20 Auto Attendant Phone Scripts to Elevate Your Small Business
Whatever Your Size, Enjoy A Big Company Image With A Professional Phone Number
Have you ever called a business only to get a busy signal or a robotic voice saying, “I’m sorry, but the number you have dialed has a voice mailbox that has not been set up yet”? Plenty of businesses fail at this one key aspect of customer service: communication.
Maintaining good communication isn’t the most difficult thing to do well, given the technology we have at our fingertips today. However, it does take intentional effort to use this technology to the best effect.
If you’re using an auto attendant phone system, you’ve taken a great first step toward making sure your customers have a good experience when calling you. It gives them a direct way to interact with your business and allows you to handle high call volumes with ease. However, if you don’t have a real person from your company to answer the phone, you need a good auto attendant script and recording to deliver the full potential of this system.
At the same time, you may not feel confident crafting or recording a professional script for your brand. Or you might not have the time to think through what it should say or to set up the menu properly.
At AccessDirect, we’ve helped many companies develop auto attendant scripts and professional recordings that enhance their brand reputation with every phone call. Let’s look at some examples of scripts you can use to make your auto attendant system much more effective.
What Is an Auto-Attendant?
- Auto Attendant: This is what people hear when they first call your main business line. In essence, an auto attendant answers the call so customers can still reach you in some capacity. The message usually includes a greeting and a set of menu options directing callers to different departments or people within your organization.
- Voicemail: This is what people reach when they cannot access a specific extension at your company. A voicemail allows people to record a voice message that the person at that extension can listen to later. Once a caller reaches a voicemail box, there are usually no options to be transferred.
Having a well-crafted script for your auto attendant system can help you give a clear directory of extensions at your company, provide information after hours, and improve perception of your brand. Overall, it makes your system more user-friendly for customers.
Don’t Wing It: The Purpose of a Professional Auto Attendant Script
When you record your auto attendant message, winging it isn’t the answer. You want to concisely convey all the necessary information while projecting your unique brand voice. Your message needs to accomplish a lot of different goals in a short recording, while introducing yourself, holding their attention, and giving all the correct menu options. The more complex your extensions, the more difficult it might be to craft this message.
A script can help you optimize your auto attendant message for the recording. Whether you record this script with your own voice or send it to a professional recording service to implement (like AccessDirect), you want to write and edit your script ahead of time.
How to Structure an Auto Attendant Phone Script
- Greeting/Welcoming Message - Every auto attendant script should start by greeting the caller in a friendly way. Often, that means saying “hello” and thanking the person for calling.
- Company Name - You always want to put your company name front and center in any phone greeting. If a customer called you, you don’t want them to mistake your number for someone else’s. Plus, saying your name out loud is one more way to make your brand more memorable, so it sticks in the caller’s mind later.
- Main Menu Options - After introducing your company, provide any necessary information about the business that callers should know, then proceed to your phone menu. Here you assign a specific number or extension to departments or people within your office or organization. Callers can then hear the extension list and dial the correct number to reach their party. It’s best to map out these extensions ahead of time so you can easily give callers the correct number (i.e. “Press two for the maintenance department”). Make it as easy as possible for customers to reach their desired department with the press of a button.
- Voicemail Recordings - Have the people at each extension set up a voicemail greeting and an inbox. That way, a caller never hits a dead end but always has an opportunity to reach your business in some way. If you send them through a phone tree only for them to reach a place where they can’t leave their information for a callback, they may get frustrated and decide to go to another business that gives them the attention they need.
20 Auto Attendant Phone Script Samples
Basic Auto Attendant Scripts for Any Situation
These auto attendant scripts can be used for several different situations. Each includes a greeting, a space for your company name, and examples of menu options you might use, depending on your extensions and business needs.
- Thank you for calling [Your Company Name]. If you know your party's extension, you may dial it at any time. For sales, press one. For support, press two. For billing, press three. For our company address and directions, press four. For general inquiries or to speak with an operator, press zero.
- Hello. You’ve reached [Your Company Name]. Our regular business hours are 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. If you are calling during business hours, please press one to reach our main menu. If you require immediate assistance outside of these hours, please press two to be connected to our on-call support team.
- Thank you for contacting [Your Company Name]. To better assist you, please choose from the following options: For sales, press one. For technical support, press two. For billing and account information, press three. For our company address and fax number, press four. To speak with a member of our team, press zero.
- Hello. Thank you for choosing [Your Company Name]. To make a reservation, press one. For information about our products and services, press two. To check the status of an existing order, press three. To speak with our events planning team, press four. For all other inquiries, press zero.
- Multi-Lingual: Hi! You’ve reached [Your Company Name]. Para español, oprima nueve. Pour le français, appuyez sur le trois. Our regular business hours are 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. If you are calling during business hours, please note we experience regular high call volumes. If you reach a voicemail, please leave a message — your requests will be answered in the order they were received.
Scripts for Solo Entrepreneurs
- Consulting: Hello, and thank you for calling [Your Company Name]. You've reached [Your Name], your dedicated consultant. I'm here to assist you with [expertise/offering]. To make an appointment, press one or visit [Website]. To leave a message or for general inquiries, press two. Thank you for considering [Your Name] Consulting.
- Appointment-Based Business: Hello. You’ve reached [Company Name]. To schedule an appointment or check availability, press one. For information on coaching services and rates, press two. For billing questions and all other inquiries, press three. Thank you for choosing [Your Company Name].
Scripts for Restaurants
- Thank you for calling [Restaurant Name], [Company Motto]. To make a reservation or check table availability, press one. For hours of operation and location, press two. To inquire about private events or catering services, press three. For takeout and delivery options, press four.
- Welcome to [Restaurant Name]. To hear our daily specials, press one. To place a takeout or delivery order, press two. For our dine-in menu and hours, press three. To inquire about allergen information or dietary restrictions, press four. To speak with a member of our team or leave a message, please remain on the line.
Scripts for Agencies or Small Service Teams
If you run an agency or a small service team, you may assign your extensions to specific people at your agency, rather than a department. There are several ways you can do this.
For a smaller team, you might assign an extension to each agent and list them like a regular phone menu. You can also use a dial-by-name directory. Usually best for larger teams, dial-by-name directories allow customers to select a number that corresponds with a letter in an agent’s name. This allows callers to easily reach your agents without necessarily giving them a full list of extensions. It’s both efficient and preserves privacy, so they can only reach the person they’re looking for.
NOTE: Most often, this is convenient if one of your employees or agents has already made an impression on the caller (and has given them their name or card).
Here are some auto attendant script ideas to help you get started:
- Large Agency: Hello, you've reached [Agency Name]. Our regular business hours are 9 AM to 5 PM. To schedule an appointment with any of our professionals, press one. For a dial-by-name directory, press two. To leave a message or speak with an operator, press zero.
- [If customer pressed two] Dial-by-Name Script: Welcome to the dial-by-name directory. Please enter the first few letters of the person's last name you are trying to reach, using your telephone keypad. For example, if you are looking for John Smith, you can enter '7-6-4' for 'S-M-I.' To repeat these instructions, press '9.'
- Small Team of Agents: Hello! Thank you for calling [Agency Name], [Motto]. To schedule an appointment with one of our agents, press one. To speak to [Jim], press two. To speak to [Pam], press three. To speak to [Terry], press four. To speak to [James], press five. To speak to [Sally], press six. Otherwise, please remain on the line to speak with an operator or leave a message.
- Dial by Profession: Hello. Welcome to [Agency Name]. Our team is ready to help you with your every business challenge. For marketing and communications inquiries, including content creation, press one to speak with [Marketing Specialist Name]. For public relations and press releases, press two to speak with [PR Specialist Name]. For financial advice, press three to speak to [Finance Specialist Name]. To discuss project management challenges, press four to speak to [Project Specialist Name]. To learn more about our agency and our services, press five. For billing or account details, press six.
Scripts With Special Notices
Sometimes you want to give your customers special messages or notices about your operations or availability. These messages may not be permanent, but may be important to get across to anyone calling your business during a certain time.
For instance, you might want to discuss holiday hours, a service interruption, or a change in your phone menu. Often, changing your message can grab attention, ensuring that frequent callers are actually listening to your greeting. This makes it easier to get any special information across to them. It also helps prevent callers from selecting the wrong extension (since they are paying closer attention), resulting in fewer transfers.
- Holiday: Hello, and thank you for calling [Company Name]. Our office will be closed from [Holiday Start Date] to [Holiday End Date] in observance of [Holiday or Holiday Season]. We will reopen on [Reopening Date]. If you require immediate assistance during this time, please press zero to leave a message for our on-call support team. We wish you a joyful holiday season.
- Special Promotion: Thank you for calling [Company Name]. Have you heard about our [special promotion]? Press one to learn more about this special, limited time offer. To speak with a representative, press two. For our regular menu of services, press three. We appreciate your interest in [Company Name].
- Service Interruption: Hello. Thank you for calling [Company Name]. We are currently experiencing high call volumes due to [cause of interruption]. Our team is working hard to answer your calls in a timely manner, and we appreciate your patience. If you reach a voicemail, please leave a message. We will return your call as soon as possible. For sales, press one. For billing, press two. For customer service, press three.
- Menu Options Have Changed: Hello. Thank you for calling [Your Company Name], [Motto]. Please listen carefully, as our menu options have recently changed. For customer support, press one. For sales and inquiries, press two. To reach our billing department, press three. For company information and hours of operation, press four. To speak with an operator, press zero or remain on the line.
Scripts for a 24/7 Line
If you offer any form of 24/7 help line (such as a maintenance department, technical support, or similar resources), set up a unique script to guide customers to the right place. You might even have a specific auto attendant script for people who reach your line after hours.
If you are utilizing an auto-attendant for a support team (e.g. an after-hours tech team), you might also use find-me call routing to connect them with any available agent automatically. Here are a few script ideas to get started:
- Multiple Departments:Welcome to the [Company Name] 24/7 Technical Help Line. Please listen carefully as our menu options have recently changed. For assistance with computer-related issues, press one. For help troubleshooting network problems, press two. If you need help with software or application questions, press three. For all other technical inquiries, press four. To speak with the next available support agent, press zero or remain on the line.
- After-Hours Support by Product: Thank you for calling [Company Name]. You’ve reached our after-hours product support line. If you are experiencing issues with [Product Name], press one. For [Product Name 2] assistance, press two. To inquire about warranties or product returns, press three. For all other technical matters, press four. To connect with a technical expert, press zero.
- After-Hours Maintenance Line: Hello. You’ve reached [Company Name]’s 24/7 support line. If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911. Otherwise, if you have a critical maintenance issue that requires immediate attention, please press one. For non-urgent plumbing and electrical issues, press two. To request assistance with network outages or security breaches, press three. For all other technical matters, press four. Your call will be routed to an available technician for prompt assistance.
- Multi-Lingual/Prelude To Transfer: Hello. Thank you for calling [Company Name]. You’ve reached us outside of our regular office hours. Para español, oprima el uno. Pour le français, appuyez sur le deux. … For immediate assistance, press three to be transferred to our 24/7 support line. To leave a message, press four. Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Benefits of AccessDirect’s Virtual Auto Attendant
With AccessDirect, you can easily set up your virtual auto attendant in no time with a personalized phone script. But with our service, you get more than just a new phone system and phone number. You also receive a powerful suite of features to help you manage all of your incoming calls with ease.
- Professionally Recorded Greetings - If you have an idea for an auto attendant script, but don’t quite know exactly what you want to say, that’s fine. We’ll work with you to set up your extensions, and craft a perfect script to serve your customers and project your brand voice. We’ll then record that greeting for you — with professional voice actors and top-notch sound equipment.
- Quick and Easy Script Changes - Anytime you need to change your auto attendant script (for a holiday, special service interruption, etc.), we’ve got your back. Just give us a call, and we’ll make the change for you — even if it’s just for a day. We’ll help you rewrite the script and re-record it for you so you never miss a chance to keep your customers informed.
- Greeting Schedules - With AccessDirect, you can schedule different auto attendant scripts to play at different times and different days. For instance, you might want one greeting for office hours during the week and another one on the weekends. In our app, you can easily schedule this yourself or call us and we’ll set it up for you. We’ll record separate greetings for different occasions so they play automatically at the times you requested. You can also forward people to different numbers during certain times.
- Find-Me Call Routing - Sometimes you may need to transfer calls automatically to the next available person in a department. For instance, a tech support line with a large volume may have four or five reps to handle requests. With find-me call routing, people who reach your tech line can be automatically transferred to any available agent (in any sequence you want), without selecting an extension.
- Music on Transfer - When transferring a call or putting a caller on hold, AccessDirect can help you add music (or even a message) to your hold recording. It’s a great way to project a professional image for your business.
- Continued Support From a Professional Team - At AccessDirect, we know your phone system is the last thing you want to worry about. That’s why we offer to handle so much of the setup and maintenance of your phone system on your behalf. We’re here to take some stress off your plate. We’ll be here to help you achieve your business goals, for as long as you do business with us. Call us any time to make adjustments, ask questions, customize your setup, or whatever else you need for your phone system. You’ll speak with a real person from our team who knows you and your business.
Let AccessDirect Elevate Your Small Business
You know the value of making a first impression. In an ideal world, you would have a live person dedicated to answering phones at your business. But that’s not always practical or possible for small businesses or entrepreneurs. You also know that when a customer calls your business, they are constantly forming an impression of your brand. Make that impression a good one by using a customized auto-attendant script to greet and direct customers as efficiently as possible.
At AccessDirect, we take a personal approach to setting up your auto attendant message. Let us help you craft the perfect script and professionally record it for you. We’ll help you set up everything from the phone tree, the extensions, the personalized messages, the dial-by-name directory, and more. We’ll handle it all for you so you can get back to doing what you do best — running your business.
Discover how AccessDirect’s customizable virtual phone system plans can help you better serve your customers. Get a free trial of any AccessDirect package today.