Enable a Customized Non-Business Hours Menu Prompt

Applies to: Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Online

Topic Last Modified: 2012-11-29

You can customize the menu prompt to be used by a Unified Messaging (UM) auto attendant outside business hours. After you create a UM auto attendant, a default system prompt (“Welcome to Unified Messaging”) is used as the menu prompt that callers hear after the non-business hours welcome greeting is played. Although the system prompt mustn't be replaced or changed, you can customize the greetings and menu prompts that are used with UM auto attendants. After you create a customized non-business hours menu prompt audio file, you must enable menu navigation entries on the UM auto attendant for non-business hours.

If you only want to include the name of your organization or business as part of the default system prompt, you can enter the name in the Business name box on the UM auto attendant. For details, see Enter a Business Name.

Important:
You must configure business hours on the auto attendant. When you configure business hours, the non-business hours are set automatically. For details, see Configure Business Hours.

For additional management tasks related to UM auto attendants, see UM Auto Attendant Procedures.

What do you need to know before you begin?

Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes.
You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure or procedures. To see what permissions you need, see the "UM auto attendants" entry in the Unified Messaging Permissions topic.
Before you perform these procedures, confirm that a UM dial plan has been created. For detailed steps, see Create a UM Dial Plan.
Before you perform these procedures, confirm that a UM auto attendant has been created. For detailed steps, see Create a UM Auto Attendant.
Create a .wav or .wma file to be used for the menu prompt.
For information about keyboard shortcuts that may apply to the procedures in this topic, see Keyboard Shortcuts in the Exchange Admin Center.

Tip:
Having problems? Ask for help in the Exchange forums. Visit the forums at: Exchange Server, Exchange Online, or Exchange Online Protection.

What do you want to do?

Use the EAC to enable a customized non-business hours menu prompt

In the EAC, navigate to Unified Messaging > UM dial plans. In the list view, select the UM dial plan that you want to change, and then click Edit .
On the UM Dial Plan page, under UM Auto Attendants, select the UM auto attendant for which you want to enable a customized non-business hours menu prompt, and then click Edit .
On the UM Auto Attendant page, > Menu navigation, under Non-business hours menu navigation, click Change, and then click Browse to locate the customized non-business hours menu prompt file.

Important:

The file you use for the menu prompt must be a .wav or .wma file.
After you've located the file, click Open, and then click Save.

Important:
The file you use for the menu prompt must be a .wav or .wma file.

Use the Shell to enable a customized non-business hours menu prompt

This example enables a UM auto attendant named MyUMAutoAttendant that has business hours configured to be 10:45 to 13:15 (Sunday), 09:00 to 17:00 (Monday), and 09:00 to 16:30 (Saturday) and holiday times and their associated greetings configured to be "New Year" on January 1, 2013, and "Building Closed for Construction" from April 24, 2013 through April 28, 2013.

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Set-UMAutoAttendant -Identity MyUMAutoAttendant -BusinessHoursSchedule 0.10:45-0.13:15,1.09:00-1.17:00,6.09:00-6.16:30 -HolidaySchedule "New Year,newyrgrt.wav,1/2/2013","Building Closed for Construction,construction.wav,4/24/2013,4/28/2013"

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Set-UMAutoAttendant -Identity MyUMAutoAttendant -BusinessHoursSchedule 0.10:45-0.13:15,1.09:00-1.17:00,6.09:00-6.16:30 -HolidaySchedule "New Year,newyrgrt.wav,1/2/2013","Building Closed for Construction,construction.wav,4/24/2013,4/28/2013"

This example configures a UM auto attendant named MyAutoAttendant and enables non-business hours navigation menus so that when callers press 1, they’re forwarded to another UM auto attendant named SalesAutoAttendant. When they press 2, they’re forwarded to extension number 12345 for Support, and when they press 3, they’re sent to another UM auto attendant that plays an audio file.

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Set-UMAutoAttendant -Identity MyAutoAttendant - AfterHoursKeyMappingEnabled $true - AfterHoursKeyMapping "1,Sales,,SalesAutoAttendant","2,Support,12345","3,Directions,,,directions.wav"