What is an auto attendant in VoIP?
An auto attendant is a virtual receptionist built into your CyberGate phone system. It picks up incoming calls with a short greeting and a menu, and callers choose where to go by pressing keys on their phone, for example 1 for Sales, 2 for Support, or a colleague's extension number.
Because it runs in the CyberGate cloud, it treats every call the same way, whether it comes in at 9 am on a Monday or 9 pm on a Poya day. There is no switchboard to staff and no extra hardware to install. You set up the greeting, the options and where each option goes, and the system does the rest.
You can start with a single menu and grow it over time: add sub-menus for each branch or product line, a language choice, separate greetings for holidays, or a fast lane for callers who already know who they want.
How an auto attendant phone system works
Here is what happens from the moment a customer dials your number until they reach a person, or leave a message.
A customer dials your number
The call arrives on your CyberGate number and is matched to the auto attendant you have set for that number. Each number, branch or campaign can have its own menu.
Direct numbers (DID)SIP trunkingThe system checks the time
Your business hours, lunch break and holiday calendar decide which greeting plays: open, closed or holiday. Nobody has to switch anything at closing time.
Time conditionsHoliday calendarThe caller hears your greeting
A recorded or text-to-speech greeting lists the options. Callers can press a key at any time, so regular callers don't have to listen to the whole message.
Custom promptsText to speechThe caller makes a choice
Each key sends the call where you decide. Callers who know an extension can dial it directly, or spell a person's name in the company directory.
Direct extension diallingDial by nameFallbacks keep the caller moving
If the caller presses nothing, or presses a key that isn't used, the menu repeats and then sends the call to a fallback, such as the operator or a general mailbox.
IVR menuNo call is left ringing
If the destination doesn't pick up in time, the call follows its no-answer rule: another team, a mobile number, or voicemail delivered to email.
Call forwardingVoicemail to email
- A person's extension
- A ring group
- A call queue
- Another menu (sub-menu)
- Dial-by-name directory
- Personal or team voicemail
- A mobile or external number
- A message, then hang up
See it in a real call
Answer every call without a receptionist
One main number gets calls for Sales, Support and individual staff. Nobody has time to answer and transfer each call, and after hours the phone just rings out.
Auto attendant is used in: Welcome menu
Test cases: pick one and press ▶ Play
- Office hours · 1 Sales · Answered→ Call connected
- Office hours · 1 Sales · No answer→ Voicemail to email
- Office hours · 2 Support · Answered→ Call connected
- Office hours · 2 Support · No answer→ Voicemail to email
- Office hours · Ext. or name · Answered→ Call connected
- Office hours · Ext. or name · No answer→ Voicemail to email
- After hours→ Voicemail to email
Benefits and use cases of an auto attendant
An auto attendant pays off for any business that gets calls for more than one person or team.
Sound established from day one
A clear greeting and well-organised options on every call make a five-person team sound like a much larger company.
Callers reach the right person first time
Callers route themselves, so they aren't passed around, and your staff only get calls they can actually help with.
Open around the clock
Evenings, weekends and public holidays are handled automatically, and messages arrive by email so nothing is missed overnight.
Shorter waits, fewer lost calls
Calls go straight to the right group or queue instead of waiting for one receptionist to answer and transfer each one.
Lower running costs
Free your front desk from routine call handling, or run without a receptionist entirely, and let staff focus on customers.
Where businesses use it
- Small officesNo dedicated receptionist. The menu answers, and calls ring the right person's desk phone or mobile app.
- Retail and e-commerceSeparate options for order tracking, returns and store hours, with Sales and Support kept apart.
- Clinics and hospitalsAppointments, pharmacy and billing in one menu, with an urgent on-call option after hours.
- Schools and universitiesAdmissions, exams and accounts each get their own line, and holiday greetings switch on automatically.
- HotelsReservations, front desk and restaurant from one number, in Sinhala, Tamil or English.
- Multi-branch businessesOne national number with a branch menu for Colombo, Kandy or Galle, all sharing one staff directory.
An auto attendant that does exactly what you need
The CyberGate auto attendant goes beyond a basic phone menu. These capabilities work together, so you can shape the caller experience around how your business really works.
Self-service menus that grow with you
Start with one menu and add more as you grow, with no limit on how you organise teams, branches or products.
- Multi-level menus and sub-menus
- Direct extension dialling and a dial-by-name directory
- A separate menu for each number, branch or campaign
- Language choice in Sinhala, Tamil and English
Routing that knows the time and the caller
Calls go where they should at every hour of the day, and important callers can skip the queue.
- Business hours, lunch breaks and holiday calendars, including Poya days
- A night or emergency mode you can switch on with a short code
- Routing by caller number, for VIP customers or blocked numbers
- Destinations including extensions, groups, queues and mobiles
Professional greetings without a studio
Make every menu sound like your business, and change it in minutes when something changes.
- Upload your own recordings or record a greeting from any phone
- Type a greeting and let text to speech read it out
- Different greetings per menu, time of day and holiday
- Music or announcements while callers wait
Ready for your busiest days
When call volumes peak, callers are held, informed and called back instead of hearing a busy tone.
- Call queues with position announcements
- Queue callback, so callers don't have to hold
- Overflow to another team or voicemail when the wait is too long
- Call reports that show missed calls and peak times