Introduction
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Automated Attendant Service
The Automated Attendant service consists of a greeting and a multi-level menu,
which provides callers with a number of options that enable them to reach an
extension, a group of extensions, or obtain information, by pressing a single digit or
by dialing an extension number.
This service provides several benefits to callers and your company. The Automated
Attendant service:
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Efficiently routes calls to the correct party.
Prompts the caller to leave a message or try another extension if the called
party does not answer or the phone is busy.
Enables the caller to access the dial-by-name directory if they do not know the
extension that they need.
Plays announcements of frequently requested information (such as directions
or business hours) as menu options, thereby freeing an employee’s time for
other tasks.
Receives and transfers fax calls to a designated extension(s).
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The PARTNER MAIL Automated Attendant service is useful for many businesses,
such as banks, insurance agencies, post offices, and stores. A bank could, for
example, use Automated Attendant service to allow its customers to select
information from a multi-level menu. This information could include current mortgage
interest rates or the current interest rates on money market funds. The Automated
Attendant service also allows callers to wait to speak to a customer representative.
The menu frees the bank employees to handle customer transactions while the
Automated Attendant service provides general information. In a business like this,
the PARTNER MAIL System Administrator would program the Automated Attendant
service to allow callers to stay on the line or enter an extension to reach a banker.
Selection Considerations
When planning PARTNER MAIL Automated Attendant service you must decide:
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Which outside lines (if any) are answered by the Automated Attendant service.
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When you want the PARTNER System to route calls to the PARTNER MAIL
system — Always, Day Only, or Night Only. This is called the VMS Hunt
Schedule.
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System Services and Features
