sip:auto_attendant [IG Manual]

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====== Auto Attendant ======
The auto attendant is a SIP client which can be called like a usual SIP telephone. Just that you do not have to answer the calls yourself, instead the Internet gate does this for you, all you have to do is to configure how the auto attendant shall operate. 

The auto attendant can play back announcements or music to the caller. It recognizes when the caller presses keys on his/her telephone and can then execute a configurable action, like playing another announcement or executing a call transfer to another destination which can be called via SIP.
It can even collect several digits and use those collected digits as target number for a call transfer.

The configurability of the auto attendant is very flexible due to the use of a not limited number of menu states. When a call is answered by the auto attendant, the call is first in an initial menu state where a certain announcemnt is played and certain key depressions cause certain actions, specific to this menu state. A key depression (or a timeout) can cause a change to another menu, where a different audio file can be played and the key depression can cause different actions. There is no limitation how many menus you can use, and how the handled calls jump around between different menus.

The audio files which are played back by the auto attendant (announcemnts or music) must be stored on an USB stick attached to the Internet gates USB port. They have to be stored in the directory /ivr. Also, they must be in .wav format, 8kHz sampling rate, mono, and PCMA or PCMU encoded. The easiest way to generate these files is to record them yourself by using the Record-function on the GUI-page for the auto attendant, where you choose a name for the recording, a telephone which shall be called to make the recording, and then you press the Record-button. The specified telephone will start to ring, you answer and - after getting a short beep tone - you say the announcement text into the telephone and hang up (or better press "Done" to avoid the hangup-klick). If you do not want to make the recording yourself this way, you can also copy the prepared audio file (with the specified format as above) on the USB stick e.g. on a PC. There is even the possibility - instead of using audio files stored on an attached USB stick - to use audio files (which must be in the same file format as mentioned above) from a http server in the network. 

As a specialized application you can program the auto attendant to act as a music on hold player. Just set it up to ignore all key depressions, to have a ring time equaling zero when being called, and to play back the desired music file in endless-mode.

The Internet gate currently supports up to two auto attendant units (each one having its own SIP address and other settings). Each auto attendant unit can handle up to 8 simultaneous calls. 

The GUI pages for the auto attendant will only show up after you have bought the respective license, in the Internet gates GUI's top menu under Applications -> Auto Attendant.