Webex Calling: Auto Attendant, Hunt Group, and Queue Reporting

Webex Calling offers three primary call routing features: auto attendants, hunt groups, and call queues. Each is used to distribute incoming calls. However, these different features serve specific goals. We will take a deeper look at these features and how to make the best use of their information. 

What is Webex Calling Auto Attendant?

Webex Calling auto attendants are used to route calls to an answering service, a hunt group, a voicemail box, or a real person. This feature allows for callers to be directed to the correct company department and then the desired user. They can also be used to add greetings for callers and set up menus. 

What is Webex Calling Hunt Group?

You may have a sales team that is unable to answer every call as they come in or a support team that wants all incoming calls to ring immediately so they can be answered by the first available person. This is where hunt groups come in. 

Hunt groups take incoming calls and ensure they are either routed to the correct people or sent to the correct voicemail for a later response. A predetermined pattern is created by assigning a specific phone number to a select group of employees. Then, rules are set for how the call is answered, how long it can remain on hold, and who the call should be forwarded to. 

What is Webex Calling Call Queue?

Webex Calling call queue also helps route phone calls to the desired person. However, this feature does not route calls between company departments. In this feature, callers are routed directly to agents. 

Rather than going to a voicemail, calls are distributed one at a time to agents within a queue. If no one is available at the time, the queue will hold the caller until someone becomes available, where it is then routed as normal following the predetermined settings. 

When a call cannot be responded to right away, additional settings can be put in place for things like automated answers, comfort messages, and music for when the person is on hold. 

Reporting for Auto Attendant, Hunt Group, and Call Queue

Auto attendant, hunt group, and call queue all serve similar but slightly different purposes in call management. While each option is beneficial for directing incoming calls, they are useful because they collect data, such as date/time of calls, party number, call duration, ring time, queue time, and more.

For more in-depth information about these settings, how to use them, and how to generate custom reports, check out Variphy’s Auto Attendant, Hunt Group, and Queue Reporting webinar. Systems engineer Mike Stratton covers each feature more in-depth with step-by-step instructions for accessing reports that offer a better insight into the Webex Calling data.