IVR menus (auto-attendant)
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus -- also called auto-attendants -- let you build automated phone trees that greet callers and route them based on their input. A caller might hear "Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support" and be directed to the right queue, agent, voicemail, or sub-menu.
Overview
An IVR menu plays a greeting prompt to the caller and waits for input. The caller responds by pressing a key on their phone's keypad (DTMF) or by speaking a keyword. Based on the input, the system routes the call to the configured destination.
Menus can be simple (a single level of options) or complex (nested menus with sub-menus branching off each choice). They're commonly used as the first point of contact for inbound calls, directing callers to the right department before they ever reach a queue.
Creating a new menu
Navigate to Calls > Settings > Menus.
Select Add Menu.
Enter a Name for the menu (e.g., "Main Menu" or "Support Menu").
Configure the greeting, input options, and default route as described below.
Select Save.
Menu greeting
The greeting is the audio prompt callers hear when the menu answers. This is where you tell callers their options: "Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support, or stay on the line for general assistance."
Choose between:
Audio file -- upload a pre-recorded prompt from the audio library
Text-to-speech -- type the prompt text and select a male or female voice
Keep menu greetings under 30 seconds. Callers who hear long prompts are more likely to hang up. State the most common option first.
Input modes
UltraCart IVR menus accept two types of caller input:
DTMF (keypress) -- the caller presses a number on their phone's keypad
Speech recognition -- the caller speaks a keyword (e.g., "Sales" or "Support")
You can configure both for the same menu option, giving callers flexibility. For example, key "1" and the spoken word "Sales" can both route to the Sales queue.
Input wait time
Set the number of seconds the system waits for the caller to provide input after the greeting finishes. The minimum is 4 seconds. If the caller doesn't respond within this window, the call routes to the default route.
Direct extension dialing
Enable Allow Direct Extensions to let callers dial an agent's extension number directly from the menu keypad. When enabled, a caller who knows their contact's extension can reach them without navigating the menu tree.
Mapping options to destinations
Each menu option consists of a DTMF digit, an optional speech keyword, and a routing destination.
Adding an option
Under Route Options, each row defines one menu choice:
Field | Description |
|---|---|
DTMF Digits | The number the caller presses (e.g., 1, 2, 0) |
Speech Input | An optional spoken keyword the caller can say instead (e.g., "Sales") |
Route | The destination for this option |
Routing destinations
Each option can route to:
Destination | What happens |
|---|---|
Queue | The call enters the selected queue and waits for an agent |
Agent | The call rings a specific agent's extension directly |
Menu | The call enters another IVR menu (nesting) |
Voicemail | The caller hears a voicemail greeting and can leave a message |
Time-based rule | The system checks the current time and routes accordingly |
Default route
The default route handles callers who don't press any key or speak an unrecognized word within the input wait time. Configure this to catch callers who stay on the line without interacting. Common choices include routing to a general queue, replaying the menu, or connecting to an operator.
Invalid entry handling
When a caller presses a key that isn't mapped to any option, the system replays the menu greeting so the caller can try again. If the caller still doesn't provide valid input after the timeout, the call routes to the default route.
Nesting menus
You can create multi-level phone trees by routing a menu option to another menu. For example:
Main Menu: "Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support"
Support Menu (reached by pressing 2): "Press 1 for Technical Support, Press 2 for Billing, Press 3 to return to the main menu"
There's no hard limit on nesting depth, but keep trees shallow -- 2-3 levels at most. Deep menu trees frustrate callers and increase abandonment rates.
Always offer a way back. When using nested menus, include an option to return to the previous menu or connect to a live agent.
Connecting menus to phone numbers
After creating a menu, connect it to one or more phone numbers so callers hear it when they call.
Navigate to Calls > Settings > Numbers.
Select Edit on the phone number.
In the Route dropdown, select the menu.
Select Save.
Combining menus with time-based routing
A common pattern uses time-based routing as the first layer, with different menus for business hours and after hours:
Create two menus: a business-hours menu (with options for Sales, Support, etc.) and an after-hours menu (with a "leave a message" option).
Create a time-based rule that routes to the business-hours menu during open hours and the after-hours menu outside of business hours.
Assign the time-based rule to your phone number.
This ensures callers always hear an appropriate greeting regardless of when they call.
Copying and deleting menus
Copying a menu
Select Copy Menu from the menu's edit dialog to duplicate the configuration. The copy includes all options and routing, with " - Copy" appended to the name.
Deleting a menu
Select Delete to remove a menu. Before deleting, the system checks whether any phone numbers or time-based rules reference this menu. If references exist, the deletion is blocked and a message indicates which items need to be updated first.
You cannot delete a menu that is currently referenced by a phone number or time-based rule. Update those routing rules to point elsewhere before deleting the menu.
Related pages
Phone numbers -- connect menus to inbound phone numbers
Time-based routing -- combine menus with business hours rules
Call queues -- route menu options to agent groups
Voicemail -- route menu options to voicemail
Audio library -- manage audio files for menu greetings