Glossary
What is an auto attendant?
The automated greeting that answers your main number and routes callers without a receptionist.
The short answer
What is an auto attendant?
An auto attendant is a phone system feature that answers incoming calls with a recorded greeting and routes them without a receptionist. Callers press a key or dial an extension, for example "press 2 for service" or "if you know your party's extension, dial it now", and the system connects them. It is the simplest form of IVR and a standard feature of business phone systems and cloud PBX services.
How it works
You record a greeting, list the options, and choose where each one goes. The phone system plays it to every caller on the number.
- Menu options: each key sends the call to a person, a ring group, a queue or a recorded message.
- Dial by extension: callers who know the extension skip the menu.
- No input: if the caller presses nothing, the call goes to a default destination.
- Schedules: a different greeting and different destinations after business hours.
Example
A plumbing company with three technicians and one office manager sets up an auto attendant: "For an emergency press 1, to book a visit press 2, for the office press 3." Option 1 rings the on-call technician's mobile, option 2 rings the office, and option 3 goes to the manager's extension. A caller with a question that fits none of them presses 3 and hopes for the best.
What it means for a small business
An auto attendant routes calls; it doesn't answer questions or book anything. If the person it routes to is busy, the caller still waits or reaches voicemail. An AI receptionist can do the routing and the answering: the caller says what they need, the agent handles it from your knowledge base, and when a person is needed it transfers the call. With Daber AI a bridged transfer can dial a specific extension, so different topics can reach different people.
Questions
What is the difference between an auto attendant and an AI receptionist?
An auto attendant plays a fixed menu and connects the caller to whatever option they press. An AI receptionist holds a conversation: it understands the request in the caller's words, answers it, books or takes a message, and transfers only when a person is needed.
Do I need an auto attendant if I use an AI receptionist?
Not necessarily. If the agent answers the main number, it can do the routing itself by asking what the caller needs and transferring to the right person or extension. You can also keep your menu and send one option, or only after-hours calls, to the agent.
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