Applies to: Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Online

Topic Last Modified: 2012-12-16

You can configure the method to use for users with similar names on an auto attendant's Address book and operator access options, or you can leave the default setting on the auto attendant and configure this setting on the dial plan associated with the auto attendant. By default, an auto attendant can disambiguate between two or more users who have the same or similar names because the default setting on the auto attendant is Inherit from dial plan.

Note:
For the information that will be included for users with similar names to work correctly, you must provide the title, department, and location information for the recipients in your Microsoft Exchange organization.

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: Less than 1 minute.

  • 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.

  • 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 configure a UM auto attendant for users with similar names

  1. In the EAC, navigate to Unified Messaging > UM dial plans. In the list view, select the UM dial plan you want to change, and then click Edit Edit Icon.

  2. On the UM Dial Plan page, under UM Auto Attendants, select the UM auto attendant you want to configure, and then click Edit Edit Icon.

  3. On the UM Auto Attendant page, click Address book and operator access, and under Information to include for users with the same name, select one of the following:

    • Title   The auto attendant will include each user's title when it lists matches.

    • Department   The auto attendant will include each user's department when it lists matches.

    • Location   The auto attendant will include each user's location when it lists matches.

    • None   The auto attendant won't include any additional information when it lists matches.

    • Prompt For alias   The auto attendant will prompt the caller for the user's alias.

    • Inherit from dial plan   The auto attendant will use the default setting from the dial plan associated with the auto attendant.

  4. Click Save.

Use the Shell to configure a UM auto attendant for users with similar names

This example sets the information to be included with users with similar names to Prompt for Alias for a UM auto attendant named MyUMAutoAttendant.

Copy Code 
Set-UMAutoAttendant -Identity MyUMAutoAttendant -MatchedNameSelectionMethod PromptForAlias

This example sets the information to be included with users with similar names to the title of the users, enables name lookups, and enables callers that dial into the auto attendant to press * to be presented with the Outlook Voice Access welcome greeting for a UM auto attendant named MyUMAutoAttendant.

Copy Code 
Set-UMAutoAttendant -Identity MyUMAutoAttendant -MatchedNameSelectionMethod Title -NameLookupEnabled $true -StarOutToDialPlanEnabled $true