What is the Difference Between an Auto Attendant & an Auto Receptionist?

An auto attendant or automated attendant is a voice menu system that allows all incoming calls to be transferred to any extension without going through a live receptionist. Auto attendants are a very common feature of contact centers, where they are used to route calls to the proper customer service agents which can help make the whole process more efficient and improve customer satisfaction.

You can also use an auto attendant to help your live receptionist during high-volume call periods. The auto attendant can transfer calls to the right departments, leaving the live receptionist to handle only callers who specifically request to talk to them. The auto attendant can also direct calls to the voicemail system when all lines are saturated. This ensures that callers don’t become frustrated by being kept on hold for long periods of time.

Another great benefit is that the auto attendant can work around the clock without needing to take a break, which means that your customers can at least leave you a message even if your business is closed when they choose to call. 

An auto attendant typically has features such as:

Scripted Greeting

Your auto attendant is able to greet your customers in a professional way by following a script. This provides your callers with key information such as the fact that they are calling the right place. 

General Information

The auto attendant can also be used to provide all callers with general information about your business such as your opening hours, or if you are implementing reduced opening times due to holidays or covid.

Call Transferring 

Transferring calls efficiently and quickly is the main feature of an auto receptionist. To do this they use a menu flow that accepts touch tone inputs for navigation. 

All these features can be completely adapted to whatever you choose, and so it is important to carefully design each element so that they work as intended, instead of frustrating and confusing your callers. 

An auto receptionist is almost the same thing as an auto attendant, except an auto receptionist is able to offer more features than an auto attendant. With an auto receptionist you can have customizable greetings, hold music and introduction, transfer, and voicemail messages. Your auto receptionist can also send you your voicemails directly to your email as digital files. You can also use its teleconference system for calls with up to 99 participants. And the best part is that you can manage everything through a mobile app.