For many businesses an auto attendant has become an important staple for their organizational operations. It works as an automated receptionist that facilitates accurate and effective transfer of calls to relevant extensions of a virtual phone system without the need for a human receptionist. It in fact, completely eliminates the need for a human receptionist. The benefits of an auto attendant are not restricted to call transfer only. It can have others benefits for your business as well:
Responds to Your Calls
An auto attendant answers your calls, greets your callers and routes them to the person or department of his choice. Your callers need to follow few simple instructions of the automated receptionist and can reach the right person/department in no time. It is always advisable to keep the instructions of your automated receptionist easy and simple. For example, “Welcome to ABC Company. Press 1 for Sales, 2 for Customer service…0 to speak to someone directly.” This is the most popular format of any automated attendant and people are generally accustomed with this format. Using something different can confuse your callers. An auto receptionist gives your business a professional look that makes your business look and sound big. You also have the flexibility to customize your greetings according to a particular season or festival.
You can record your own message on your automated attendant. Alternately you can also hire a professional voice over artist to make your greetings and instructions sound more professional. This makes you sound more professional and your business bigger than it is actually. So you get the best of both worlds – a professional to instruct your callers and that too within your budget.
Answers Your Calls – All the Time
In today’s business landscape if you wish to grow it is necessary that you are available 24 hours a day because customers are no longer restricted by geographical boundaries or timeline. So you need someone to answer your customer’s queries round the clock. An auto attendant becomes particularly pertinent in such cases. You do not need to hire receptionists. This automated receptionist will answer your customer’s calls and queries 24×7.
Forwards and Transfers Your Calls
An auto attendant directs your caller to the right person or department. But if the right person is not available to answer the call, the automated attendant can forward the call to voicemail. This is another important aspect of the automated receptionist. It can also transfer calls to another extension or to an outside phone number. So it helps you to receive and answer your customer’s call – anywhere and at any time.
An Effective Marketing Tool
You can also use your auto attendant as an effective marketing tool. It allows you to provide your callers with some important information about your product or service before the call gets forwarded. You can record and play your information over the phone lines while the inbound caller is waiting to be forwarded. This is a great opportunity for your business to disseminate information (such as locations of your organization, frequently asked questions or the launch of any new product) to existing customers as well as to new prospects. So you can successfully advertise your business to your customers and add information about new products or services without spending anything.
