Configuring Auto Attendants
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Table Of Contents
Configuring and Managing the Auto-Attendant Application
Default Auto-Attendant Script aa.aef
Simple Auto-Attendant Script aasimple.aef
Configuring Other Auto-Attendant Parameters
Required Data for This Procedure
Configuring Auto-Attendant Prompts
Recording an Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
Uploading the Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
Customizing the Default Auto-Attendant Welcome Prompt
Downloading an Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
Renaming an Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
Deleting an Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
Configuring Auto-Attendant Scripts
Creating an Auto-Attendant Script File
Uploading the Auto-Attendant Script File
Downloading an Auto-Attendant Script File
Deleting an Auto-Attendant Script File
Configuring Auto Attendants
Last Updated: June 21, 2007
This chapter contains the following procedures for configuring Cisco Unity Express system components:
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"Configuring and Managing the Auto-Attendant Application" section
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Configuring and Managing the Auto-Attendant Application
After the Cisco Unity Express software is installed on the system, the auto-attendant application that ships with Cisco Unity Express must be configured using the procedures described in this section.
Default Prompts
The administrator can download, copy, and upload only the following prompts: AAWelcome.wav, AAHolidayPrompt.wav, AABusinessOpen.wav, and AABusinessClosed.wav.
To customize the default welcome prompt, see "Customizing the Default Auto-Attendant Welcome Prompt".
Triggers
After you configure the auto-attendant application, you must configure the system must to start the auto-attendant application when a specific signal, or trigger, is invoked. The trigger is a telephone number and can be configure for either the SIP or JTAPI subsystems. When a caller dials a specified telephone number, the SIP or JTAPI subsystem starts the auto-attendant application. To configure SIP and JTAPI triggers for the auto-attendant application, see "Managing Triggers" on page 63.
Cisco Unity Express supports a maximum of 8 SIP triggers for all applications combined. This applies to the CUE-NM-EC, CUE-NM, and the CUE-AIM. See "Advanced Configuration" on page 287 for procedures to configure multiple triggers for an application.
This configuration is required for Cisco Unified CME and Cisco Unified Communications Manager (SRST mode).
Default Auto-Attendant Script aa.aef
The default auto-attendant script provided with Cisco Unity Express is named aa.aef. This file resides in the system directory, and cannot be downloaded, copied, or uploaded. This default auto-attendant application is also known as the "system script" or "system AA." This default script supports basic functions such as dial-by-extension, dial-by-spelling username, and call operator functions. If additional functionality is required, then you must create a customized auto-attendant script.
The aa.aef script supports holiday lists and business-hours schedules. When a call reaches the auto attendant, the system checks if the current day is a holiday. If it is, the system plays a holiday prompt called AAHolidayPrompt.wav, which states "We are closed today. Please call back later." The script then executes the next operation in the script.
If the current day is not a holiday, the system checks if the business is open or not. If the business is open, the system plays the AABusinessOpen.wav prompt, which is an empty file. If the business is closed, the system plays the AABusinessClosed.wav prompt, which states "We are currently closed. Please call back later."
Following are the parameters that may be configured for the aa.aef script:
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To modify any of these prompts, see "Configuring Auto-Attendant Prompts".
To create customized script files, see "Configuring Auto-Attendant Scripts".
To create a business-hours schedule, see "Configuring Business Hours" on page 76.
To create a holiday list, see "Configuring Holiday Lists" on page 71.
Simple Auto-Attendant Script aasimple.aef
Another simple system script aasimple.aef is available for the auto-attendant application. This script can be associated with an auto-attendant application and cannot be deleted or downloaded.
This script makes the same checks for an alternate greeting, holiday hours, and business schedule as does the aa.aef script.
The initial greeting prompt is a configurable parameter. Use the GUI options or CLI commands to configure the prompt with the names and extensions of the people who can be reached with the auto-attendant application. For example, the prompt may play "For Al, press 10. For Bob, press 20. For the operator, press 0."
The caller can enter an extension without pressing the pound key (#). After the caller enters the extension, the script attempts to transfer to that extension. The script does not attempt to validate the extension before the transfer.
The script has another parameter (extensionLength) that specifies the length of the extension used by the Cisco Unity Express system. This parameter must be configured correctly for the script to be able to do a successful transfer.
Following are the parameters that may be configured for the aasimple.aef script:
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To modify any of these prompts, see "Configuring Auto-Attendant Prompts".
To create customized script files, see "Configuring Auto-Attendant Scripts".
To create a business-hours schedule, see "Configuring Business Hours" on page 76.
To create a holiday list, see "Configuring Holiday Lists" on page 71.
Configuring Other Auto-Attendant Parameters
To configure the auto-attendant access telephone number, see "Configuring SIP Triggers for the Applications" on page 63 or "Configuring JTAPI Triggers for the Applications (Cisco Unified CallManager Only)" on page 67.
The commands are used in both EXEC and configuration modes.
See "Managing Applications" on page 55 for procedures to configure user-defined parameters.
Required Data for This Procedure
The following information is required to configure auto-attendant:
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SUMMARY STEPS
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DETAILED STEPS
Step 1
config t
Example:se-10-0-0-0# config t
Enters configuration mode.
Step 2
ccn application autoattendant
Example:se-10-0-0-0(config)# ccn application AutoAttendant
Specifies the application to configure and enters application configuration mode. Use the full name of the application for the full-name argument.
Step 3
description "text"
Example:se-10-0-0-0(config-application)# description "Auto Attendant"
(Optional) Enters a description of the application. Use double quotes around the text.
Step 4
maxsessions number
Example:se-10-0-0-0(config-application)# maxsessions 4
Specifies the number of callers who can access this application simultaneously. See "Sharing Ports Among Applications and Triggers" on page 112 for guidelines on assigning this value.
Step 5
parameter "name" "value"
Example:se-10-0-0-0(config-application)# parameter "operExtn" "1000"
se-10-0-0-0(config-application)# parameter "MaxRetry" "3"
se-10-0-0-0(config-application)# parameter "welcomePrompt" "ciscowelcome.wav"
Specifies parameters for the application. Each parameter must have a name and a value, which is enclosed in double quotes. The parameters below are case-sensitive. For more information, see the "Managing Applications" section on page 55.
For the auto-attendant application, the parameters are:
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Step 6
end
Example:se-10-0-0-0(config-application)# end
Exits application configuration mode.
Step 7
exit
Example:se-10-0-0-0(config)# exit
Exits configuration mode.
Step 8
show ccn application
Example:se-10-0-0-0# show ccn applicationDisplays details about each configured application.
Step 9
copy running-config startup-config
Example:se-10-0-0-0# copy running-config startup-config
Copies the configuration changes to the startup configuration.
Examples
The following example illustrates the auto-attendant information from the show ccn application output:
se-10-0-0-0# show ccn applicationName: autoattendantDescription: autoattendantScript: aa.aefID number: 3Enabled: yesMaximum number of sessions: 8busOpenPrompt: AABusinessOpen.wavoperExtn: 1000welcomePrompt: AAWelcome.wavdisconnectAfterMenu: falsebusClosedPrompt: AABusinessClosed.wavallowExternalTransfers: falseholidayPrompt: AAHolidayPrompt.wavbusinessSchedule: systemscheduleMaxRetry: 3se-10-0-0-0#Configuring Auto-Attendant Prompts
Cisco Unity Express supports customized greeting and prompt files. The CUE-NM-EC and CUE-NM support up to 120 prompts; the CUE-AIM supports up to 25 prompts.
Customizing prompts requires the following procedures:
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Recording an Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
Two methods are available to create auto-attendant greeting and prompt files:
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The AvT prompt filename has the format UserPrompt_DateTime.wav, for example: UserPrompt_11152003144055.wav. You may want to use CLI commands or GUI options to rename the file with a meaningful name.
Cisco recommends using the AvT on the TUI to record greetings and prompts because the AvT provides higher sound quality compared to .wav files recorded using other methods.
Uploading the Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
After recording the .wav greeting or prompt file, upload the file using the ccn copy url command in Cisco Unity Express EXEC mode:
ccn copy url source-ip-address prompt prompt-filename
Example:se-10-0-0-0# ccn copy url ftp://10.100.10.123/AAprompt1.wav prompt AAprompt1.wavse-10-0-0-0# ccn copy url http://www.server.com/AAgreeting.wav prompt AAgreeting.wavThis command is equivalent to using the GUI option Voice Mail > Prompts and selecting Upload.
An error message appears if you try to upload more than the maximum number of prompts allowed on your Cisco Unity Express module.
Customizing the Default Auto-Attendant Welcome Prompt
The default AA greeting included with the system lasts two seconds and plays the prompt "Welcome to the AutoAttendant." You can record a custom welcome prompt specifically for your system to welcome callers.The default .wav filename is AAWelcome.wav. While the default welcome prompt in the .wav file lasts two seconds long, you can record a new welcome prompt up to 120 seconds long. The welcome prompt .wav file can be up to 1 MB in G.711 u-law format.
If you create a customized welcome prompt, use a different .wav filename and upload the new .wav file to the Cisco Unity Express module. Do not overwrite the default AAWelcome.wav filename. For information about uploading the welcome prompt .wav file, see the "Uploading the Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File" section.
Note
Following this welcome prompt, the default script plays the menu announcement listing the menu options for callers. These are not customizable prompts within the default auto-attendant provided with the system. Note that if a caller uses the dial-by-extension option, the system will attempt to transfer to any extension, including extensions not defined using Cisco Unity Express. To prevent callers from transferring to extensions not defined using Cisco Unity Express, configure class of restrictions (COR) on the dial-peer, or develop a custom script to prevent the option.
Downloading an Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
Greetings and prompts can be copied from the auto-attendant and stored to another server or PC.
To copy a greeting or prompt file, use the ccn copy prompt command in Cisco Unity Express EXEC mode:
ccn copy prompt prompt-filename url ftp://destination-ip-address/prompt-filename [language xx_YY] [username name password password]
where prompt-filename is the file to be copied, destination-ip-address is the IP address of the FTP server, xx_YY is the language of the prompt file, name is the FTP server login ID, and password is the FTP server password.
Example:se-10-0-0-0# ccn copy prompt AAprompt2.wav url ftp://10.100.10.123/AAprompt2.wavRenaming an Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
To rename an auto-attendant greeting or prompt file, use the ccn rename prompt command in Cisco Unity Express EXEC mode:
ccn rename prompt old-name new-name
where old-name is the existing filename and new-name is the revised name.
Example:se-10-0-0-0# ccn rename prompt AAmyprompt.wav AAmyprompt2.wav
Deleting an Auto-Attendant Greeting or Prompt File
To delete an auto-attendant greeting or prompt file from Cisco Unity Express, use the ccn delete command in Cisco Unity Express EXEC mode:
ccn delete prompt prompt-filename
where prompt-filename is the file to be deleted.
Example:se-10-0-0-0# ccn delete prompt AAgreeting.wavConfiguring Auto-Attendant Scripts
Cisco Unity Express supports customized script files. The CUE-NM-EC and CUE-NM support up to eight scripts; the CUE-AIM supports up to four scripts.
Customizing scripts involves the following procedures:
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Creating an Auto-Attendant Script File
You can create an autoattendant script file using either the:
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For guidelines and procedures for using the full-featured Cisco Unity Express GUI script editor to create a script file, see Cisco Unity Express 3.1 Guide to Writing Scripts.
For instructions on how to use Editor Express, see the Cisco Unity Express 3.1 GUI Administration Guide.
The script file cannot be larger than 256 KB.
After creating the script, use the GUI or Cisco Unity Express ccn copy command to copy the file to the Cisco Unity Express system. See the next section, "Uploading the Auto-Attendant Script File," for the upload procedure.
Uploading the Auto-Attendant Script File
After recording the .wav greeting or prompt file, upload the file using the ccn copy url command in Cisco Unity Express EXEC mode:
ccn copy url ftp://source-ip-address/script-filename.aef script script-filename.aef [username username password password]
Example:se-10-0-0-0# ccn copy url ftp://10.100.10.123/AVTscript.aef script AVTscript.aefse-10-0-0-0# ccn copy url http://www.server.com/AVTscript.aef script AVTscript.aefThis command is equivalent to using the GUI option Voice Mail > Scripts and selecting Upload.
An error message appears if you try to upload more than the maximum number of scripts allowed on your Cisco Unity Express module.
Downloading an Auto-Attendant Script File
Scripts can be copied from the auto-attendant and stored on another server or PC.
To copy a script file, use the ccn copy script command in Cisco Unity Express EXEC mode:
ccn copy script script-filename url ftp://destination-ip-address/script-filename
Example:se-10-0-0-0# ccn copy script AVTscript.aef url ftp://10.100.10.123/AVTscript.aefDeleting an Auto-Attendant Script File
To delete an auto-attendant script file from Cisco Unity Express, use the ccn delete command in Cisco Unity Express EXEC mode:
ccn delete script script-filename
Example:se-10-0-0-0# ccn delete script AVTscript.aefAre you sure you want to delete this script? (y/n)
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