Auto Attendant - Yes or No?

[allanc]

Currently, we are using Ring Central as our cloud based phone system provider.
I personally really dislike auto-attendants on phone systems and I am fairly confident that my clients agree.
So here is the problem:
I am getting more and more automated recorded incoming calls every day.
You know the type - from 'Google' or 'press 1 if you want to win $100,000 or 2 if you prefer $1,000,000.'.
Blocking the incoming number is useless as it is always changing.
I know that enabling the auto-attendant will resolve the issue because there is no human being on the calling end to press '1'.
How are others dealing with this issue?

 

[Rztech]

We have multiple locations and multiple departments, so the auto attendant is a must for us. We don't miles long BS of clicking 1, then 2, then 2, then 1, and then you're transferred. Max is about 2-3. We found clients wait for an agent to answer on average 30-40 seconds after waiting, and haven't had any complaints. We use Grasshopper and have no issues with them. They provide a nice interface for details on the call, ways to action, and more so it makes it easier on us.

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

I use automated attendant its super simple I don't even remember what my options are. I think its like press 1 to speak to a representative press 2 for hours of operation.

 

[DMC Unlimited]

In our particular community, having a live body answer the phone gives us an advantage over the competition. There are, of course, the daily garbage calls, but for us it's worth giving our clients a live welcome when they call us. We do have a dedicated receptionist, so this isn't something that decreases productivity for our techs. I suppose it's a decision you'll need to weigh for your personal situation.

 

[allanc]

In our particular community, having a live body answer the phone gives us an advantage over the competition. There are, of course, the daily garbage calls, but for us it's worth giving our clients a live welcome when they call us. We do have a dedicated receptionist, so this isn't something that decreases productivity for our techs. I suppose it's a decision you'll need to weigh for your personal situation.

I think that my clients agree with you .
I had a particularly frustrating morning with the b.s. coming through.

 

[1on1 Computer Services]

I just setup a FreePBX system on a VPS. I have my main line forwarded to my desk extension, after 3 rings if I don't answer(I won't pick it up if it's not a local number coming in), it rolls to my IVR where it gives the caller an option to press 1 to try my cell phone, or hang on to leave a VM.

 

[allanc]

I just setup a FreePBX system on a VPS. I have my main line forwarded to my desk extension, after 3 rings if I don't answer(I won't pick it up if it's not a local number coming in), it rolls to my IVR where it gives the caller an option to press 1 to try my cell phone, or hang on to leave a VM.

I would rather that the phone not ring in case of b.s.
I just chatted with Ring Central and unfortunately I cannot configure to have callers in my contacts ring through and others go to the auto-attendant.
I can click on 'voice mail' on my computer which will stop the ringing and send them to voicemail right away.
That will 'disable' that particular automated call until the next business day.
Edit: Meaning that once my end is answered - they will only call once on any given business day.

 

[jzukerman]

I keep the auto-attendant menu simple.
Press 2 for Sales.
Press 3 for technical support.
Press 4 for all other callers.
Press 5 for all webhosting customers.

The caller has to press an option or menu repeats, which cuts down on the spammers. That said, after hours I have it dump into the technical support mailbox if no entry is made due to a few times clients had problems for whatever reason pressing a number.

 

[calldrdave]

I don't think auto attendants are the end of the world. The key is to get to someone as quickly as possible. Some tips I've seen are:

1) Make sure the message can be bypassed. If I can press 0 immediately to reach a live person and bypass the menu, I'm cool with that. That's how my voicemail works on my mobile
2) Try to recognize the customer's annoyance and brand it. A great ISP has a message about their robot mascot needing something to do.
3) Provide valuable options. I've been experimenting with this like "Press 3 if you received a call from Microsoft about a virus" and then explain it is a scam. As a consumer, I like menu options that give hours and directions. That lets me know if it is worth the drive over.
4) Encourage texting. Another option I'm experimenting with. In fact I was thinking of moving to Ring Central just because they support texting. Given all the bad stories I've heard about them, I think I'll port my landline to a mobile and then to Google Voice

 

[allanc]

I don't think auto attendants are the end of the world. The key is to get to someone as quickly as possible.
4) Encourage texting. Another option I'm experimenting with. In fact I was thinking of moving to Ring Central just because they support texting. Given all the bad stories I've heard about them, I think I'll port my landline to a mobile and then to Google Voice

I use Ring Central.
Their tech support tries really hard to be helpful but doesn't really solve many problems for me.
In many cases, I fix my own problems because they could not.

 

[lcoughey]

During business hours, our goal is to answer every call before the phone rings 2 times. Auto-attendant is just there for a backup when we have more calls than people to answer the line or to answer after hours.

 

[allanc]

During business hours, our goal is to answer every call before the phone rings 2 times. Auto-attendant is just there for a backup when we have more calls than people to answer the line or to answer after hours.

I think that in my case, VM kicks in after about 20 seconds.

 

[MotzTech]

Another RingCentral user here. We use the auto attendant but it just forwards to the desk phone (and cell if away) automatically. We have found that the simple act of a computer picking up causes most auto dialers to disconnect the call, so even though all calls are forwarded anyways, we get very few spam calls. After hours we get a few more because the wait time to voicemail is shorter, so we get like half cut off spam messages.