Create a new auto attendant

Before you begin

You can use an existing business hours and holiday schedule to configure the time/days your auto attendant is operational and non-operational, or create a new schedule when you create an auto attendant. To configure your business hours and holiday schedules before creating an auto attendant, see Create and configure a schedule in Control Hub.

For customers in the Asia-Pacific region, the Caller ID Name field is auto-populated with the username. You can't modify the Caller ID Name field.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Add New to create an auto attendant.

3

On the Basics page, enter the following information, and then click Next.

  • Location—Select a location from the drop-down menu.
    A location is a container with a location-specific calling configuration. See Configure Cisco Webex Calling for Your Organization for more information.
  • Auto Attendant Name—Enter a name for the auto attendant.
  • Phone Number and Extension—Assign a primary phone number and an extension to the hunt group.
    If you leave the extension field blank, the system automatically assigns the last four digits of the phone number as an extension for this auto attendant. To modify it, see Edit auto attendant phone numbers section.
  • Language—Select the auto attendant language from the drop-down menu.
  • Caller ID First Name and Last Name—Enter the Caller ID first name and last name for the auto attendant. The Caller ID is used for calls that are forwarded outside of this hunt group.

When configuring an auto attendant, you can provision the number of auto attendants for each location or organization.

4

On the Business Hours Schedule page, assign an existing Business Hours schedule in the Select an option drop-down, or create a new schedule. Click Next.

5

On the Holiday Schedule page, assign an existing Holiday schedule in the Select an option drop-down, or create a new schedule. Click Next.

6

On the Menu page, under both the Business Hours and After Hours tabs, use the drop-down to assign each keypad number to their function. Click Next.

To allow callers to dial an extension without a menu prompt, check the Enable extension dialing without requiring a menu item check box.

7

On the Greeting page, under both the Business Hours and After Hours tabs, choose whether you want to use the default greeting, upload an audio recording, or record your own greeting. Click Next.

8

On the Review page, under each tab, review your new auto attendant settings to make sure everything is correct. You can click Back to make any changes, or click Create to apply the settings to your new auto attendant.

9

Click Done when completed.

Want to see how it's done? Watch this video demonstration on how to create a new auto attendant in Control Hub.
Disable an auto attendant

With this procedure, you can disable a previously created auto attendant.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant and click on Manage.

3

The Auto Attendant page displays. Select the auto attendant to disable from the list.

4

In the side panel, toggle Enable Auto Attendant to off to disable the auto attendant.

5

Click Save.

Edit auto attendant general settings

You can change the location and language for your auto attendant.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays. Select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, beside General Settings, click Manage.

4

View or edit the Language from the Language from the drop-down.

5

View or edit the Time Zone from the Time Zone drop-down.

6

View or edit the Caller ID used when calls are transferred or forwarded out of this auto attendant.

7

Click Save.

Edit auto attendant phone numbers

Change your auto attendant phone numbers and add up to 10 alternate numbers.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays. Select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, click Phone Numbers.

4

Edit the Primary Phone Number and Extension.

If you've left the extension field blank when creating the auto attendant, the system automatically assigns the last four digits of the phone number as an extension for this auto attendant.

5

Add Alternate Numbers using the search function.

6

Click Save.

Configure call forwarding for auto attendants

You can forward all incoming calls dependent on a set of criteria that you define.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Click Auto Attendant and then select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, click Call Forwarding.

4

Toggle the Call Forwarding feature on.

5

Select one of the following options:

  • Always Forward Calls—Always forward calls to a designated number.
  • Selectively Forward Calls—Forward calls to a designated number depending on criteria.

If you choose Selectively Forward Calls, you need to have at least one rule for forwarding applied for call forwarding to be active.

6

Assign the number that you want to forward calls to. If you have chosen Always Forward Calls, click Save.

When choosing Always Forward or Selectively Forward, check the Send to Voicemail check box to forward all calls to an internal voicemail. The Send to Voicemail check box is disabled when an external number is entered.

A virtual line number can also be added as a number to forward the calls to.

7

If you choose Selectively Forward, create a rule by clicking Add When to Forward or Add When Not to Forward.

On provisioning the Selectively Forward Calls option, the Add When Not to Forward rule takes precedence over the Add When to Forward rule.

8

Create a Rule Name.

9

For When to Forward or When Not to Forward, select a Business Schedule and Holiday Schedule from the drop-down list.

10

For Forward To, select at least one option from Default Phone Number or add a Different Phone Number.

11

For Calls From, select Any Number or Selected Numbers with at least one option from the following:

  • Any Number—Forwards all calls in the specified rule.

  • Any Private Numbers—Forwards calls from private numbers.

  • Any Unavailable Numbers—Forwards calls from unavailable numbers.

  • Add Specific Numbers—Forwards calls from up to 12 numbers that you define.

12

For Calls To, select a number or alternate number from the drop-down to forward a call when received on this number in your organization.

13

Click Save.

The rules created for the selectively forward calls are processed based on the following criteria:

  • The rules are sorted in the table by rule name character. Example: 00_rule, 01_rule, and so on.

  • The "Not to Forward" rule always takes precedence over the "Forward" rule.

  • The rules are processed based on the order they are listed in the table.

  • You can create multiple rules. However, if a rule is satisfied, the system no longer checks the next rule. If you want the specific rule to check first, we suggest that you update the rule name with numbers. For example: If you want the holiday rule to check before the business closed hours rule, then name the rule as 01-Holiday and 02-Closed.

To know more about the basic functionality and examples of the selectively forward call, see Configure Call Forwarding Selective for Webex Calling.

What to do next

Once a rule is created, you can enable or disable a rule using the toggle beside the rule in the table. You can also change or delete a rule at any time by clicking Edit or .

Edit dialing options for auto attendants

Set the dialing options to be specific to a customer or a location/site.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Click Auto Attendant and then select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, click Dialing Options.

4

Select one of the following:

  • Customer

  • Location

5

Click Save.

Edit business hours schedules for auto attendants

You can assign a business hours schedule created previously, or create your own business hours schedule for the auto attendant.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Click Auto Attendant and then select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, under Business Hours Auto Attendant click Schedule.

4

Choose one of the following options:

  • Assign an existing schedule—Select a previously created schedule from the drop-down menu.

  • Create a new schedule—Create a new name for the schedule and select the business hours.

5

Click Save.

Edit business hours menu options for auto attendants

Assign different functions to each keypad number. These settings direct your customers where they need to go when they enter a specific number on their phone.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays. Select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, under Business Hours Auto Attendant, click Menu.

4

Check the Enable extension dialing without requiring a menu item check box to allow callers to directly dial an extension at any time.

The Extension Dialing option for Auto Attendant applies only to Webex Calling subscribers.

5

Select the function that you want to assign to each number or function key on the dialpad.

For each assigned function, enter additional information or search and add user or workspace or virtual line number and extensions to transfer calls.

  1. Select the Play announcement function from the drop-down. Use this functionality to select/upload/record an announcement at the location or at the organization level and play the same.

  2. Click Select file, to select an existing recording. The Select a file displays a list of recordings that is available for the location. Choose from the list of recordings. Click Select file.

  3. You can upload or record an announcement. See Manage Announcement Repository for details.

6

Click Save.

Edit a greeting for a business hours auto attendant

This is the message that your customers hear when they call during business hours. Greetings often have a short welcome message and list the menu options.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays. Select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, under Business Hours Auto Attendant, click Greeting.

4

Choose from one of the following:

  • Default Greeting—Plays a default greeting for incoming calls.

  • Custom Greeting—Upload an audio file, or record a greeting using the recording function.

The audio (WAV) file must meet the following requirements:

  • 8 or 16 kHz

  • 8 or 16 bit mono

  • u-law, A-law, or PCM

  • Maximum file size of 2MB (or approximately 4 minutes of playback)

You can find more information for recording from your phone and sample greeting scripts by clicking Instructions for recording on a phone and Show me a sample script.

5

Click Save.

Edit after hours menu options for auto attendants

Assign different functions to each keypad number to direct your customers where they need to go when they enter a specific number on their phone. The menu that you set for after hours also applies to the holiday schedule.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays. Select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, under After Hours Auto Attendant click Menu.

4

Check the Enable extension dialing without requiring a menu item check box to allow callers to directly dial an extension at any time.

5

Select the function that you want to assign to each number or function key on the dialpad.

For each assigned function, enter additional information or search and add user or workspace or virtual line number and extensions to transfer calls.

  1. Select the Play announcement function from the drop-down. This functionality allows you to select/upload/record an announcement at the location or at the organization level and play the same.

  2. Click Select file, to select an existing recording. The Select a file displays a list of recordings that is available for the location. Choose from the list of recordings. Click Select file.

  3. You can upload or record an announcement. See Manage Announcement Repository for details.

6

Click Save.

Edit a greeting for an after hours auto attendant

This is the message that your customers hear when they call after business hours. Greetings often have a short welcome message and list the menu options. The menu that you set for after hours also applies to the holiday schedule.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays. Select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, under After Hours Auto Attendant, click Greeting.

4

Choose from one of the following:

  • Default Greeting—Plays a default greeting for incoming calls.

  • Custom Greeting—Upload an audio file, or record a greeting using the recording function.

The audio (WAV) file must meet the following requirements:

  • 8 or 16 kHz

  • 8 or 16 bit mono

  • u-law, A-law, or PCM

  • Maximum file size of 2MB (or approximately 4 minutes of playback)

You can find more information for recording from your phone and sample greeting scripts by clicking Instructions for recording on a phone and Show me a sample script.

5

Click Save.

Edit holiday schedules for auto attendants

Set the days during which your holiday auto attendant operates. You can assign a holiday schedule created previously, or create your own holiday schedule for the auto attendant.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays. Select the auto attendant to edit from the list.

3

In the side panel, under Holiday Auto Attendant click Schedule.

4

Choose one of the following options:

  • Assign an existing schedule—Select a previously created schedule from the drop-down.

  • Create a new schedule—Create a new name for the schedule and select holidays for your organization.

5

Click Save.

Generate auto attendant reports

You can generate a report that lists all inbound calls that reached the auto attendant service.

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays.

3

Click Manage > View Analytics.

Access the auto attendant launch kit

Download the Launch Kit to see what an auto attendant can do. Access the greeting samples and email templates to get you started.

Overview

You can bulk manage auto attendants with bulk inserts/updates for auto attendants. Administrators can import/export auto attendants with a CSV file.

Exporting CSV file into ZIP file format: When exporting data to a CSV file, the number of records may exceed 1000. In such cases, the ZIP file is downloaded, where the ZIP file contains the full set of record(s) in a single CSV file. A separate folder containing all the data is broken down into multiple CSV files with less than 1000 records. These files are generated for the administrators to quickly import any updates and upload.

If you have many auto attendants to add, the bulk manage auto attendant option is convenient and the CSV support reduces effort for deployment and migration.

Every auto attendant created in the Control Hub requires populating a wizard with many parameters and the CSV support streamlines the process.

The following functionalities are coming soon:

  • Delete of entire Auto Attendant Instances

  • Create/Modify/Delete Call Forwarding Rule

  • Exposing Bulk CSV operations as external APIs on Hydra Portal

  • Creating new schedules

Bulk manage auto attendants

To bulk manage auto attendants:

1

From the customer view in https://admin.webex.com, go to Services, and choose Calling > Features.

2

Go to the Auto Attendant card and click on Manage. The Auto Attendant page displays.

3

Click Manage and select Bulk Manage.

4

Select a location from the drop-down list to download data for auto attendants on that location, or select all locations to download data for all auto attendants.

5

Click Download Data or Download .csv template to verify that your CSV file is properly formatted, making sure to fill in the required information.

6

Add or edit the first and last name, phone number, and so on, and upload the updated CSV file.

7

Click View Import history/Tasks to view the status of your CSV import and indicating whether you've encountered any errors.

Prepare your CSV

Column

(Mandatory or Optional) Add an auto attendant

(Mandatory or Optional) Edit an auto attendant

Description

Supported Values

Name

Mandatory

Mandatory

Enter the name of the Auto Attendant.

1-30 characters

Phone Number

Mandatory if the extension is left blank

Mandatory if the extension is left blank

Enter the phone number. You must have either a phone number or an extension.

Only E.164 numbers are allowed for CSV import. Example: +12815550100
The phone number must be on the Numbers tab in the Control Hub.

Extension

Mandatory if the phone number is left blank

Mandatory if the phone number is left blank

Enter the extension. You must have either a phone number or an extension.

Two to ten digit extension. 00-999999. Extensions that match emergency numbers in the location country aren’t allowed (for example, you can't use 911 as an extension in U.S.)
Location MandatoryMandatoryEnter the location to add auto attendants.Example: San Jose.
The location must be on the Locations tab in the Control Hub.
Time ZoneOptionalOptionalEnter the auto attendant time zone key. This time zone applies to the schedules applied to the auto attendants.Example: America/Chicago. Character length: 1-127
Language CodeOptionalOptionalEnter the announcement language for the auto attendants.Example: en_us
Caller ID First NameMandatoryMandatoryEnter the first name to display for the auto attendant. The caller ID is used when call forward is enabled and calls are forwarded out.Example: San. Character length: 1-30
UTF-8 only characters are supported.
Caller ID Last NameMandatoryMandatoryEnter the first name to display for the auto attendant. The caller ID is used when call forward is enabled and calls are forwarded out.Example: Jose. Character length: 1-30
UTF-8 only characters are supported.
Business Schedule MandatoryMandatoryEnter the business schedule name.A valid business schedule name within the org.
Holiday Schedule MandatoryMandatoryEnter the holiday schedule name.A valid holiday schedule name within the org.
Dialing TypeOptionalOptionalSelect the dialing type.Enterprise and Group are the values you can select from.
Business Hours Menu ExtensionOptionalOptionalSelect the business hours menu extension.True and False are the values you can select from.

After Hours Menu Extension

OptionalOptionalSelect the after hours menu extension.True and False are the values you can select from.

Auto Attendant Enable

Optional

Optional

Select the toggle to enable or disable the option.

Enabled or Disabled

Alternate Numbers OptionalOptionalEnter the alternate number(s) to assign to the auto attendants.Example: 1112223333. Character length: 1-23
Phone number must be on the Numbers tab in the Control Hub.
Alternate Number ActionOptionalOptional

Enter ADD to add the alternate numbers you list in this row. Enter REMOVE to remove the alternate numbers you list in the row.

If you enter REPLACE, you’ll remove all previously entered alternate numbers and replace it with the alternate numbers you’re adding in this row only.

ADD, REMOVE, REPLACE
Alternate Number 1–10 ring toneOptionalOptionalIf distinctive ringing is enabled for alternate numbers, choose the distinctive ringing ring pattern. Choose from one of the supported options.NORMAL, LONG_LONG, SHORT_SHORT_LONG, SHORT_LONG_SHORT
Business Hours Press 0–9, * and # Description

Mandatory if Business Hours Press 0–9, * and # Description is left blank

Mandatory if Business Hours Press 0–9, * and # Description is left blank

Select the business hours type.

Example: Description, Character Length: 1-20

After Hours Press 0–9, * and # Description

Mandatory if After Hours Press 0–9, * and # Description is left blank

Mandatory if After Hours Press 0–9, * and # Description is left blank

Select the after hours type.

Example: Description, Character Length: 1-20

Business Hours Press 0–9, * and # Action

Mandatory if Business Hours Press 0–9, * and # Action is left blank

Mandatory if Business Hours Press 0–9, * and # Action is left blank

Select the business hours type.

PLAY_ANNOUNCEMENT

TRANSFER CALL_WITH_PROMPT

TRANSFER CALL_WITHOUT_PROMPT

TRANSFER CALL_TO_OPERATOR

TRANSFER_TO_VOICEMAIL

DIAL_BY_NAME

DIAL_BY_EXTENSION

REPEAT_MENU

EXIT_MENU

After Hours Press 0-9, * and # Action

Mandatory if After Hours Press 0–9, * and # Action is left blank

Mandatory if After Hours Press 0–9, * and # Action is left blank

Select the after hours type.

PLAY_ANNOUNCEMENT

TRANSFER_WITH_PROMPT

TRANSFER_WITHOUT_PROMPT

TRANSFER_TO_OPERATOR

TRANSFER_TO_VOICEMAIL

DIAL_BY_NAME

DIAL_BY_EXTENSION

REPEAT_MENU

EXIT_MENU

Business Hours Press 0–9, * and # Value

Mandatory for few Actions such as PLAY_ANNOUNCEMENT, TRANSFER_WITH_PROMPT, TRANSFER_WITHOUT_PROMPT, TRANSFER_TO_OPERATOR, TRANSFER_TO_VOICEMAIL

Mandatory for few Actions such as PLAY_ANNOUNCEMENT, TRANSFER_WITH_PROMPT, TRANSFER_WITHOUT_PROMPT, TRANSFER_TO_OPERATOR, TRANSFER_TO_VOICEMAIL

Additional value is needed to perform certain actions

The format for the Play announcement file is

Announcement Name | Announcement Type | Announcement Level

Ex: CycloneAlert.wav | WAV | LOCATION

Enter Type is ALL CAPS

Other supported actions require a valid phone number or extension.

After Hours Press 0-9, * and # Value

Mandatory for few Actions such as PLAY_ANNOUNCEMENT, TRANSFER_WITH_PROMPT, TRANSFER_WITHOUT_PROMPT, TRANSFER_TO_OPERATOR, TRANSFER_TO_VOICEMAIL

Mandatory for few Actions such as PLAY_ANNOUNCEMENT, TRANSFER_WITH_PROMPT, TRANSFER_WITHOUT_PROMPT, TRANSFER_TO_OPERATOR, TRANSFER_TO_VOICEMAIL

Additional value is needed to perform certain actions

The format for the Play announcement file is

Announcement Name | Announcement Type | Announcement Level

Ex: CycloneAlert.wav | WAV | LOCATION

Enter Type is ALL CAPS

Other supported actions require a valid phone number or extension.