Managed Voice / Auto Attendant (IVR)

Dial-by-Extension

A caller who already knows the extension (the internal short number — see Glossary) they want can enter it at any point during your auto attendant menu and be connected directly, without listening through the full set of options.

Does this work at the very start of the call, or only after the greeting?

You control it — most businesses enable it as an “always-on” option so a caller can dial the extension the moment the greeting starts playing, without waiting for the full menu to finish.

What if someone mistypes an extension?

The system checks the digits against your active extension list. If there’s no match, the caller is routed back to the main menu or to a fallback like the operator, rather than being dropped or left in silence.

Can returning customers or vendors save time this way?

Yes — anyone who’s called before and remembers “just dial 214 for Sarah” bypasses the whole menu tree. It’s a small feature, but for businesses with a lot of repeat callers it meaningfully cuts average call-handling time.

Does dial-by-extension work the same from a mobile phone as a desk phone?

Yes. It’s a touch-tone (DTMF) input handled by the system itself, not the caller’s device, so it behaves identically regardless of what phone someone is calling from.

What if a caller doesn’t know the extension but knows the person’s name?

Pair this with a Dial-by-Name Directory, which lets callers spell out a name on their keypad instead of needing to know the exact number.