An auto attendant or IVR isn't a separate purchase — it's a feature already included in eTollfree phone plans starting at $6.95/mo, and in most competitors' base plans too. Here's exactly what it costs, how it's different from an IVR, how to set one up, and when it's worth adding an AI receptionist on top.
What's an auto attendant, and how is it different from an IVR?
Auto attendant, defined
An auto attendant is an automated virtual receptionist that answers every incoming call, plays a recorded greeting, and lets callers reach the right person or department by pressing a number — "Press 1 for Sales, 2 for Support." It does the job of a front-desk receptionist automatically, on every call, around the clock.
An IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is the broader technology underneath it: any system that plays recorded prompts and reads back digits a caller presses. An auto attendant is the simplest, most common type of IVR — a directory menu. A more advanced IVR can also look up an order number, take a payment, or read out account information without a human ever answering, which is why the terms get used interchangeably in casual conversation but aren't quite the same thing. If your business just needs "press 1 for Sales, 2 for Support," you need an auto attendant. If you need the system to pull data or handle self-service transactions, you need a fuller IVR build.
How much does an auto attendant or IVR cost?
An auto attendant/IVR is included at no extra charge starting at $6.95/mo per number on our Call Forwarding plan, and it's also standard on eBizLine Lite ($14/user/mo) and Business Phone Basic ($24.95/user/mo). You're not buying the auto attendant separately — you're buying a phone plan that happens to include it, along with voicemail, call recording, and 100+ other features.
That's also how most named competitors price it: the auto attendant/IVR menu ships with their base phone-system plan rather than as an a-la-carte add-on. Here's what those base plans cost, as listed September 2026:
| Provider | Entry plan (per user/mo) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| eTollfree Call Forwarding | $6.95/mo per number | Auto attendant, IVR, voicemail, call recording, SMS all included |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $20/user/mo | Annual billing; $30/user/mo month-to-month. Advanced tier $25/user/mo, Ultra $35/user/mo (annual); $45/user/mo Ultra month-to-month |
| Dialpad (Talk Standard) | $15/user/mo | Annual billing; $27/user/mo month-to-month. Pro tier $25/user/mo, Enterprise $35/user/mo (annual) |
| Nextiva (Core) | $15/user/mo | Annual billing, 12-month minimum; $23/user/mo month-to-month. Engage tier $25/user/mo annual ($50/user/mo month-to-month), Scale $75/user/mo |
| OpenPhone (now Quo, Starter) | $15/user/mo | Annual billing; $19/user/mo month-to-month. Business tier $23/user/mo annual ($33 monthly), Scale $35/user/mo ($47 monthly). Extra numbers $5/mo each |
Compare that to the alternative of hiring: a part-time or full-time live receptionist typically runs $2,500/mo or more once wages and benefits are counted, and only covers business hours — an auto attendant covers 24/7 for a fraction of one week's receptionist pay.
Put a real team size on it: for 10 phones, eTollfree Call Forwarding runs about $69.50/mo total. The same 10 seats cost roughly $200/mo on RingCentral Core, $150/mo on Dialpad Standard, $150/mo on Nextiva Core, and $150/mo on OpenPhone Starter — all of it billed per user even though the auto attendant itself is a shared, one-time setup, not a per-seat feature.
How do I set up an IVR for my business?
You set up an IVR in four broad moves — record a greeting, build the menu, set your hours, and go live — and the whole thing typically takes under an hour from your dashboard, no hardware or wiring involved.
Record a Greeting
Type your message for professional text-to-speech, or upload your own recording, right from your dashboard.
Build Your Menu
Decide what each number does: ring a department, an extension, a cell phone, or send to voicemail.
Set Your Hours
Choose different greetings and routing for open hours, after hours, holidays, and lunch breaks.
Go Live
Point your business number at the IVR and it starts answering every call instantly.
If you're building the menu options in more detail (the fields you'll actually fill in on the panel), it breaks down into five steps:
- Navigate to the IVR menu. From your dashboard, go to the Applications tab and select IVR Menu — this section holds every tool you need to create and manage your menus.
- Start a new IVR menu. Click the "+" in the top right corner of the IVR Menu page to open a blank menu you can customize from scratch.
- Fill in the menu fields. Set the Name, Extension, Greet Long (the full first-time greeting), Greet Short (the repeat/reminder version), and Timeout (how long to wait before repeating the menu or routing to a default).
- Define each option. For every digit a caller can press, specify the action (ring a department, ring an extension, play a message, or transfer externally) and the destination for that action.
- Save and go live. Click Save, and the menu is immediately active on your number, ready to manage incoming calls.
Clear, concise prompts and a logical call flow matter more than the number of options — most small businesses do best with three to five menu choices, not ten.
What does call routing software actually do?
Call routing software takes each caller's menu selection (or their place in line) and sends the call to the right destination automatically — a department, an extension, a ring group of several phones at once, a call queue when everyone's busy, or your cell phone after hours. Here's the path a typical call follows:
Incoming Call
A customer dials your business number.
Greeting & Menu
The "queues if busy" step above is the part that separates simple call forwarding from real call routing software: instead of a busy signal or an immediate voicemail, the caller holds in an ordered queue while the system keeps trying available agents in the ring group. Here's what that sounds like from the caller's side:
The moment someone calls, they hear a professional recorded greeting — no ringing into the void. They pick an option, and routing instantly connects them to the right ring group or queue. If no one's available, it can take a message, send voicemail-to-email, or ring your mobile so a real opportunity never gets missed.
The result: callers feel like they've reached an established, organized company, even if you're a team of two.
If your call volume is high enough that queue depth and agent availability need their own dashboard — not just a menu — that's the point where a dedicated call center platform with full ring-group and queue reporting starts to make more sense than a standalone auto attendant.
Auto attendant vs. our AI receptionist — which fits my business?
An auto attendant routes calls with a fixed menu; an AI receptionist has a conversation. Both are included or add-on features on the same plans, and most businesses end up using both together — the auto attendant handles routine routing, and the AI receptionist picks up overflow, after-hours calls, or questions the menu can't answer (hours, pricing, appointment scheduling) without a human. The AI receptionist is priced as an add-on: as low as $6.95/mo + 15¢/min, dropping to 13¢ and 10¢/min on higher plans.
| Auto Attendant | AI Receptionist | Live Receptionist | Plain Voicemail | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answers every call | Always | Always | Business hours | Only if missed |
| Handles open-ended questions | No, menu only | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works 24/7 / after hours | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Monthly cost | Included from $6.95/mo | $6.95/mo + 15¢/min | $2,500/mo+ | Included |
Rule of thumb: start with the auto attendant that's already in your plan, then layer on the AI receptionist once you notice calls going unanswered during lunch, after 6pm, or during your busiest hour — that's the overflow gap it's built to close.
Is IVR included, or an add-on?
IVR is included, not an add-on. Every eTollfree phone plan, from Call Forwarding at $6.95/mo up through Business Phone Basic at $24.95/user/mo, has the auto attendant/IVR menu built in at no extra monthly charge — the only add-on pricing on this page is the AI receptionist's per-minute usage rate. That's also consistent with how RingCentral, Dialpad, Nextiva, and OpenPhone package it: the menu system rides along with the base per-user license, not a separate SKU.
Who uses an included IVR the most
Medical & Dental Offices
Route patients to scheduling, billing, or the nurse line, with after-hours instructions handled automatically.
Law Firms
Send callers to the right practice area or attorney and sound like a firm twice your size.
Contractors & Trades
Ring your cell for new jobs while on-site, and capture after-hours emergencies without missing work.
Retail & E-commerce
Point shoppers to orders, returns, or store hours without tying up a staff member.
Growing Startups
Look established from day one with departmental menus, no receptionist salary required.
Call Centers
Pre-qualify and route high call volumes to the right ring group before an agent ever picks up.
Ready to set up your auto attendant?
Whichever plan you're on, the auto attendant and IVR menu are already active and ready to configure — there's no separate order form, no extra invoice line, and no waiting on a provisioning ticket. Log in, record your greeting, and it's answering calls the same day. See full plan pricing on our toll-free services pricing page, or call our team to build your menu: (800) 233-0234.
