System information

Selection #
It’s good to have the option for the directory as close to the beginning of the recording
as possible. Many people will use a directory if they know it is there, but can’t be
bothered to listen to the whole menu prompt to find out about it. Impatient people will
press 0, so the sooner you tell them about the directory, the more chance you’ll have
that they’ll use it, and thus reduce the workload on your receptionist.
Selection 3
When you have an option that does nothing but play a recording back to the caller
(such as address and fax information), you can leave all the code for that in the same
context as the menu, and simply return the caller to the main menu prompt at the end
of the recording. In general, these sorts of options are not as useful as we would like to
think they are, so in most cases you’ll probably want to leave this out.
Selection 9
It is very important to give the caller the option to hear the choices again. Many people
will not be paying attention throughout the whole menu, and if you don’t give them
the option to hear the choices again, they will most likely press 0.
Note that you do not have to play the greeting again, only the main menu prompt.
Selection 0
As stated before, and whether you like it or not, this is the choice that many (possibly
the majority) of your callers will select. If you really don’t want to have somebody
handle these calls, you can send this extension to a mailbox, but we don’t recommend
it. If you are a business, many of your callers will be your customers. You want to make
it easy for them to get in touch with you. Trust us.
Timeout
Many people will call a number, and not pay too much attention to what is happening.
They know that if they just wait on the line, they will eventually be transferred to the
operator. Or perhaps they are in their cars, and really shouldn’t be pressing buttons on
their phones. Either way, oblige them. If they don’t make any selection, don’t harass
them and force them to do so. Connect them to the operator.
Invalid
People make mistakes. That’s OK. The invalid handler will let them know that whatever
they have chosen is not a valid option and will return them to the menu prompt so that
they can try again. Note that you should not play the greeting again, only the main
menu prompt.
Designing Your Auto Attendant | 335