The 7 Best Auto Attendant Phone Systems

Auto attendant graphic

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Our extensive research into automated phone systems led us to conclude that RingCentral, GoToConnect, and 8×8 are the top three auto attendant phone systems, carrying the best value auto attendant features.

Most phone system providers offer this feature, with businesses relying on an automated attendant for its key functions: answering every call, delivering customised greetings, and routing calls to the right employee or team.

If you’re in the market for an automated phone system for small businesses, check for a provider that offers this feature – also known as a virtual receptionist – on an affordable plan that comes with a good range of other inbound communication features. However, you must also consider other key factors, including outbound communication features, integrability, scalability, and customer support.

We've been writing phone system reviews for over a decade, so read on and let us equip you with everything you need to know about the eight best automated phone systems.

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RingCentral

GoToConnect

8×8

DialPad

Vonage

bOnline

Nuacom

4.5
4.2
4.7
3.8
4.4
3.9
3.9
Best For

Customer Services

Best For

Value for Money

Best For

Best Overall

Best For

Conversational AI

Best For

Small Businesses

Best For

Best for Desk-phone Compatibility

Best For

Customer Satisfaction

Pricing

£12.99-£24.99

Pricing

£10 – £21

Pricing

Bespoke

Pricing

£12 – bespoke

Pricing

£10-25

Pricing

£7 – £15.50

Pricing

£14 – bespoke

Key Features

100 inclusive minutes per user

Mobile and desktop apps (iOS® and android™)

Team messaging

Document sharing

Call logs

24/7 customer support

Key Features

Call from any device, anywhere

Existing number porting

Local, toll-free & vanity numbers

Smart call routing

Call forwarding

Instant Response

Key Features

Unlimited calling in the UK

8×8 work: unified mobile, desktop, and web app

Basic auto attendant

Music on hold

Voicemail

Key Features

Unlimited calling, SMS & MMS

Ai-powered call

Voicemail transcriptions

Google Workspace & Microsoft 365 integrations

Unlimited video meetings

Key Features

Calling UK landlines: 10p/min

Calling UK mobiles: 10p/min

Desktop app

Mobile app

Call forwarding

Call transfer

Vonage meetings

Key Features

Digital phone line & number

Unlimited inbound calls

100 outbound landline minutes

Mobile and desktop apps

Call forwarding

Key Features

Free local number and landline calls

Free desktop & mobile app

Eliminate engaged tone with virtual queue

Group extensions

Ring strategies

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1. RingCentral: best automated phone system for customer service teams

RingCentral logo
RingCentral
4.5
Pricing £7.99 - £24.99
Quick overview

RingCentral, one of the UK's top business phone system providers, receives an overall score of 4.5/5  in our extensive research. It's our favourite auto attendant phone system for UK businesses because it offers the best value virtual receptionist feature, which is available on RingCentral's Essentials plan from just £7.99 per user, per month. But RingCentral is also our top pick for customer service teams.

The services that RingCentral offers are superior, especially when you upgrade to its Premium (£19.99 per user, per month) and Ultimate (£24.99 per user, per month) plans. A multi-level auto attendant will only be accessible on RingCentral's Standard plan (£14.99 per user, per month) and above. This multi-level auto attendant comes with Interactive Voice Response (IVR), offering submenus with advanced features, such as a dial-by-name directory and live operator, which is perfect for businesses that are focused on providing exceptional customer service. Meanwhile, GoToConnect’s least expensive plan costs £8.95, but its auto attendant’s functions only include basic call routing, a customizable greeting, and the ability to share business information.

RingCentral’s auto attendant feature is bundled with a good range of inbound communication features, including voicemail, a customizable greeting, and spam prevention. 8x8, on the other hand, only includes a spam prevention feature on a couple of its plans (X2 and X4).

Strengths

Unlimited domestic calls

Free trial period on all plans (except Ultimate)

Weaknesses

Auto attendant on the cheapest plan is basic

Call queues and ring groups are only available on the Premium and Ultimate plans

Pricing
Plan Starting price
Essentials £7.99 Per user, per month
Standard £14.99 Per user, per month
Premium £19.99 Per user, per month
Ultimate £24.99 Per user, per month

2. GoTo Connect: best value for money automated phone system

GoTo logo
GoToConnect
4.2
Pricing £10.00 - £44.00
Quick overview

GoTo Connect gets an overall score of 4.2/5. Our in-depth research shows that it’s the best for value for money because its plans offer great value for money for the reason that its plans are packed with features that are focused on scalable solutions. Starting at only £10 per user, per month, GoTo Connect includes all the inbound communication features on every plan. It’s one of the only two phone system providers to offer all the necessary inbound communication features across all of its plans and this includes call queue, ring groups and auto attendant. In addition to that, it doesn’t limit the number of users you can have. Its auto attendant feature allows you to customise your messages, set up advanced flows for calls to be routed efficiently, and allows you to share important updates. Meanwhile, RingCentral’s auto attendant feature can only be accessed when you upgrade to its Standard plan for £21 per user, per month and doesn’t include call queue and ring groups features on its Essentials and Standard plans.

Strengths

Unlimited domestic calls

Free international calls to over 50 countries (Standard and Premium plans)

Weaknesses

Some outbound communication features aren’t included on all of its plans.

Doesn’t offer external live chat integrations on all plans.

Pricing
PlanStarting price
Basic £10.00 Per user, per month
Standard £21.00 Per user, per month
Premium £44.00 Per user, per month

3. 8×8

Best Overall

8x8 logo
8x8
4.7
Pricing £10 - £36
Quick overview

Based on our in-depth research, 8x8 bags the title of best overall phone system as it hits the trifecta: easy management, affordability, and is bundled with important inbound communication features. This is why it gets an overall score of 4.7/5, the highest among the top UK business VoIP providers.

Auto attendant is included in the Express Package for only £10 per user, per month. Aside from its key functions, you are also able to customise auto attendant profiles, allowing you to set up auto attendant schedules, define time zones, and select a language for voice prompts. The plus is that you get the multi-level auto attendant feature when you upgrade to the X2 and X4 plans, where the prices are still very affordable when compared with other top providers on this list. Meanwhile, GoTo Connect’s least expensive plan, which starts at £8.95 per user, per month, only offers the basic auto attendant features, such as customizable greeting, call queue, and call router.

To offer a better call experience, you’ll need more than just an automated attendant. All the 8x8 plans offer useful inbound communication features, such as a customizable greeting, hold music, and voicemail.

Strengths

The virtual receptionist feature is included on all plans

Bundled with numerous & useful inbound communication features

Weaknesses

Spam prevention is not included on any plan

No access to voicemail to text, ring groups, or call queue features on Express Package.

Pricing
PlanStarting price
Express £10 Per user, per month
X2 £19 Per user, per month
X4 £36 Per user, per month
X6 £85 Per user, per month
X7 £105 Per user, per month
X8 £135 Per user, per month
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4. DialPad: best automated phone system for conversational AI

Dialpad
3.8
Pricing £12 - bespoke
Quick overview

DialPad is our top choice when it comes to innovative solutions. Based on our in-depth research, DialPad is the best when it comes to conversational AI, earning a 3.8/5 overall score. Its AI technology is powered by natural language processing (NLP) and has machine learning features. This tool can be used to help agents by transcribing conversations in real time, analysing the sentiment of the call based on the flow of the conversation and can provide post-call summaries that highlight action items so you can easily follow up.

DialPad’s auto attendant feature makes sure that spam calls are blocked. Not only that, its custom call routing feature makes use of AI tools that can help route calls to a live agent when a call needs to be escalated. For as little as £12 per user, per month, you get access to the multi-level auto attendant feature where all calls are AI-powered and unlimited. Meanwhile, 8x8’s cheapest plan also costs £10 per user, per month but it doesn’t come with spam prevention or conversational AI.

The auto attendant feature comes with useful inbound communication features, such as customizable greeting, voicemail, and ring groups. Vonage, however, doesn’t include customizable greeting or ring groups in its cheapest plan, which costs £9 per user, per month.

Strengths

All plans offer unlimited calling, SMS, and MMS

Built-in AI and analytics included on all plans

Weaknesses

The Standard Plan doesn’t come with a call queue feature

Call barge and call whisper features aren’t included on any plans

Pricing
Plan Starting price
Standard £12 Per user, per month
Pro £20 Per user, per month
Enterprise Bespoke pricing Based on your needs and business size

5. Vonage: best automated phone system for small businesses

Vonage logo
Vonage
4.4
Pricing £9 - £16.50
Quick overview

Vonage earns an overall score of 4.4/5 because of its effective and scalable business solutions. Its plans offer key communication features, including call barge and call whisper, as well as  important software integration tools that make it easy for any business to scale.

For only £9 per user, per month, Vonage’s auto attendant feature is a customizable and reliable piece of call routing technology. You also have the option to prioritise schedules and share settings between schedules, allowing your business to address calls at any time. In addition to this, its customer support uses an AI virtual assistant to ensure that all calls are addressed during peak business hours, resulting in better customer engagement. This feature is best for call centre phone systems as it allows easy management of high call volumes. However, 8x8, our top provider on this list, doesn’t offer this feature on its cheapest plan at £10 per user, per month. It only becomes available when you purchase the X2 plan for £19 per user, per month.

What’s great about Vonage is that its automated phone system feature comes with other important inbound communication features, including voicemail, spam prevention, and customisable hold music. Meanwhile, spam prevention is not included on 8x8’s Express plan.

Strengths

Unlimited domestic calls

Affordable plans

Weaknesses

Additional cost to add voicemail to text and call queue features

Customizable greeting and ring groups only available on Premium and Advanced plans.

Pricing
Plan Starting price
Select £9 Per user, per month
Professional £12.50 Per user, per month
Ultimate £16.50 Per user, per month

6. bOnline: best automated phone system for desk phone compatibility

bOnline logo
bOnline
3.5
Pricing £6 - £15.50
Quick overview

bOnline is the best business phone system for desk phone compatibility because its software can be used with numerous handheld devices and hardware including Gigaset, Panasonic or Polycom, earning a 3.5/5 overall score. This comes handy with small businesses looking to integrate analog and digital devices. Besides, a lot of businesses still use desk phones because, aside from the fact that there’s no need for them to learn the basics of a new technology, a desk phone comes in handy in the event of a power outage. However, its software doesn’t come with desk phone compatibility when you purchase the Starter plan which costs £6 per user, per month. It becomes compatible with desk phones when you upgrade to Unlimited Calling and Unlimited Calling with Phone plans.

Its auto attendant feature allows you to easily direct callers to the right place, personalise greetings and even set business hours. However, it becomes accessible only when you upgrade to the Unlimited Calling (£13.95 per user, per month) and Unlimited Calling and Phone plans (£15.50 per user, per month). Just like Vonage, its auto attendant feature also isn’t available in its most basic plan and becomes accessible when you upgrade to the Professional plan. However, Vonage’s Professional plan is cheaper than bOnline’s because it only costs £12.50 per user, per month. But, unlike bOnline, Vonage’s software is only compatible with a few third-party desk phones such as Polycom and Panasonic.

Strengths

All of its plans come with unlimited users

All plans come with unlimited inbound minutes

Weaknesses

Auto attendant isn’t available in the Starter plan

Caller ID is the only outbound communication feature in available in the Starter plan

Pricing
Plan Starting price
Starter £6 Per user, per month
Unlimited Calling £13.95 Per user, per month
Unlimited Calling + Phone £15.50 Per user, per month

7. Nuacom: best automated phone system for customer satisfaction

Nuacom logo
Best for Customer Satisfaction
3.9
Pricing £14.99 - Bespoke
Quick overview

Our researchers gathered consumer reviews across business review sites such as TrustRadius, G2, Trustpilot and Capterra. Real-world users stated that they are happy with the phone service’s simplicity and reliability. This is why Nuacom gets an impressive 4.6/5 score in customer satisfaction.

Its Unlimited plan, which is the cheapest plan, costs £14.99 per user, per month but the auto attendant isn’t included in this package. This feature is offered in its Call Centre (£29.99 per user, per month) and Enterprise plans where its functions are just the basic greet and transfer callers to an extension without an operator or receptionist. bOnline also doesn’t offer the auto attendant feature in its lowest plan and like Nuacom, offers this feature when you upgrade except bOnline costs way cheaper than Nuacom.

Strengths

Unlimited domestic minutes

Offers a lot of inbound communication features

Weaknesses

All plans only comes with two user limits

Spam prevention isn’t included in any of its plans

Pricing
Plan Starting price
Unlimited £14.99 Per user, per month
Call Centre £29.99 Per user, per month
Enterprise Bespoke Based on your needs and business size
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How Did We Compare the Best Auto Attendant Phone Systems?

Our research team conducts a comprehensive research, comparing the top eleven business providers based on different categories. These are: pricing, features, external connections, scalability, security, customer reviews and customer support.

  • Pricing – we compare the rates based on the features, add-ons, tools, and services included per plan.

  • Features – we take into consideration all of the  inbound and outbound communication features, management and collaboration features, the basic functionalities, as well as the plans these features are available on.

  • External connections – we find out what platforms each system comes ready to integrate with. We also confirm if their software can be accessed via a mobile app, whether it can integrate with existing desk phones, or if the vendor provides their own brand of phone.

  • Scalability – we analyse the product’s ability to scale through the presence of management and collaboration features, the overall capability of those features, and the security and software integration features.

  • Security – we find out what security options are available and how they manage their privacy policy.

  • Customer reviews – we gather customer feedback as well as an overall average of customer ratings across business review sites, such as Capterra, G2, TrustPilot, and TrustRadius.

  • Customer support – we determine if they provide users with all of the necessary customer support channels and if they can be reached 24/7.

Verdict

Our research shows that RingCentral is our top choice when it comes to the auto attendant feature. Aside from its affordability, it offers some of the top VoIP features needed for an effective automated phone service to work. Some of these features include: voicemail, a customizable greeting, customizable hold music. This is the reason it receives an impressive overall score of 4.5/5 in our research.

We suggest you try our free quote comparison tool to get the phone service that fits your business’ needs. Just answer some questions and we will link you to trusted providers that will reach out to you with tailored, obligation-free quotes.

FAQs

What does an auto attendant do?

An auto attendant is a call routing technology that presents a voice menu system at the onset of the call. This helps ensure your caller is transferred to the right department without you having to provide an operator to assist your callers.

This telephony system is also known as the virtual receptionist and its basic function is to transfer incoming calls to different departments or extensions without going through a human operator.

What is the difference between auto attendant and IVR?
An auto attendant would just function as a basic call routing technology whereas an IVR or an interactive voice response system provides more advanced options than an auto attendant. It offers submenus with an advanced call routing system. The IVR connects calls to the appropriate agent through the use of verbal commands and speech recognition based on the information provided by the callers.
How do I set up an auto attendant?

Creating and configuring an auto attendant depends on the provider you have. There are some that have text-to-voice for greeting recordings, while others require you to create a call flow from scratch.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on the general process for setting up your auto attendant feature:

1. Assign a phone number where you want the auto attendant to route calls. You can have multiple numbers or you can configure your existing phone number to work with an auto attendant. If the phone system provider allows it, you can also get a new local and toll-free number.

2. Record phone system greetings, call menu options, and voice mailbox messages.

3. Create your call menu options that correspond to the customised greeting you recorded.

Configure your call menu in a way that you can forward calls to office phones, different departments or mobile phones.

4. Set business hours

5. Set holiday greetings and schedules

6. Save all auto attendant settings

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Written by:
Dudez Ignacio body shot image
Dudez Perez-Ignacio is a Content Writer for Expert Market, specialising in writing about phone systems and helping readers learn about innovative communication technology trends and insights, prioritizing value to help drive business growth. Researching and writing about this every day means Dudez is fluent in the complex vocabulary of business phone systems.
Reviewed by:
James thinks all businesses can improve if they use the right technology. At Expert Market, he utilises his 4+ years experience as a researcher to offer specialised advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to Fleet Management.