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Set up an Auto Attendant in 8x8 Admin Console

Updated: 12/30/2025

Objective

Set up an Auto Attendant in Admin Console.

Applies To

  • Admin Console
  • Auto Attendant

Procedure

An Auto Attendant can be used in the place of a live receptionist, or to automatically transfer calls. The Auto Attendant is the recording that says, "Press 1 for ___." Your Auto Attendant can even route calls based on time of day for weekends, weekdays, holidays, and business exceptions (e.g., company offsites).
There are four steps to planning your Auto Attendant:
  1. Identify the calls you want to the Auto Attendant to handle.
    • Should all inbound calls go to through the Auto Attendant, or just those that your live receptionist can’t answer? Is the time of day important?
  2. Choose what menu options callers will have.
    • Will one menu work, or will you need sub-menus?
  3. Decide where to route calls.
    • What should happen to the calls? Should they go to a person, a group, a cell phone? What if a call doesn’t get answered?
  4. Compose the menu script.
    • Do you need multiple language support?

Pre-Configuration Steps

  1. Log in to Admin Console.
  2. Set up User Profiles, Ring Groups, Call Queues, and Extension forwarding settings.

Set up your Auto Attendant

  1. In Admin Console, click Auto Attendants.
  2. Click + Create Auto Attendant.
  3. Fill in your Auto Attendant Details. The following fields are required to configure your Auto Attendant:
    • Name
    • Site
    • Extension number
    • Time Zone
    • Language
    • Schedule
  4. Select Create new schedule by clicking the drop down menu under Business Hours to set up your Auto Attendant schedule. This allows you to create different rules to be used during or outside of business hours.
    1. Click the Pencil icon next to the day of the week you wish to edit.
    2. Select whether your business is open or closed by using the drop-down menu under Status.
    3. If your business will remain open, use the drop-downs in the From and To column to select the hours of operation. This schedule will operate in the time zone selected for the Auto Attendant.
    4. Click Save.
    5. Repeat steps i through iv for the other days of the week and click Save.
  5. Select an Auto Attendant greeting. Use text-to-speech to type out a prompt to be read by an automated voice. You can also use the default greeting, upload a pre-recorded greeting, or call a phone and record your greeting. 
  6. Set rules for your Auto Attendant. These rules will set up the actions tied to specific keys in your Auto Attendant menu. Note: You must select a site before you can create your Auto Attendant menu.

Additional Information:

Question: Can I insert a temporary pause/message in the Auto Attendant to let callers know we're busy and we'll call them back?
Answer: That is not a feature of the Auto Attendant. However, you can update your Auto Attendant to forward calls to voicemail. With your voicemail, you can create a customized message for your callers.
 
Question: How do I transfer a call from the Auto Attendant?
Answer: Auto Attendants don't have a Transfer feature, but Call Forwarding is available. 
 
Question: Can I add a secondary member to an auto attendant?
Answer: If you want an Auto Attendant to ring multiple users, you should set up a Ring Group and direct the calls to it. From the Ring Group, you can define who is part of that group and the ring pattern displayed.
 
Question: What type of license is needed for the Auto Attendant? How does it work with my license?
Answer: Auto Attendants don't get assigned licenses; they route calls to extensions that have been assigned the licenses.
 
Question: How to set up an auto attendant to answer calls after the first ring?
Answer: The Ring Timer for the related extensions can be adjusted to accommodate your needs
 
Question: Can I change the reservation information sent to guests by the Auto Attendant?
Answer: The Auto Attendant is a call routing tool that doesn't send text messages. See the SMS FAQ for support services.
 
Question: Can the Auto Attendant be set up for Read-Only access?
Answer: No, "Read-Only" access is not available in the Admin Console. Restricting access within the Admin Console can be done by editing users' permissions. 
 
Question: What's the total number of direct phone numbers that can be assigned to an Auto Attendant?
Answer: There is no limit on the number of numbers that can be assigned to an Auto Attendant or IVR.