The auto-answer feature is an essential tool for your business that maximizes team productivity and optimizes your contact center performance.


This article contains:

What is auto-answer?

The Auto-answer feature automatically connects incoming calls to your most idle but available agents, allowing them to manage higher call volumes, and effectively address more issues. 


A few benefits of using the auto-answer feature:

  • Reduce customer wait times
    Automatic call answering allows your agents to promptly answer incoming calls and effectively reduce customer wait times.
  • Increase call volumes
    With efficient call management, your business can handle a higher volume of calls, boosting operational performance.
  • Reduce call answer time
    With the auto-answer feature, you can define specific auto-answer time for each call queue, reduce call ringing time, and maximize call connect rates.
  • Enhance customer satisfaction
    With faster response times and increased call handling capacity, you can provide exceptional customer service, leading to happier customers.


How does the auto-answer feature work?

If you set up call queues to route the incoming calls to the most idle agents, you can specify a global or custom auto-answer time. Once this time elapses, the call is automatically connected to the customer.

When Auto-answer is enabled, the phone widget displays the auto-answer time for each incoming call, indicating when the call will be auto-answered.


Note: If auto-answer is enabled, the agents cannot ignore calls. Also, the feature can be configured only when you route the calls to the most idle agents.

How to configure auto-answer?

You can configure auto-answer for the call queues in the following ways:

  • Global configuration: Set a global auto-answer time, which will be applied to all incoming calls received at your call center.

  • Custom Configuration: Configure auto-answer for specific call queues. For example, if you have call queues for your VIP customers, you can configure a custom auto-answer time, exclusively for the VIP call queue.

Note: Auto-answer can be configured only for call queue configurations and is not available for other call workflows, such as Agent Extensions, IVRs or on Freshcaller  mobile apps.


Configure global auto-answer time

  1. Log in as an admin and go to Admin Settings > Configuration and Workflows > Additional Settings.
  2. Enable the Global Auto Answer settings option and enter the auto-answer time in seconds after which the call will be auto-answered.
  3. Click Save changes.
Notes: 
  • The maximum global auto answer time you can set is 10 seconds.
  • Even if you enable global auto-answer time, the auto-answer does not trigger unless you configure it again in the specific call queue settings. For details, see Configure auto-answer in call queue.


Configure auto-answer in call queue

In addition to the global auto-answer time, Freshcaller allows you to set custom auto-answer time for specific call queues. 

  1. Log in as an admin and go to Admin Settings > Configuration and Workflows > Call Workflows.
  2. Click Call Queue.
  3. Enter the queue name, choose a play message, and assign the call attendees.
  4. Under Route Calls By, select Calling Most Idle Agent First.
  5. Under Auto Answer, select the auto answer option you want to apply to the queue. The options are:
    • Global auto answer settings: Select this to apply the global auto answer time to the call queue.
      Note: Ensure that you have enabled and set the Global auto-answer time for your account. For details see Configure global auto-answer time
    • .
    • Custom auto answer Settings: Set a custom auto answer time that will be applied only to this specific queue. Enter the auto answer time in seconds.
      Note: The maximum global and custom auto-answer time you can set is 10 seconds.
  6. Enter the remaining call queue configuration settings and click Save. For details, refer to Setting up Call Queues.
  7. Click Save.

What will be the agent experience?

Once the auto-answer feature is configured for a call queue, agents will see the auto-answer timer on the phone widget for calls received on that specific call queue.

For example, Sadie receives a call from Gymshark Support call queue with a 10-second auto-answer setting and has 10 seconds to pick up the call before it is auto-answered.