What is Auto-attendant?

An auto-attendant is the recorded menu that answers your phone and puts callers through to the right person — "press 1 for sales, 2 for accounts".

Auto-attendant and IVR mean the same thing in practice; some providers call it a virtual switchboard. It answers every call instantly, sends each caller where they need to go, and can run a different menu out of hours. Silux Call includes it from Plus, or £5/month as an add-on — Voipfone charges £5 for a single menu and £10 for multi-level, Tamar £4.99. See also [IVR](/glossary/ivr).

Also searched as: virtual receptionist menu, press 1 for sales, phone menu, virtual switchboard.