

We have all called numbers where we get "press 1 for sales, 2 for customer services" etc, these are Auto Attendants. Designed to route calls effectively and provide your customers with a single contact number, Auto Attendants can improve the efficiency of your organisation. This service now comes with Call Queuing as standard. Call Queuing allows your customer to be placed in a queue during busy periods. This feature holds customers in a queue, providing tailored waiting messages and informs them of their position in the queue.
Typically Auto Attendants have been hardware based in your PBX, which meant large costs in installation and maintenance and a lack of flexibility. Swains Plc can now offer these facilities at the network level, which provides the following benefits.
The Auto Attendant can be configured via your own computer screen with no special programming codes or technical knowledge required. Prompts can be easily amended via a dedicated telephone service and accessed via a secure user name and password.
Auto Attendant can be easily applied across a whole organisation without the need for on-site equipment. It is centrally maintained and easily managed via simple telephone or web browser interfaces.
Changes to the configuration e.g. options available, number dialled, out of hours changes etc, can be made via the web or through Swains Plc. A full range of management reports can also be accessed.
Calls to the service are answered by the IVR and played a welcome prompt. 'In hours' the caller is played the main service menu and invited to select an option. An 'Out of hours' module determines which action is taken depending on the chosen configuration (e.g. play a message, dial a special out of hours number etc.).
This service is available to all customers using non-geographic number services (0800, 0845, 0870, 0871) and, if required, multiple numbers (and from different ranges) can be connected to the service.
Auto Attendant is so versatile that any changes that need to be made - including re-recording prompts - can be activated by you, in your own time and will be live within a few minutes of the change being submitted.