Managed Agents at Previously $0.06 $0.03/minManaged Agents are Previously $0.06 $0.03/min.

ServiceNow#1 on EVA-Bench

Artificial Analysis#1 on Speech Agent Arena

AI auto attendant agents that get every caller to the right person.

Route callers by name, department, or problem, and check each team's hours before transferring.

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Trusted by leading teams

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Ranked #1

on EVA-Bench and Speech Agent Arena

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Indeed
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Get every caller to the right person fast

Callers reach the right team in one or two questions, and the agent follows your directory and hours.

Callers name the team in their own words. The agent maps "invoices" and "billing" to the same line and checks its hours.

Auto attendant without the keypad

What is an auto attendant?

An auto attendant answers a company's main line and routes each caller to a person or department. Most phone systems, including those bundled with cloud office suites, do it with a greeting and a keypad menu. This AI auto attendant asks who the caller wants instead.

  • Find person or department
  • Check department hours
  • Transfer to department
  • Transfer to person
  • Transfer to reception

Why do callers get lost in a phone auto attendant?

Keypads fail at the edges. Callers don't know that invoices live under Accounts, nobody remembers Sam's last name, and dial-by-name wants a spelling. Meanwhile HR went home an hour ago, so the transfer rings out.

Accounts payable, please.

lookup_directoryAccounts payable: Accounts

get_department_hoursAccounts open until 5:30

How does a spoken auto attendant phone system route calls?

The front line agent at Kestrel and Moore treats "invoices" and "billing" as the same line and asks which Sam when two match. One short question tells a site visit from an invoice, and it checks department hours before every transfer.

  • Accounts payable0:21
  • Sam Okoye, Projects0:34
  • Alder Street invoice0:52

Is an auto attendant the same as an AI IVR?

No. This agent routes and stops there, so it won't answer the caller's question itself. An AI IVR also looks up records on the call. Here, reception takes anyone who asks for a person, and your phone lines and extensions stay in place.

Reached the right place

Did the caller reach the department or person they asked for with a single transfer?

What to expect from the best auto attendant phone system

Rebuilding a phone auto attendant is rarely anyone's favorite project. Here's what the agent changes for callers and for whoever maintains the directory.

No menu to memorize or update

Adding a team means adding a directory entry. Nobody re-records "press 4", and callers stop listening to options that don't apply to them.

Works from how callers really talk

"Whoever handles permits" reaches Planning. The agent matches the caller's words to your departments, where a keypad would leave them guessing.

Two Sams, no wrong transfer

When a name matches twice, the agent reads both with their teams and asks. Sam Okoye in Projects gets the call meant for him.

Closed teams don't ring out

Hours get checked first. If HR is closed until 8:30, the caller hears that and gets offered reception.

Every caller hears where they're going

Before it transfers, the agent names the destination. If it picked wrong, the caller can correct it before the phone rings at the wrong desk.

It routes, and that's all it does

The agent won't take a message by default or discuss a project. Anything that doesn't match your directory goes to reception.

Fast routing needs fast speech

Nobody wants a conversation on the way to Accounts. Cartesia's speech models keep the exchange short enough that the whole thing takes seconds.

  • $0.03per minute
  • #1on Speech Agent Arena and EVA-Bench
  • 24/7answers every call, at any hour

Catches names on the first try

Callers say a name once, quickly, sometimes mid-sentence. The agent waits for the full request, then confirms when a name is close.

Directory, hours, then transfer

Choose the LLM, then give it the tools that look up the directory, check department hours and transfer to a team, a person or reception.

Sounds like your reception

The first seconds on your main line set the tone, so take a minute in the voice library to find one that fits the firm.

AI, keypad or a person on the main line

Phone systems with auto attendant features nearly all ship the middle option. It works for short menus, and it struggles once the directory grows.

AI auto attendantKeypad auto attendantReceptionist
Caller doesn't know the departmentOne short question sorts it outGuesses from the menu, or presses 0Yes, and they know everyone
Finding a nameSay it, even with no last nameUsually spell it on the keypadYes
Department is closedSays when it opens, offers receptionOften rings out or hits voicemailTells the caller
Changing the routingEdit the directory and hoursUsually rebuild and re-recordTell them
Ten calls at onceCalls run at the same timeHandles itOne at a time
How you pay$0.03 a minute plus LLM usage and telephonyUsually included in the phone planA salary

See which calls reached the right person

Every call is recorded and transcribed. See which callers reached the person or team they asked for, and which were misrouted.

Launch an AI auto attendant in three steps

Start building

  1. Clone the front line

    Copy this agent, then replace Kestrel and Moore's directory and department hours with yours.

  2. Connect your lines

    Add transfer destinations for each team and reception, whether phone numbers or extensions, and point your main number at the agent.

  3. Call for someone who's gone home

    Ask for a closed department and a name that matches twice. Go live when both end up in the right place.

Enterprise-grade security

  • HIPAA compliant badge

    HIPAA compliant

  • SOC 2 Type 2 badge

    SOC 2 Type 2

  • GDPR badge

    GDPR

Auto attendant FAQs

What is an auto attendant?

An auto attendant answers a business's main line and sends each caller to the right person or department. This AI auto attendant is a voice agent. It asks who or what the caller needs, checks the team's hours and transfers the call, with no phone menu to press through.

How is an AI auto attendant different from a phone menu?

A phone menu makes callers press a number for each option. The AI auto attendant asks what they need and routes them itself. For an agent that also answers the question on the call, see AI IVR.

Can an AI auto attendant find a person by name?

Yes. When two names match, the agent asks which one, and when none match it offers reception.

Can the agent help callers who don't know who they need?

Yes. The agent asks one short question, such as whether the call is about a site visit or an invoice, and routes from the answer.

Which lines can an AI auto attendant ring?

Phone numbers, and extensions on your office phone system. See how business phone lines connect.

What does an AI auto attendant do when a department is closed?

The agent tells the caller when the team is back, then offers the other destination or message option you choose.

Can callers still reach reception?

Yes. Anyone who asks for a person, or whose request matches nothing in your directory, goes to reception.

Which cloud platform has the best auto attendant?

That depends on where your callers get stuck. Most cloud phone platforms include a keypad auto attendant, which is fine for a short menu. If people ask for names or describe a problem in their own words, test one that understands speech. Cartesia's agent rings your existing numbers and extensions, and you can call the sample firm on this page.

Is there an auto attendant phone system small business teams can afford?

Yes. A keypad menu bundled with your phone plan may be enough for a short list of options. When callers ask for people by name, this agent routes them by voice and rings your existing numbers, and you pay for call minutes, so a quiet line costs little. A single store may prefer the automated phone system.

What is a multi level auto attendant?

A multi level auto attendant is a phone menu with submenus, so a caller presses 2 for sales and then 1 for a region. Each level adds time and another chance to pick wrong. This agent has no levels. Callers say who or what they need, and one short question sorts out anything unclear.

How much does an AI auto attendant cost?

Routing calls tend to be short, which helps, because you pay $0.03 per minute of call time. LLM usage is billed separately. A Cartesia phone number adds $0.014 per minute, or nothing if you bring your own Twilio account or SIP trunk. The free plan includes $1 of agent calls a month, so you can test your directory before you pay. See pricing.

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