6 best auto attendant phone systems for small business: 2024

What is an auto attendant?

An auto attendant is a telephony feature that you'll find in most VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phone systems.

You'll sometimes hear it used interchangeably with IVR (Interactive Voice Response), virtual receptionist, auto receptionist, or ACD, which are mostly similar call routing features that basically let your callers direct themselves to the right person or team.

It’s especially popular with call center teams or businesses in general that receive a large volume of inbound phone calls.

How does an auto attendant phone system for small business work?

At its core, the concept of an auto attendant phone system is pretty simple. Customers call in and choose an option from your routing menu, either verbally or by using their keypad, and the system will send their call to the right department or agent.

If your business is getting bogged down by calls or your office receptionist is still manually transferring callers, then this is a much better way of doing call management.

Today, there are many options that are cloud-based, meaning you don’t have to have a bunch of on-premises desk phones or hardware in a server closet in your office. Instead, you can take calls from your computer or other mobile devices like cell phones and tablets using a softphone app.

Other features to look for in a business phone service

Beyond just taking inbound calls and auto attendant features, business phone systems can do a lot of other things too. Here are a few of the best features that small businesses can get (at an affordable price!) by choosing the right phone system.

Unified communications

Today, you’re more likely to hear about “unified communications” or UCaaS solutions compared to just business phone systems. The main difference is that UCaaS service providers give you other communication channels beyond phone calls, like video conferencing, SMS/MMS messaging, instant messaging, and more.