Phone System Auto-Attendants provide an automated dial-in menu system that allow calls to be directed to specific agents or departments within an organization.  Auto-Attendants provide voice prompts that callers can navigate using their phone keypad or voice inputs through speech recognition.  Organizations can customize an auto-attendant with features such as custom greetings, different language options, dial-by-name directories, hours of operation, and holiday hours and greetings.


Getting Started


To get started with setting up an Auto-Attendant, the following will be needed:

  • At least one Enterprise E5 license or an Enterprise E3 license with the Phone System add-on.
  • A Domestic Calling Plan or Domestic and International Calling Plan license if calls will be routed to users.
  • A user with Global Administrator or Skype for Business Administrator roles assigned.


Please contact our Support Team to request the Phone System add-on or Calling Plan licenses.  We will soon be adding these licenses to our Control Panel to allow fully self-service orders.

Allocating Phone Numbers


A phone number will need to be assigned to an Auto-Attendant if an organization wants allow external callers to dial into the attendant.  Generally the first Auto-Attendant will require a dedicated phone number, but subsequent Auto-Attendant menus may not.  For example, the first Auto-Attendant may prompt a caller if they would like to continue in English or in another language.  This first Auto-Attendant will then route to secondary Auto-Attendants that will respond and present menu choices in each respective language.


  1. Log into the Office 365 portal (https://portal.office.com) with your Global Administrator or Skype for Business Administrator.

  2. Click on the Admin icon.


  3. Click the Admins centers icon in the left-hand menu and select Teams & Skype.


  4. Click the Legacy portal link in the left-hand menu.


  5. Click Voice in the left-hand menu.

  6. In the Phone Users window, click the Plus (+) symbol above the number list.

  7. Click New Service Numbers.

  8. Select the Country/Region, State/Region, and City for the phone numbers that are to be allocated, along with the Quantity of numbers to be allocated at this time.  Click the Add button.

  9. The new numbers will be allocated per the region information that was entered.  Once you have confirmed the allocated numbers, click the Acquire Numbers button.  Generated phone numbers will be for up to 10 minutes, after which new numbers will have to be generated if they are not acquired.


  10. The newly allocated numbers will show in the Phone Numbers list.

Creating a new Auto-Attendant


  1. In the Skype for Business admin center, click on Call Routing in the left-hand menu.

  2. Click Auto Attendants.

  3. Click the Add New button.


  4. Enter the General Information for the Auto-Attendant.
    • Name: Enter a descriptive name for your Auto-Attendant. The name can contain up to 64 characters.
    • Phone number: Optional Field. Select a phone number for your Auto-Attendant.  This will be the number outside callers can dial to reach this Auto-Attendant.
    • Time zone: This option sets the time zone for this Auto-Attendant. The time zone does not have to match the organization's time zone.  The hours of operation settings for the Auto-Attendant will be based on this time zone setting.
    • Domain: Select the domain for the Auto-Attendant.
    • Language: Select the language for the Auto-Attendant.  The Auto-Attendant will use this language for all voice prompts and speech recognition.
    • Speech recognition: Enable this setting to allow callers to use a voice input instead of the phone keypad to navigate the menu prompts.
    • Operator: Optional Setting.  This option allows the organization to define an agent or queue to direct the call to if the caller attempts to leave the menu prompts. The default key to access the operator is 0.

  5. Enter the Hours of Operation settings for the Auto-Attendant.  The Auto-Attendant is set to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by default.  If the Custom option is selected, the hours of operation can be set by clicking on them in the day planner.

  6. Enter the Business Hours Call Handling settings.
    • Company Greeting: Optional setting. This option will set the greeting callers will hear when connecting to the Auto-Attendant.  If set to Create a custom greeting, the text that is entered (up to 1000 characters) will be played via Text-to-Speech.  If Upload an audio file is selected, a recorded audio greeting can be uploaded to the Auto-Attendant.
    • What happens to the calls after the greeting: This option will set how a call is handled after the greeting has been played.  The Disconnect option will automatically disconnect the call.  The Redirect call option will forward the call to a defined agent, queue, or another Auto-Attendant. The Play menu options prompt will play a custom audio menu, either via Text-to-Speech with the Create a custom prompt option or an uploaded audio file.  If the Create a custom prompt option is selected, the menu options should be entered in the Callers will hear field (up to 1000 characters).
    • Dial by name: This option will allow callers to search for users in the organization using the Directory Search, as configured in the Dial Scope page.
    • Edit Menu Options: This option sets how a call will be handled when a number is pressed on the caller's keypad.  Click on a number to add an option for that selection, and then set the option to redirect the call to the Operator, a defined agent, a queue, or another Auto-Attendant.
  7. (Optional) Enter the After Hours Call Handling settings. This option will only appear if the Hours of Operation setting was set to Custom.
    • Company Greeting: Optional setting. This option will set the greeting callers will hear when connecting to the Auto-Attendant during non-business hours.  If set to Create a custom greeting, the text that is entered (up to 1000 characters) will be played via Text-to-Speech.  If Upload an audio file is selected, a recorded audio greeting can be uploaded to the Auto-Attendant.
    • What happens to the calls after the greeting: This option will set how a call is handled after the greeting has been played.  The Disconnect option will automatically disconnect the call.  The Redirect call option will forward the call to a defined agent, queue, or another Auto-Attendant. The Play menu options prompt will play a custom audio menu, either via Text-to-Speech with the Create a custom prompt option or an uploaded audio file.  If the Create a custom prompt option is selected, the menu options should be entered in the Callers will hear field (up to 1000 characters).
  8. (Optional) Enter the Holidays settings.  A new Auto-Attendant will need to be saved before holidays can be added.  Up to 20 holidays can be created for each Auto-Attendant.
    • Holiday Name: Enter a descriptive name for the holiday.
    • Holiday Greeting: This option will set the greeting callers will hear when connecting to the Auto-Attendant during a holiday.  If set to Create a custom greeting, the text that is entered (up to 1000 characters) will be played via Text-to-Speech.  If Upload an audio file is selected, a recorded audio greeting can be uploaded to the Auto-Attendant.
    • What happens to the calls after the greeting: This option will set how a call is handled after the greeting has been played.  The Disconnect option will automatically disconnect the call.  The Redirect call option will forward the call to a defined agent, queue, or another Auto-Attendant.
    • When do you want the holiday to start and end: This option will set the date and hours of the holiday in dd/mm/yyyy format.  Up to 10 date ranges can be set for a holiday.  For example, entries for New Year's Day can be added for up to 10 years.  Click the Add Another link to add an additional date line.
    • Once the holiday options have been set, click the Add and save auto attendant button.
  9. Set the Dial Scope for the Auto-Attendant.  This screen sets which users will be searchable via the Dial by Name function.
    • Include: Setting this option to All Online Users will allow any users in the Organization with a Phone System license and currently set to Online to be found via Dial by Name.  Setting this option to Custom will allow specific Office 365 Groups, Distribution Lists, or Security Groups to be selected so that only users listed in those groups can be found via Dial by Name.
    • Exclude: Setting this option to None will prevent any users from being excluded from the search as long as they can be found according to the Include setting.  Setting this option to Custom will allow specific Office 365 Group, Distribution List, or Security Group members to be excluded from the directory search.
  10. Once all options of the Auto-Attendant have been defined, click the Save button.  Please note that it may take a few minutes for the Auto-Attendant to become active.