The pros and cons of auto-attendant software

An auto attendant phone system can hugely benefit your business. If you are unsure how it can improve your line of work or don’t know what it entails, we are here to answer your questions.

We’ve efficiently rounded up the pros and cons of utilizing a telephone auto attendant to help you understand this service in more detail. If you’re wondering, “what is an auto attendant?” and have other queries regarding this software, simply read on.

What does auto attendant phone software entail?

Essentially, an auto attendant phone system helps to route callers to the right person or department.

When it comes to a large or small business, a phone system with an auto-attendant can be highly beneficial. In particular, large organizations are well known for using these systems because they are a quick and affordable way to manage a large volume of callers. It also removes the process of employing a potentially vast number of receptionists or call center agents to filter and forward callers to the correct extension.

When you call a company with a telephone auto-attendant, you will be greeted with a self-serve menu. You might, for example, be asked to – press 1 for the sales department; press 2 for aftercare; etc.

A telephone auto-attendant can also allow callers to carry out basic tasks or transactions such as making a payment; without even having to speak to someone. As a business owner, if you were to use auto-attendant software, then as soon as your callers dialed a particular number to reach your company, they would be greeted with a recorded message.

Afterwards, they will be given the appropriate menu options. This level of automation has several advantages and disadvantages.

As outlined above, the message would give the caller options to choose from in terms of numbers to press to reach a specific department or individual. This self-serve menu provides a cost-effective way to route callers to different extensions. It can simplify many processes for both the caller and the organization, using the telephone auto-attendant. In addition, auto attendant phone systems have existed and been used extensively by large corporations and banks for several decades, so callers usually expect to be greeted by one.If a business is taking hundreds, or even thousands of calls per day, auto-attendant software is a highly cost-effective way to manage call volumes, route calls, and streamline the whole process.The alternative of hiring a call center agent to answer each initial call would be drastically more expensive to set up and maintain. In addition, when dealing with certain transactions, such as paying bills, callers will often just want to get the job done as soon as possible.When it comes to the drawbacks of using a telephone auto-attendant, the most obvious is that it lacks a human touch. As the world becomes increasingly automated, people report feeling more isolated. Adding a human touch and the warmth of a human-to-human interaction can be a distinguishing factor with unexpected power, which an auto attendant phone system can easily achieve.We currently live in an era of hyper-personalization, with the likes of Google, Amazon and Facebook knowing more about us than our best friends probably do. This data and tracking allow the major brands we interact with and purchase from to provide hyper-personalized experiences.Yet, the customization and personal greetings that we receive from a faceless eCommerce platform or search engine often feel unauthentic. In many ways, we can feel less engaged and more suspicious of a brand that never reciprocates the information and openness they receive from us. According to an article written by Adam Waytz for the Harvard Business Review, states that:"Smart organizations, rather than continuing to automate their services at all costs, would be wise to understand the ways that human presence creates value in the mind of consumers."Waytz goes on to surmise that:"Sensing human intention at the root of the interaction is critical because people tend to equate intentionality with purpose and meaning."Callers, customers and people in general will remember how you and your company made them feel. In some instances, using an auto-attendant is acceptable. In others, calling a local small business, for example, speaking to a human, will create a much better first impression than interacting with a piece of software.It is important to bear in mind that your reputation as an entrepreneur and business will correlate directly, in almost all instances, to how you make your clients, customers, and callers feel. Forming human relationships from the first interaction is crucial for many small businesses, and this is why, in many instances, a phone answering service is superior to an auto-attendant.For many businesses, using a phone answering service is an excellent alternative to using an auto-attendant. A telephone auto-attendant can be highly effective when organizations are experiencing thousands of calls per day and have call centers full of agents dealing with queries, sales and aftercare.A highly professional and polite receptionist can provide a much warmer and personalized service for businesses with smaller call volumes than an auto-attendant. For example, someone might want to get in touch with your business quickly while on a break at work. If, in this instance, the caller is greeted by an auto-attendant, they are likely to feel frustrated and annoyed.However, if the call is answered promptly by a polite receptionist, who can answer basic queries, take a message or route the caller straight to the appropriate person, the caller is likely to feel that their call is appreciated and valued.One significant advantage of having a phone answering service with a virtual receptionist is that the receptionist can take messages and filter out unwanted calls.With the number of spam calls increasing in recent years, busy entrepreneurs can receive several unwanted calls every day.This may not seem like a huge issue, but scientific research has shown that a single interruption takes around 25 minutes to recover and refocus from entirely. In other words, when an interruption has been dealt with, it takes nearly half an hour to get back into the swing of things with the task at hand. In addition, it has been shown that interruptions cause a significant increase in stress, anxiety and errors.Using a phone answering service is a cost-effective way to work smarter, and not necessarily harder. With fewer interruptions, you will get more work done in the same amount of time. The fact that you won't have to listen out for your phone constantly will also mean that you can focus on the task at hand.With an out-of-hours answering service, you can also enjoy your leisure time without having to keep your phone nearby. You can literally switch off and let your virtual receptionists handle any business calls on your behalf.With Moneypenny's Phone Answering service, all of our receptionists are based right here in the US. This allows our receptionists to build rapport with your callers and build a relationship from the first interaction, and this is not possible with auto-attendant software.We are the only US-based phone answering service that provides a highly-trained dedicated receptionist who will get to know your business, what you do and how to deal with callers down to the finest detail.With Moneypenny, there are no lengthy contracts. Set-up typically takes under 24 hours, and you can enjoy all of the benefits of an in-house receptionist and an office phone system for a fraction of the cost. For more information on how to start your auto attendant phone system, click here.If you’re interested in discovering further insights on telephone auto attendants and other ways to improve your business, head over to our blog. You can read articles such as what is a virtual secretary and much more.