An auto attendant greets callers with a recorded message and offers choices like press one for sales or press two for support. Based on the caller's selection, it transfers the call to the right extension or group.
Auto attendants are common in business phone systems because they present a professional greeting and reduce the need for a dedicated switchboard operator.
They overlap with IVR but are usually focused on call routing, whereas full IVR can also gather and return information. AI receptionists go further by understanding spoken requests instead of relying on a fixed menu.
Related: IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Call Routing, AI Receptionist, Business Phone Line