Auto Attendant Featured Article

Unforeseen Circumstances Demand an Auto Attendant

By Susan J. Campbell
TMCnet Contributing Editor

How many situations in business are you able to perfectly predict? How many times does your business change directions and you have to be able to “go with the flow”? When uncontrolled events such as weather or natural disasters enter the mix, your operation can change in an instant. With an auto attendant in place, you can notify your employees and keep your customers up to speed.

Parlance’s nameConnector is an auto attendant solution that ensures customers have a number of options for informing callers when unforeseen circumstances affect their facilities or services. Parlance has a team of dedicated service engineers working with each customer to establish a protocol for unforeseen events that suit the needs of that specific business.

Consider the call center in the middle of Minnesota when the worst snowstorm of the season hits. All commerce is shut down for the day as emergency crews work to clear the roads and get business back to normal. The call center is already set up to enable agents to work from home. The nameConnector auto attendant can launch a voice broadcast out to all employees to stay put and login on their home computers.

Customers shouldn’t notice a hiccup in service delivery, but if a delay is expected, the auto attendant can communicate the situation and help to maintain satisfaction.

When the Midwest experienced one of the worst ice storms in years, whole cities were shut down due to power outages. Generators kept some lights on and enabled businesses to use auto attendant to inform customer callers on whether or not their doors were open for the business day. Schools especially needed to push out information to students and staff, keeping everyone informed on the progress of getting the roads clear and the power back on.

The nameConnector acts as the auto attendant, offering customers three different methods for informing callers when events occur and facility changes take place:

·         Voice Mailbox Recordings – Employees may receive notification through a special voice mailbox destination, such as a “Snow Line.” They can request that auto attendant messages are sent to specific destinations through the nameConnector. Administrators can easily customize and make changes.

·         Pre-Recorded Dialogs – These dialogs can address different events, such as early closings, inclement weather closings, etc. When an event occurs that keeps people away from the office, these dialogs can be easily changed remotely to fit the event.

·         Hybrid – You can easily combine the first two capabilities with your auto attendant, customizing pre-recorded dialogs to provide information on the status of the facility, while also providing callers the option of listening to a voice mailbox recording to gain more information. (The office is closed this afternoon to allow for our staff to attend our annual holiday party. To find out more about our latest specials, press ‘1’.)

Regardless of the option you choose, the point is to keep your customers and your employees informed when unforeseen events occur – and they will occur. With an auto attendant in place such as the nameConnector, you’ll be well equipped to maintain communications and subsequent satisfaction.