AT&T 3 manual Automated Attendant Service, Assignments

PARTNER MAIL Services

Automated Attendant Service

Automated Attendant Service answers calls and plays a menu of options. Callers can press buttons to select options, thereby determining how their calls will be handled.

■The Automated Attendant’s Main Menu can include options to:

—Transfer the caller to an extension or mailbox that you specify.

—Play a Submenu of additional options.

—Play an Announcement containing frequently requested information (such as directions to your office or your business hours).

—Prompt the caller to dial a transfer destination. If callers are not familiar with your extension numbers, you can create a Directory of subscribers that they can use.

■Callers using rotary phones or callers needing assistance are automatically transferred based on the Dial 0/Timeout Action that you specify. For example, callers can be transferred to a person of your choice or to the Automated Attendant’s General Mailbox.

■If many of your callers have rotary phones, you can turn on a Touch-Tone Gate so those calls can be handled more quickly. In this case, a Touch-Tone Gate Greeting plays before the Main Menu. In bilingual mode this greeting enables callers to choose the language they want to hear. For more information, see Greetings (System).

If the Touch-Tone Gate is off, the Main Menu is the first thing callers hear when the Automated Attendant answers. If the mail system is in bilingual mode, the Main Menu prompt enables callers to choose the language they want to hear.

■An Automated Attendant operates in day mode when the business is open and in night mode when the business is closed. Each mode has its own menu structure. The Schedule Controller determines whether the Automated Attendant follows the communications system’s Night Service setting or an independent schedule that you program.

■You can choose to have one or up to three Automated Attendants. If you have multiple Automated Attendants, each one has its own set of menus and schedule. For more information, see Single/Multiple Automated

Attendant.

If you have multiple Automated Attendants, you must assign lines that are designated for Automated Attendant Service using Group Call Distribution (#206) Setting 1 to Automated Attendant 2 and Automated Attendant 3. Any lines not assigned to Automated Attendant 2 or 3 are answered by Automated Attendant 1. For more information, see Line

Assignments.

1-4Overview of System Services and Features