virtual receptionists act as a buffer to filter customer calls based on their requirements and route their call to the right representatives. Hence, a wrongly configured virtual receptionist can do more damage to your business than to do any good. 

What Is Auto Attendant Phone System And How Does It Work? 

An Auto Attendant is an automated phone answering system that picks up incoming calls from your customers and greets them with a recorded message. 

For example, an auto attendance can greet your customers as,

“Thanks for calling XYZ company. 

Press 1 to talk with our Sales agent. 

Press 2 to talk with our Support agent. 

Press 3 to talk with our Billing Agent. 

Press 9 to repeat the menu. 

Press # to exit.”

Auto attendant phone system allows your business to handle customer calls efficiently without the need for a receptionist, and hence it is also known as a digital or virtual receptionist. 

Automated Attendant can quickly route customer calls to the relevant representative of various internal departments in your organization, as you can see in the diagram above. Connecting customers with skilled agents and relevant departments help in faster query resolutions and deliver a delightful customer experience. 

What Is The Difference Between Auto Attendant And IVR?

IVR is a more advanced version of an auto attendant as it can also serve as a self-help tool for your customers. You can use IVR to automate repetitive customer operations such as order your product, get info on the latest product and services, etc.

On the other hand, the auto attendant phone system replaces the receptionist in your office to connect customers with the right representatives to help them solve their queries faster. 

Benefits of Auto Attendant Phone System For Small Businesses and Enterprises

• Effective call management. 
• Welcome customers with a personalized company greeting. 
• Offer seamless customer experience by making customers’ call answers promptly. 
• Auto attendant can route customers as per dial by name directory. 
• Route calls as per your business hours and days. 
• Send unanswered calls to a fail over destination such as an extension, ring group, voicemail, etc. 
• Handle calls for multiple office locations with a single multi-level auto attendant. 
• Save money – You do not have to hire a receptionist as Auto Attendant can do that job tirelessly for your business. 

How To Set Up An Auto Attendant Phone System For Your Business? 

Configuring auto attendant for your business is not a difficult task. All you need is a professional voice recording of the custom greeting or message you would like to share with your customers and then set it up using the online portal provided by your cloud communication provider. 

Some cloud communication providers also offer the option to use text-to-speech features to set a custom text as a voice message. The best part is that it is a cost-effective method, and you don’t have to hire a professional voice over artist. 

Additionally, you can choose from a variety of male and female accents of various countries such as the US, UK, Australia, etc. Hence, allowing you to set a custom voice message as per your targeted audience. 

Best Practices For Configuring Your Auto Attendant Phone System

1. Always greet caller: Set the tone for a positive customer experience right from the start by thanking users for connecting with your business. Also, don’t forget to finish on a positive note to delight your caller. 

2. Allow customers to skip greetings: Most people don’t like to hear the same address every time they call your business. Therefore, give them the option to skip the welcome reception so that they can quickly begin their query resolution process. 

3. Keep the message short and to-the-point: Your custom greeting should be brief and straightforward. There is no need to inform users about the old products and services. Always include the latest information and ask them to visit your website to know the additional details. 

4. Put the most used options at the beginning: You should deliver what your customers are seeking from your auto attendant at the very beginning. To achieve this, you have to put the most used options at the very beginning of your auto attendant script. 

5. Allow customers to change the language right at the start: In case you have configured your auto attendant in multiple languages, then give them the option to choose the style of their preference right before your main script starts.

For instance, it will be a miserable experience for your Russian customer first to hear all the script and then change the language at the end. 

6. Always give customers the option to talk with an agent: Remember that an auto attendant is not the replacement for your agents. Even if you replace your receptionist, the auto attendant can’t resolve your customer queries. For that, you will always require skilled agents. Therefore, you should always provide the option to talk with a live agent in your auto attendant script. 

7. Convey professionalism in your auto attendant: Try to match the culture of your company in your auto attendant recording, as it can help you build credibility in the eyes of your customer. Also, keep the tone light and positive in your auto attendant recording. 

When To Use Auto Attendant Phone System Scripts? 

Auto Attendant Phone System Scripts Examples

1. After Hours 

“Thanks for calling XYZ company. Our offices are currently closed, and they will reopen on Monday at 10:00 AM. Dial the extension of the person you are trying to connect to, and your call will be transferred to their voicemail. Otherwise, call on regular business days so that we may further assist you. Thanks for calling. Have a great day/night {based on the call time}.” 

2. Department Call Routing 

“Thanks for calling XYZ company. 

For English, press 1.

For Spanish, press 2. 

{Based on your customer language preference, the rest of the auto attendant will script as follows}

Press 1 for billing. 

Press 2 for sales. 

Press 3 for support. 

Press 0 to talk with our agents. 

Press 9 to repeat the options.”

3. Latest product or feature releases 

“Hi, thanks for calling XYZ company.

Press 1 for the latest product details. 

Press 2 for sales. 

Press 3 for product support

Press 9 to connect with our agents. 

Press 0 to repeat the options. 

When customers will press 1,

We have recently launched 2 products – {Product 1 name} and {Product 2 name}. 

Press 1 for {Product 1}.

Press 2 for {Product 2}. 

Suppose customers pressed 2, 

Product 2 is for {targeted audience details} and it benefits in the following manner {mention benefits}.”

After describing the product benefits, you can now give an option to your customers to connect with a product support agent. 

Keep the message short and don’t utilize this opportunity to make your auto attendant boring by reading extended product benefits. Instead, you should focus on quickly transferring the call to your sales or product agent. Your agent can clarify the doubts of your prospect and even convert them to long term customers.

By configuring your auto attendant scripts for multiple scenarios and enhancing the productivity, you can take your customer service operation to a whole new level.

Wrapping Up

Making a good impression in front of first-time callers is critical for businesses, and having a professional auto attendant is the first step in that direction. Along with building credibility, there are various other benefits of having an auto attendant phone system for your organization. This post will help you to configure a professional auto attendant by following the best practices. 

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