Installation manual

ESI-50L Programming Manual Function 4: Auto attendant programming
G.1
Function 4: Auto attendant programming
You can program the auto attendant, in line programming (Function 2; see page E.1), to answer calls
immediately, on a delayed-answer basis or not at all (i.e., for live answer at all times). If required, you also can
program different main greetings and routing schemes for different combinations of lines. Day/night mode will
change the main greeting announcement and affect rerouting of calls during
call processing.
Function 41: Auto attendant branch programming
An ESI Communications Server’s auto attendant follows a branch concept: the caller is routed through a series
of branches, ultimately to the extension he wishes to reach. The caller moves from branch to branch by selecting
a number or name presented in a branch prompt.
Each system supports three types of branches — menu, GoTo, and directory — and up to 100 branches, total.
Use them to create virtually limitless routing possibilities. Each branch has one greeting — with the exception of
branches ID 1 through ID 8, each of which has four greetings (day1, day2, night1, and night2; see also “Function
43: Automatic day/night mode table,” pp. G.6–G.7).
Menu branch
A menu branch includes a prompt that instructs the caller to make a selection from the choices presented
such as “For Sales, press 1; for Service, press 2; or, for Administration, press 3.” Whenever you create a
menu branch, you must also create a corresponding number of sub-branches to match the number of choices
given the caller in the prompt.
When a caller makes a single-digit selection in the menu branch, he/she will then advance to one of its
sub-branches — which could be another menu branch (if there are more choices to make), or a GoTo branch
(routes the caller to a destination; see below) or directory branch (for choosing from a list of names; see
page G.3).
Note: If a caller makes no selection during the prompt in a menu branch, he will be transferred according to the
no-response programming for that branch (see page G.5).
GoTo branch
A GoTo branch transfers the caller to an extension, department, mailbox, branch ID, or an outside number:
• GoTo dial — The GoTo: dial branch automatically blind-transfers the caller to the extension or
department number programmed as its destination. If the number listed is a department, the system will
follow the programming as set in Function 33 (see page F.10). If the destination extension or department
dialed is busy or does not answer, the call will follow call forwarding for the extension as programmed in
Function 31 (see page F.2) or the department as programmed in Function 33 (see page F.10).
• GoTo mailbox — Routes a caller to that mailbox’s personal greeting. The mailbox can be a user,
a guest/information mailbox, a group mailbox, cascade notification mailbox, or Q & A mailbox.
• GoTo branch — Can also be used to jump to any other branch in the auto attendant. It is a good idea to
provide a jump as a sub-branch of each menu branch, giving the caller the option either to repeat the
menu or exit without making a selection.
Example: “For widget sales, press 1. For gadget sales, press 2. Or, to return to the main menu, press 3.”
In this case, the third sub-branch would be a GoTo branch with ID1 (the main greeting) as its
programmed destination.
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