Stratus - Set Up and Configure an Auto Attendant
This guide will explore auto attendants and how you can set up one for your call routing needs.
Written by Adrian Angwenyi
Updated at October 24th, 2024
Table of Contents
What is an Auto Attendant?
Instead of relying on an operator to answer and route callers, an Auto Attendant can be implemented to allow callers to listen to a prompt and select where their call should be routed using the dial pad menu of their phones. Using an auto attendant is also useful for giving callers a message during times outside of the set hours of operation.
The dial pad menu options of the auto attendant can route callers to users, call queues, voicemailboxes, external telephone numbers, other auto attendants, and conference bridges. Auto attendants can also play an audio message and repeat its greeting.
Create an Auto Attendant
As a site manager or office manager, you can create an auto attendant to help automate your calls. To do so…
- Navigate to the Auto Attendants page.
- Click the Add Attendant button.
- In the Add an Auto Attendant modal, fill in the following information:
- Name - Type in a descriptive name for the auto attendant.
-
Extension - Type in an extension number that is not in use.
Quick Tip: Extension numbers in the 8100s are recommended for auto attendants. It is also good practice to keep your Auto Attendants in sequential order by organizing them in number ranges.
For example, if you have an Auto Attendant already created that is extension 8100, then the next New Auto Attendant would be created as 8101, then 8102, and so on.
- Time Frame - Select default (all the time).
- Click the Add button.
✔ Clicking Add will pop up a new screen for configuring the new auto attendant's prompt and dial pad menu options.
Dial Pad Menu Options
When setting up an Auto Attendant, you can configure certain options for the caller to follow when they use the Dial Pad Menu.
To add these options,
-
Click a number to designate where you want the caller to go when pressing that number on the dial pad of their phone.
-
Select an application to apply to that number in the Dial Pad Menu.
Available Dial Pad Menu Applications
User
This menu option will take the caller to the extension entered.
You can search the internal user by name or the extension number.
The Caller ID Prefix will add text to the front of the caller ID.
Conference
This option will take the caller to a specified Conference Bridge.
To add this option, type in the name or the extension number of the Conference Bridge. Click Save to completely add in this option.
Call Queue
This will menu option will take the caller to a Call Queue specified in the field below.
Select a call queue by typing in the name or the extension of the particular call queue.
Using the extra options, users can add in an announcement message of how many callers are in the queue, or how long the expected wait time is for callers.
The Caller ID Prefix will add text to the front of the caller ID.
• This option can be handy for labeling calls originating from certain phone numbers on the account.
• This option is also commonly used for labeling calls with the name of the department the call is going to.Directory
This menu option will take the caller to the Dial-by-Name Directory.
From the dial-by-name directory, callers will be able to look up a user using the first 3 letters of either their first or last name.
Note: By default, the dial-by-name directory searches users by last name.
To adjust the directory to search by first name, please contact our technical support team by calling (469) 429-2500 or emailing support@spectrumvoip.com.
Voicemail
This menu option will take the caller to the specified User's Voicemail to leave a message.
To select a specific user's voicemail, type in the name or the extension of a specific voicemail box.
Voicemail Management
This will take the caller to a directory-like menu where they can access a specific voicemailbox.
The Voicemail Management prompt will ask for the extension number of the mailbox and that extension's voicemail PIN.
External Number
This option will take the caller to an external 10-digit phone number.
Type in the phone number you want the system to dial when pressing this option.
Play a Message
This will take the caller to recorded message.
You will need to provide the message that the system will play the caller. In order to add in this audio…
1) Click the Manage Audio icon.
✔ Clicking this icon will pull up the Manage Audio menu.
2) In the Description box, type a name for the greeting.
3) Add in the audio file by either uploading an audio file (in a WAV file, mono channel, and 8000 Hz format) or recording a greeting.
• Upload: Click the Browse button and select a formatted audio file from your PC. Click the Save button.DANGER: The audio file needs to be in a WAV file, mono channel, and 8000 Hz format to be properly read in the phone system.
To convert your audio file, use this handy website:
G711.org - Telephony File Converter
When using this website to convert the file, select the Standard Definition option for the Output Format.• Record: Type in an extension number or a phone number to send a call to. Follow the phone call's prompts to record the message.
4) Click Save to add the message.
5) Use the After the message plays drop-down to select the caller's next destination.
– Select Repeat the greeting prompt from the drop-down to route the call back to the main menu.
Repeat Prompt
Using this option will replay the main greeting.
Add Tier
This menu option will give callers another menu to route the calls without creating another auto attendant.
Note: The max number of tiers you can have is 1; however, each Dial Pad Menu option can have its own extra tier.
- Click the Save button.
Quick Tip: It is recommended to save often to avoid losing any progress while working in the Auto Attendant menu.
Add a Greeting/Prompt
Depending on how you would like callers to interact with the auto attendant, you can pick between using an intro greeting, menu prompt, or a combination of both.
Intro Greeting
The Intro Greeting will play the selected audio without any interruptions from callers pressing keys on the dial pad menu.
This greeting plays only once before the Menu prompt is played.
WARNING: Using an Intro Greeting by itself is not recommended since it is not read when a user has the menu repeat the greeting.
Menu Prompt
The Menu Prompt functions similarly to the Intro Greeting with the exception that the Menu Prompt can be interrupted when the caller presses a key on their dial pad.
• If there is an Intro Greeting in use, the Menu Prompt will play after the Intro greeting.
• If the auto attendant repeats its greeting, the Menu Prompt will be played without the Intro Greeting.
NOTE: Since the Intro Greeting are not repeated, it is recommended to If cause a Menu Prompt if only one message should be played.
Quick Tip: If callers should hear an un-skippable message followed by a second message that they can skip, an Intro Greeting with an added Menu Prompt is a good idea.
In this case, the intro greeting is usually treated like a notice/warning that plays before the menu prompt. The Menu Prompt usually lists out the options available to the caller.
If callers should only hear one, skippable message, using only a Menu Prompt is recommended.
To get to the menu to manage the audio for the greetings, click on the 
or 
button (depending on which greeting you would like to use).
Doing so will pull up a menu for adding in audio. Depending on which greeting you select, the menu you see will look different.
Add a Menu Prompt
The Menu Prompt's edit button will pull up a Manage Audio menu for only adding in an audio file. 
Add an Intro Greeting
The Intro Greetings button will pull up a Manage Greetings menu that holds a section for adding a New Greeting and another section for selecting the Time Frame for that particular intro greeting to be played.
After adding in an intro greeting, more greetings can be added for different time frames:
Extra Options
While setting up an Auto Attendant, there are extra settings that can be adjusted to fine-tune how the Auto Attendant acts.
Click the gear icon 
on the right to pull up the Options modal where the basic and speech keyword settings can be adjusted.
Basic Options
There are several, basic settings that can be adjusted to customize an auto attendant. Each of these settings affects how the auto attendant will handle a call under certain circumstances.
Basic Options to Adjust
Dial by Extension
The Dial by Extension feature allow callers in an auto attendant to dial the extension number of an employee to skip past using the options.
Quick Tip: Disabling Dial by Extension ensures that callers can only reach an employee by following the auto attendant's options.
This setting is enabled by default and can be easily switched by clearing the checkbox.
If no key is pressed
If the caller does not select an option before the timeout expires, you can route the call to repeat the greeting, go to an option that is already set, or hang up the call.
If unassigned key is pressed
Using this option, you can route callers that press an unassigned key to either hear a repeated greeting, go to an option that is already set, or hang up the call.
Timeout before first key press
This option determines how long the auto attendant will wait before recognizing any key presses.
Note: By default, the system will wait 3 seconds before recognizing keys pressed.
Timeout after the last key press
Unlike the first key press, this option determines how long the auto attendant will wait after the last key press to register another key press.
Note: By default, the system will wait 3 seconds before registering another key press.
Maximum key presses to collect
You can use this option to set a limit for how many keys can be pressed.
Speech Keywords
Speech Keywords are used by the Auto Attendant to trigger routing whenever it hears a certain word or phrase spoken by the caller. Each dial pad option can have multiple keywords/phrases implemented.
Adding Keywords and Phrases…
Whenever you add a dial pad menu option, an entry will populate in the Speech Keywords section of the Options modal:
These options can be clicked to show a field for entering in a word or phrase:
Using the Add a keyword or phrase box, type in what you would like the system to listen for to route calls to this selected option.
Click the Done button to save these changes. 
Click Save once a greeting has been added, the dial pad menu has been configured, and the extra options are adjusted.
✔ Your Auto Attendant should be ready to go. Place a test call to make sure the menu sounds and acts correctly.