Configuring Your Auto-Attendant (Digital Receptionist)

What Is an Auto-Attendant?

An auto-attendant (called a Digital Receptionist in 3CX) is an automated phone menu that plays when someone calls your main number. It greets callers with a recorded message and lets them route themselves — for example, "Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support, Press 0 for the operator."

DVGVoIP configures your initial auto-attendant when your system is set up. This guide is for making changes to an existing IVR. If you need to build one from scratch, contact us at support@dvgvoip.com.

Accessing the Digital Receptionist

1. Log into the 3CX Admin Console in your web browser using your admin credentials.
2. In the left menu, go to Admin › Digital Receptionist.
3. You'll see a list of your existing IVRs. Click one to edit it, or click Add Digital Receptionist to create a new one.

Creating or Editing a Digital Receptionist

Each Digital Receptionist has a name, an extension number, a greeting prompt, and a set of keypad options.

1. Name: Give the IVR a descriptive name (e.g., "Main Menu" or "After Hours").
2. Extension: Assign it a virtual extension number not used by any real user (e.g., 800).
3. Greeting Prompt: This is the audio message callers hear. See the section below on recording or uploading prompts.
4. Keypad Options: For each digit (0–9, *, #), set a destination — an extension, ring group, call queue, voicemail, or external number. Leave digits blank that you don't need.
5. Click Save when done.

Greeting Prompt Options

There are three ways to set your greeting audio:

For a polished professional greeting, we recommend recording in a quiet room or hiring a voiceover service. DVGVoIP can assist with prompt uploads on request.

Timeout and Invalid Input Actions

Not every caller will press a key. Configure what happens in these cases to avoid dead air or dropped calls.

1. In the Digital Receptionist editor, find the Timeout Destination field. Set this to an operator extension, ring group, or to repeat the prompt.
2. Set the Timeout in seconds — 10 seconds is a common default.
3. Find the Invalid Input Destination — this fires when a caller presses a key you haven't assigned. Route to an operator or repeat the menu.

After-Hours IVR (Best Practice)

It's best practice to have a separate Digital Receptionist for after-hours calls. The after-hours IVR should have a different greeting ("Our office is currently closed…") and route calls to voicemail or an on-call number rather than live extensions.

1. Create a second Digital Receptionist named something like "After Hours Menu."
2. Record or upload an after-hours greeting explaining your hours and options.
3. Set keypad options to voicemail or emergency contact — not live ring groups.
4. Assign this IVR as the "Out of Office Hours" destination in your Inbound Rule (see below).

Linking the IVR to an Inbound Rule

A Digital Receptionist only activates if it's connected to an inbound rule. The inbound rule is what links your phone number (DID) to the IVR.

1. Go to Admin › Inbound Rules.
2. Click on the rule for your main number.
3. Under During Office Hours, set the destination to your main IVR.
4. Under Out of Office Hours, set the destination to your after-hours IVR (or voicemail).
5. Click Save.

Need Help?

Open a support ticket by emailing support@dvgvoip.com before calling — this helps us resolve your issue faster. Or call (807) 700-7111.