For many small businesses, the announcement will send the caller straight to a voicemail box. But larger organizations may decide to direct callers to a phone menu or forward the call to an external destination, depending on the situation. These options can include: Listing individual voicemail boxes for different departments or employees. Forwarding calls to a professional answering service. Giving callers an option to connect to an after hours or emergency support line. Directing calls to a personal cell phone. Presenting menu options for additional recordings about office locations, ongoing promotions, and other information.
Many busy businesses utilize auto attendant greetings to make a great first impression, however, if your business relies on the personal touch of a live receptionist, it is important to have a plan in place when that position is unstaffed. Make sure your voicemail greeting contains the useful information that your receptionist would normally provide. This could include: location & directions, office hours, website URL, or social media info, as well as any pertinent company information.

The timeout in seconds is the setting that defines the amount of time from the point the greeting finishes playing until the Auto Attendant directs the call to the already selected timeout setting. Navigate to HostPilot > Services > Unite > Auto Attendant and click Auto Attendant Name Choose the Business Hours Menu in question, scroll down to the Timeout, click on Not set up Choose the Timeout in seconds which is the time the call will be in the IVR system before going to the Timeout Choose the Route to option from the drop-down list. Choose Destination that will depend on the option selected under the Route to. Please note that selecting Repeat Greeting as a timeout destination will make the greeting repeat constantly.
When your small business is closed, ensure that your callers know that! If appropriate, you might want to reiterate your business hours to manage callback expectations.