Get a Virtual Auto Attendant for Your Small Business

1. What is the UniTel Voice virtual auto attendant?

A virtual auto attendant or virtual receptionist is one of the features of UniTel Voice’s virtual phone system. Like traditional on premise business PBX phone systems, our virtual auto attendant greets and routes callers when they call your main business number. It works as an auto-receptionist allowing callers to select from a menu of choices (e.g., sales department, customer support, directions to your location, or an employee dial-by-name directory). However, unlike traditional on premise PBXs, our auto attendant is virtual (cloud-based), meaning it runs completely online, no need for software or hardware or complicated PBX equipment that needs ongoing maintenance.

 

2. Is the UniTel Voice virtual auto attendant easy to set up?

It’s simple. The first step is to pick your business number which can be an existing number you already have or a virtual local or toll free number. You simply record your main greeting and add the department and employee extensions you’d like your calls to forward to. Each extension can forward to any combination number of phones or voicemail. It’s managed completely online and changes take effect immediately. You can manage everything yourself, but if you need anything (auto attendant script examples, tips, or one-on-one assistance) our customer support team is here to help.

 

3. Is it easy to customize my virtual auto attendant’s message?

Yes. Your virtual auto attendant can be customized however you’d like. You can record your own greeting or use our free voice talent studio (using actual human voices from real people, not computer generated) to give your business a professional touch. If you need something fancy with custom music etc. you can also use a third-party voice talent to record your main greeting (we know a few good agencies that do it all).

 

4. Price-wise, how does UniTel Voice compare to the competition?

Our virtual auto attendant with unlimited greetings, extensions, and voicemail is included with every plan at no extra cost. We also offer free professional voice recordings at no extra charge. And free personal assistance where our USA-based team will set things up for you (our competitors charge extra for this VIP concierge service). However, we’ve made our system so user-friendly, it usually takes just a few minutes to set things up on your own (but we’re here if you need us!). All this starting at just $9.99/month, no setup fees, and no long-term contracts. So price-wise, we dominate the industry in value.

 

5. Feature-wise, how does UniTel Voice compare to the competition?

UniTel Voice is on its third generation virtual phone system and we’re pleased to say when it comes to features and functionality our technology is leading the pack. Check out all of our amazing phone system features here.

 

6. Customer service-wise, how does UniTel Voice compare to the competition?

Customer service continues to be our number one differentiator. At the end of the day, virtual phone systems, auto attendants, and business phone service, in general, has become a bit of a commodity. The one thing we have continued to do differently (no matter how “unscalable”) is offer personal one-on-one assistance getting set up from our skilled USA-based account managers. While our completion focuses on automation and outsourcing to call centers in the Philippians, our focus is simple. Make customers happy.

 

7. Does my small business even need an auto attendant?

The short answer is yes. Even if you have a live receptionist, it still makes sense to have a phone system with auto attendant capabilities so when you are closed or on a holiday, your phone system has the ability to professionally greet callers and route them to the appropriate phone, extension or voicemail. Even if you’re a bootstrapped startup, getting a virtual auto attendant makes more sense than something too simple like Google Voice. First off, virtual auto attendants aren’t expensive. Second, when your callers call your business, they’ll have a better experience and you’re more likely to earn their business (and that’s all that matters).

 

8. What’s the difference between a virtual auto attendant and a virtual receptionist?

Sometimes these terms can be confusing because a virtual auto attendant (like what we have been discussing) is sometimes referred to as a virtual auto receptionist). However, a virtual receptionist is typically not a phone system it’s a call center where a live human answers the call on behalf of your business. For example, here at UniTel Voice, we have customers that use our virtual auto attendant during the day and forward their calls to a virtual receptionist at night.

 

9. What’s the difference between a virtual auto attendant and an IVR?

Interactive voice response (IVR) is a bit fancier than a simple virtual auto attendant. They’re a bit more annoying as well, like when you call AT&T, Comcast or Chase Bank. They use a sophisticated IVR phone system that allows their computer to interact with you through the use of voice and/or a phone’s keypad. An IVR can integrate with a company’s CRM and billing systems to allow customers to interact with a business’s host phone system to get information about their account, bill or services. Typically, an IVR is overkill for most startups and small businesses but it all depends on your needs.