Using Auto Attendant With Live Operator Call Center

Any answering service has the ability to transfer or patch callers to a particular extension or staff member in your company. For many this configuration is ideal because they can inform the operator that they are unavailable and request them to hold all of their calls, offering to take a message instead. This solution will usually yield more callers leaving messages than with a strictly automated arrangement. The benefits of choosing live operators for answering customer calls have been well established but, for those who choose to use call centers, is there ever a need for an auto attendant?

Most people have had negative experiences with auto attendant systems at some point. From confusing menus that offer too many choices to inaccurate or outdated dial-by-name directories, it's no surprise that many have come to dread reaching the auto attendant. This is one reason many have abandoned automated phone menus and completely relied on live people answering their calls. Customers tend to prefer simply asking for whomever they wish to speak to, not by navigating through endless choices of "Press 6 for this" and "Press 4 if you are calling for that". Things only get more complicated when you realize you made the wrong choice and need to go back to a previous menu.

Despite the very real drawbacks when used improperly, an auto attendant can be a very useful tool; especially when combined with a live answering service. Auto attendant can make call center service more effective and less costly by directing appropriate callers to operators while others are routed to individual desk extensions, satellite offices, and colleagues who are working from out of the office. Callers can quickly connect to their intended extension, with operator assistance offered for those who are unsure of who they need to speak to.

Auto attendant can also be used to keep your call center service expense low as well. Many businesses that have an answering service for setting appointments by phone use an auto attendant to limit the live operator line to customers wishing to make an appointment. Similarly, auto attendant is a feature popular with physicians who use voicemail for calls after-hours. Auto attendant allows medical offices to provide their patients with reliable, low-cost voicemail for leaving messages that can wait until the morning and access to a trained operator for emergency calls.