IVR Phone Systems and Auto Attendants
A phone menu that gets callers to the right person first time, in and out of hours.
Indigo Unified Communications designs and sets up IVR phone systems and auto attendants for businesses and charities across Glasgow and Scotland. An auto attendant answers your main number with a short greeting and a menu, such as "press 1 for sales, 2 for accounts", then routes the caller to the right team, queue or voicemail. 8x8, 3CX and Microsoft Teams Phone all include one. We write the call flow with you, arrange professional voice recordings, set opening hours and support it from Glasgow.
What is an IVR or auto attendant?
An auto attendant is the recorded menu that answers your main number and asks callers to choose an option. IVR, short for interactive voice response, is the wider term for menus that respond to keypad presses or speech and can take callers through several levels. For most businesses the two mean the same thing: a menu that sends each caller to the right place without a receptionist. Auto attendant in our glossary →
What makes a good phone menu?
A bad menu loses callers. A good one is short and obvious. We follow a few rules:
- Three or four options at most on the first level, with the most common first
- A short greeting. Say who they've reached, then get to the options
- A way to a person, such as pressing 0 for reception, for callers who don't fit an option
- Different routes for open and closed, with bank holidays and seasonal hours set in advance
- No dead ends. Every option ends at a person, a queue or a voicemail box someone checks
We map your call flow on paper first and agree it with you before anything is built. Call queues and wallboards →
Out-of-hours and emergency routing
The auto attendant knows your opening hours, so callers after 5pm, at weekends and on bank holidays hear the right message. From there you can:
- Take a voicemail that arrives as an email to a shared mailbox
- Divert urgent calls to an on-call mobile
- Send callers to your website for common questions
- Close for a Christmas shutdown or an event day without changing any phones
If the office closes suddenly, for snow or a power cut, an administrator can switch to a "closed" message remotely. Business phone app and softphone →
How auto attendants work on 8x8, 3CX and Teams Phone
| 8x8 | 3CX | |
|---|---|---|
| Auto attendant | Yes | Yes, multi-level, in all editions |
| Busy switchboards | 8x8 Frontdesk receptionist console | Boss–secretary on PRO and above |
| Custom routing and self-service | IVR and Intelligent Customer Assistant in 8x8 Contact Center, and a speech-enabled directory | Call Flow Designer for custom routing logic, on PRO and above |
| AI receptionist | Custom AI voice agents through 8x8 AI Studio | AI Receptionist in 3CX's AI Edition |
Microsoft Teams Phone includes auto attendants as standard, with greetings from an uploaded recording or typed text read out by the system. Microsoft Teams calling →
Can an AI receptionist answer our calls?
Yes, on the right platform and licence. 3CX's AI Receptionist, part of its AI Edition, answers calls with an AI voice, routes callers and answers common questions around the clock. 8x8 AI Studio lets you build AI voice agents for 24/7 self-service. They suit routine calls such as opening times, directions or booking changes, and people handle the rest. We quote AI receptionists on request and check in your review whether one suits your calls. AI receptionist and call transcription →
What we set up
- Your call flow, mapped and agreed with you before we build it
- Greetings and menu messages, written in plain English and recorded by a professional voice artist
- Opening hours, bank holidays and closed messages
- Routing to teams, queues, mobiles and shared voicemail
- Direct dial numbers, so regular callers can skip the menu
- Licence-free hold music and messages while callers are transferred. Music on hold →
- Menu, greeting and hold message changes after go-live, included in your support
Who uses auto attendants
- Construction: one main number for estimating, accounts and site queries, with urgent site calls diverted to a manager's mobile out of hours. Construction →
- Leisure and entertainment: options for bookings, parties and general enquiries, with opening times played before callers wait. Leisure and entertainment →
- Charities: separate routes for helpline, fundraising and volunteers, so vulnerable callers get to the right person quickly. Phone systems for charities →
Frequently asked questions
What is an IVR phone system?
An IVR (interactive voice response) phone system answers calls with a recorded greeting and a menu, such as "press 1 for sales". It routes each caller to the right team, queue or voicemail without a receptionist. 8x8, 3CX and Microsoft Teams Phone all include one, and Indigo Unified Communications sets them up for businesses across Scotland.
What's the difference between IVR and an auto attendant?
In everyday use they mean the same thing: a phone menu that routes callers. Strictly, an auto attendant is the basic menu that answers your main number, while IVR also covers speech recognition, looking up information and multi-level self-service. Most small and mid-sized businesses need an auto attendant with good out-of-hours routing rather than a complex IVR.
How many options should a phone menu have?
Keep the first level to three or four options, with the most common first, and always include a way to reach a person. Longer menus make callers forget the options and press 0 anyway. If you need more choices, add a second level under one option rather than making everyone listen to a long list.
Can the phone menu change automatically out of hours?
Yes. The auto attendant follows your opening hours and bank holidays, and plays a different message and routing when you're closed. It can take a voicemail, divert urgent calls to an on-call mobile or point callers to your website. An administrator can also switch to a closed message instantly from an app or web portal.
Can an AI receptionist replace a phone menu?
For some calls, yes. 3CX's AI Edition includes an AI Receptionist that answers, routes callers and answers common questions 24/7, and 8x8 AI Studio can build AI voice agents. They work well for routine questions like opening times or bookings. Most businesses keep a simple menu or a route to a person for everything else. We quote AI receptionists on request.
Book a free phone system review
We'll look at how calls reach your team today, where they get lost and what happens out of hours, then design a call flow for 8x8, 3CX or Teams Phone. You'll get a written recommendation within 2 working days.