Configure an Automated Attendant

This article allows company administrators to configure an Automated Attendant in a Cloud PBX.

Configuration of Automated Attendants is performed from the Automated Attendant management window: see: Accessing the Automated Attendant management window.

The Automated Attendant (AA) is associated to a public number and a root AA menu providing options for call handling: see: Creating an Automated Attendant.

The root AA menu contains 10 configurable entries. Each entry is associated to a telephone key (digits from 0 to 9) and a destination for the call. The destination can be either a hunt group, or a company member, according to configuration: see: Configuring the root AA menu entries.

AA submenus can be configured and used as destinations in the root AA menu. These AA submenus have the same properties as the root AA menu, and can also be used as destinations of other AA submenus: see: Configuring AA submenus in the Automated Attendant.

Default voice prompts are available for the Automated Attendant. Each AA menu (root and submenus) has its own set of predefined voice prompts. They are played to callers when they access the Automated Attendant. Customized voice prompts in wav format can also be uploaded to replace default ones: see: Customizing the voice prompts of the Automated Attendant. 

A welcome service can be the entry point for Automated Attendant. It provides a calendar of opening/closing hours. When the public number associated to the Automated Attendant is called, the welcome voice prompt of welcome service is played once, then:

• If the welcome service is in open state, the call is sent to the root menu of Automated Attendant.
• If the welcome service is in closed state, the call is sent the destination for closing hours.

To define a welcome service as entry point for Automated Attendant: see: Configure welcome services.

An additional, not configurable, entry is provided for callers who know the extension number they want to call: They press the star key (*) and enter the extension number followed by hash (#). Three dedicated voice prompts presenting this option are systematically played to callers when they access the Automated Attendant. If you do not wish this option to be proposed, upload empty files to replace these three default voice prompts: see: Customizing the voice prompts of the Automated Attendant. 

Diagram of Automated Attendant:

Prerequisites: The following parameters must be declared in the Cloud PBX:

• Public numbers: see: Configure the public numbering plan for a Cloud PBX associated to a customer company
• Company members: see: Configure the telephone numbers of company members in a Cloud PBX.
• Hunt groups: see: Configure hunt groups
• Calendars of opening hours when welcome services are associated to Automated Attendants: see: Configure welcome services

Accessing the Automated Attendant management window

1. From the Rainbow administration interface, click on Manage your company  at the bottom of the left panel.
2. In the MY COMPANY panel, click on My company.
3. In the left panel, click on Communication.
4. In the right panel of the window, click on the Welcome services tab, then on Automated attendant tab.

Creating an Automated Attendant

To create an Automated Attendant in a Cloud PBX:

1. From the Automated Attendant management window, click on Create.
2. Review/modify the following parameters:

   Name	Enter the name of the Automated Attendant
   Description	If needed, enter a description
   Public number	Select the public number to associate to the Automated Attendant among listed available numbers

3. Select Menus with single voice prompt if a single customized voice prompt must replace the set of predefined voice prompts played for AA menus.
4. Click on Apply.
   The Automated Attendant is created and displayed in the service list (for example, AA2). The root AA menu created with the Automated Attendant is indicated in the Destination information column (default name is Menu 1).

Configuring the root AA menu entries

This operation allows to define the destination for each entry of the root AA menu.

1. From the Automated Attendant management window, click on the target Automated Attendant to edit the root AA menu entries.
2. If needed, modify the name, and enter a description (optional).
   
   Note: The Depth field indicates the level of the menu in the Automated Attendant (1 for the root AA menu).
3. For each AA menu entry, click on the target digit and configure its destination:
   1. Select the Destination type: Member, Hunt group, Automated Attendant menu or Hunt group with waiting queue.
   2. If Member is selected, enter the name of the company member in the corresponding field.
      This displays the internal extension number of the selected company member.
   3. If Hunt group or Hunt group with waiting queue is selected, select the hunt group among listed available hunt groups.
      This displays the internal extension number of the selected hunt group.
   4. If Automated Attendant menu is selected, select the target AA submenu: see: Adding the AA submenu as destination of a parent AA menu.
   5. Click on Apply.
      The destination is displayed in the target menu entry.
4. Once the root AA menu entries have been configured, click on Apply.

Configuring AA submenus in the Automated Attendant

An AA submenu can be configured as destination of a parent AA menu (root AA menu or other AA submenu once configured).

The AA submenu configuration is a two-step process:

1. Creating the AA submenu in the Automated Attendant
2. Adding the AA submenu as destination of a parent AA menu

Creating the AA submenu in the Automated Attendant

1. From the Automated Attendant management window, click on the target Automated Attendant and select Create menu.
2. In the Name field, modify the name of the AA submenu, if needed.
3. If needed, enter a description.
4. Click on Create.
5. For each AA submenu entry, click on the target digit and configure its destination. For more details, see step 3 of the procedure: Configuring the root AA menu entries.
6. Once the AA submenu entries have been configured, click on Apply.

To display the list of all AA submenus configured in the Automated Attendant:

1. From the Automated Attendant management window, click on the target Automated Attendant.
2. Click on the link at the top left of the window.
   The Depth field indicates the level of the AA submenus in the Automated Attendant. In the example above:
   • The Submenu 1 is located on level 2 of the Automated Attendant. It is configured as a destination in the Menu 1, which is the root AA menu (level 1).
   • The Submenu 2 is defined as Orphan in the Automated Attendant because is is not used as a destination of Menu 1 or Submenu 1.

Adding the AA submenu as destination of a parent AA menu

1. From the Automated Attendant management window, click on the target Automated Attendant and select the parent AA menu (root AA menu or other AA submenu) in the Menu field.
2. Click on the target digit and add the AA submenu as destination:
   1. Set the Destination type to Automated Attendant Menu.
   2. In the Next menu, select the AA submenu among available AA submenus.
      The following rules apply when selecting the AA submenu:
      • An already used AA submenu cannot be reused.
      • If the parent AA menu is a level 2 submenu, the next AA menu can be either the root AA menu or a level 3 submenu.
      • If the parent AA menu is a level 3 submenu, the next AA menu can only be the corresponding level 2 submenu.
      • The Automated Attendant can only have three consecutive AA menus.
   3. Click on Apply.
      The AA submenu is displayed in the target menu entry.
      Note: Its name is clickable: It provides access to the menu entry configuration window.
3. Click on Apply to validate change.

In the list of all AA submenus configured in the Automated Attendant, the AA submenu (Submenu 2 in the example below) is now associated to the parent menu: It no longer appears as Orphan.

Customizing the voice prompts of the Automated Attendant

A list of predefined voice prompts is available when an Automated Assistant is created in the Cloud PBX. The predefined voice prompts are:

• A Menu welcome played to callers when they access the Automated Attendant
• For each entry (key from 0 to 9) configured in the AA menu, two voice prompts are combined and played to callers:
  • menu_key_x_press plays the key number
    
  • menu_key_x_action plays the name of the destination associated to the key x, such as Marketing, Sales or Technical Support
  Example: The voice prompts menu_key_3_press and menu_key_3_action play successively "Press 3 for" and "Technical Support".
• The voice prompts associated to the star (*) option with:
  • The combined voice prompts menu_key_star_press and menu_key_star_action play "Press star for connecting to an extension"
    
  • Enter extension plays instructions to enter an extension number
    
  • Invalid extension only played in case the extension number entered is not valid
• An Exit voice prompt played to callers when they exit the Automated Attendant

In case the option Menus with single voice prompt has been selected at Automated Attendant creation, only the Menu welcome and Exit voice prompts are available. The Menu welcome voice prompt can be customized to replace all voice prompts listed above, except the Exit voice prompt.

Use of voice prompts in the Automated attendant:

For each AA menu configured in the Automated Attendant, you can:

• Download voice prompts to play them in local
• Customize voice prompts with your own messages
• Switch back to the default predefined messages

To customize the predefined voice prompts of an AA menu: see: Customize voice prompts