What You'll Learn
- What an auto-attendant is and why every South African business needs one
- How to script a professional IVR menu that doesn't frustrate callers
- Step-by-step YIP WebPhone auto-attendant configuration
- How to set up business hours, after-hours, and public holiday routing
- Call queue setup for busy periods — and how to reduce abandoned calls
What Is an Auto-Attendant and Why Does It Matter?
When a client calls your business number, the first thing they hear shapes their entire perception of your company. A professional auto-attendant — "Thank you for calling SA Telecoms. Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support, Press 3 for Accounts" — signals that you're organised, established, and ready to help.
A phone that rings out, or goes straight to a personal voicemail greeting, signals the opposite.
An auto-attendant (also called an IVR — Interactive Voice Response) is an automated system that answers incoming calls, plays a greeting, and routes callers to the right person or department based on their keypad input.
With YIP WebPhone, setting one up takes about 20 minutes and costs nothing extra — it's included in every plan.
Before You Configure: Plan Your Call Flow
The most common mistake businesses make is jumping straight into configuration without mapping out their call flow first. Spend 10 minutes on this — it saves hours of rework.
Ask yourself:
1. What departments or people do callers typically need? Most businesses need 3–5 options maximum. More than 5 and callers start hanging up.
2. What happens after hours? Options: voicemail, after-hours message, emergency mobile number, or a combination.
3. What happens if no one answers? Does the call go to voicemail? A queue? Another extension?
4. Do you need different routing on public holidays? South Africa has 12 public holidays. A professional business handles these differently from normal after-hours.
Sample Call Flow for a 10-Person Business
Incoming call
└── Auto-attendant greeting (plays)
├── Press 1 → Sales team (ring group: extensions 101, 102, 103)
├── Press 2 → Technical support (extension 201)
├── Press 3 → Accounts (extension 301)
├── Press 0 → Reception / operator (extension 100)
└── No input / timeout → Reception (extension 100)
└── No answer → Voicemail (email notification)
Writing Your Auto-Attendant Script
Your greeting script needs to be:
- Short — under 20 seconds for the main greeting
- Clear — say the option number before the destination, not after
- Professional — use a proper recording, not a smartphone voice note
Good example:
"Thank you for calling SA Telecoms. For sales, press 1. For technical support, press 2. For accounts, press 3. To speak to our receptionist, press 0 or hold the line."
Bad example:
"Hello, you've reached SA Telecoms, we're a leading provider of telecommunications solutions in South Africa, established in 2005, and we're very happy to assist you today. If you'd like to speak to sales you can press the number 1 on your keypad..."
Keep it under 15 seconds. Callers have heard your greeting before. They want to get through.
Step-by-Step: Configuring Auto-Attendant on YIP WebPhone
Step 1 — Record Your Greeting
You have two options:
Option A — Text-to-Speech (quick) YIP WebPhone includes a text-to-speech engine. Type your script, select a voice, and generate the audio file instantly. Good for getting started quickly.
Option B — Professional Recording (recommended) Record your greeting using a decent microphone in a quiet room, or hire a professional voice artist (R500–R1,500 for a full set of prompts). Upload as an MP3 or WAV file.
To upload: Admin Dashboard → Recordings → Upload New Recording
Step 2 — Create Your IVR Menu
- Go to Admin Dashboard → IVR / Auto-Attendant → Create New
- Name it (e.g. "Main Menu")
- Select your greeting recording
- Set the timeout — how long to wait for keypad input before taking a default action (recommended: 5 seconds)
- Set the invalid input action — what happens if the caller presses a key you haven't configured (recommended: replay the menu, max 2 times, then transfer to reception)
Step 3 — Map Your Key Options
For each key (0–9, * and #):
| Key | Destination | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sales Ring Group | Ring Group |
| 2 | Support Extension | Extension |
| 3 | Accounts Extension | Extension |
| 0 | Reception Extension | Extension |
| Timeout | Reception Extension | Extension |
| Invalid | Replay Menu | IVR Action |
Step 4 — Create Ring Groups
A ring group rings multiple extensions simultaneously. When someone presses 1 for Sales, all three sales team members' phones ring at once — first to answer gets the call.
- Go to Ring Groups → Create New
- Name it (e.g. "Sales Team")
- Add extensions: 101, 102, 103
- Set ring strategy: Ring All (recommended for small teams) or Round Robin (distributes calls evenly)
- Set ring timeout: 25 seconds
- Set failover: voicemail or reception
Step 5 — Configure Business Hours Routing
This is where most businesses skip a critical step. Your auto-attendant should behave differently during and outside business hours.
- Go to Time Conditions → Create New
- Set your business hours (e.g. Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00, Sat 08:00–13:00)
- During hours: Route to your Main IVR Menu
- Outside hours: Route to your After-Hours IVR (separate recording)
After-hours IVR script example: "Thank you for calling SA Telecoms. Our offices are currently closed. Our business hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Please leave a message after the tone and we'll return your call on the next business day. For urgent support, press 1."
Step 6 — Set Up Public Holiday Routing
- Go to Time Conditions → Public Holidays
- Add South African public holidays (or import the SA calendar)
- Route public holiday calls to your after-hours IVR or a dedicated holiday message
Reducing Abandoned Calls with Call Queues
If your sales or support lines get busy, callers shouldn't hear an engaged tone — they should be placed in a queue with hold music and a position announcement.
Setting Up a Basic Call Queue
- Go to Queues → Create New
- Name it (e.g. "Sales Queue")
- Add agents (extensions that will answer queue calls)
- Set queue strategy: Round Robin (recommended)
- Set max wait time: 3 minutes (after which, offer voicemail or callback)
- Upload hold music (royalty-free music, or use the default)
- Enable position announcements: "You are number 2 in the queue. Your estimated wait time is 3 minutes."
Queue Best Practices
- Keep max wait time under 3 minutes — most callers abandon after 2 minutes
- Offer a callback option — "Press 1 to receive a callback instead of waiting"
- Monitor queue stats — YIP WebPhone's dashboard shows average wait times, abandonment rates, and agent performance in real time
Testing Your Setup
Before going live, test every path:
- Call your main number from an external phone
- Press each menu option and verify it routes correctly
- Wait for the timeout — verify the default action triggers
- Press an invalid key — verify the menu replays
- Call outside business hours — verify the after-hours message plays
- Let a call ring out — verify voicemail triggers and the email notification arrives
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Too many menu options — stick to 4–5 maximum
- No after-hours routing — callers get silence or an error tone
- Voicemail with no email notification — messages sit unheard for days
- No failover from ring groups — if no one answers, the call drops
- Outdated greetings — "Our offices will be closed over the festive season" playing in March
Get Your Auto-Attendant Set Up Today
SA Telecoms' onboarding team configures your entire auto-attendant, ring groups, and call routing as part of the YIP WebPhone setup — at no extra charge. You don't need to touch a single setting if you don't want to.