An automated attendant (AA) is a computer-based system used to answer inbound calls that most of us have had the pleasure of using at some point in our lives. Cisco Unity, Unity Connections, and Unity Express are voicemail solutions sold by Cisco that have AA capabilities through the configuration of call handlers.
Cisco also sells call center (Unified Contact Center) based platforms that have greater functionality and scalability than the Unity-based AA systems. Cisco brands these platforms as “contact centers” because callers can receive support via computer applications (e-mail, web pages, instant messaging, etc.) in addition to phone calls used in traditional call centers. The Unified Contact Center is an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application allowing skills-based routing and intelligent scripts that interact with various databases based on user input and the various scripts that can be implemented.
Here’s an example of an automated attendant or IVR system:
Welcome to Global Knowledge. Please be advised that our menu has changed.
Dial 1 for Cisco classes
Dial 2 for Microsoft classes
Dial 3 for VMWare classes
Dial 4 for Project Management classes
At any point during this call, you may dial zero to be connected to a company operator.
The objective of your phone call may be to ask a question that a knowledgeable sales associate can easily answer. The challenge with these system is often finding a human being that can answer your unique question. Many companies have removed the zero option from their systems forcing you to listen to the different menus which seem to never end. I have even experienced systems that hang up on you when the zero option is dialed!
An improperly designed AA system can loop the caller back to the opening greeting by mistake, or route the call to an orphaned call handler. Orphaned call handlers are linked menus in which the child call handler was improperly deleted or moved. Landing on one of these normally results in call disconnects which can be maddening for the user.
Some menu options may route calls to a Unified Contact Center queue in which you may hear music on hold (or targeted marketing) for up to 15 minutes. Has an agent ever put you on hold and your call been disconnected? Has an agent ever transferred your call and you got hung up on? That can be annoying to say the least…
These support difficulties can make one feel a little jaded when the topic of AA systems come up. www.gethuman.com is a website dedicated to helping people get around automated systems to speak to real human beings. There are many hidden menu options providing tricks for working your way around the automated systems. Many IVR systems can detect the frustration (maybe even anger) of a human’s voice based on the amplitude and inflection of voice. Speaking loudly and angrily alone may provide direct access to a human being, but the Gethuman.com website has many other options.
Author: Dennis Hartmann
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