Unified Messaging Auto Attendant Call Processing

Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 SP3, Exchange Server 2010 SP2

Incoming calls received by a Unified Messaging (UM) auto attendant are first passed through your organization's telephony network and then to a Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unified Messaging server that handles and routes the incoming call. This topic discusses the message flow for incoming messages received by an Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging auto attendant.

UM Auto Attendants

When external or anonymous callers place a call using an external business telephone number, or an internal anonymous caller places a call to an internal extension number, they are presented with voice prompts to help them navigate the Unified Messaging menu system. The UM auto attendant is a set of voice prompts or .wav files played to callers in place of a human operator or receptionist when they call into an organization that has Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging. Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging enables you to create one or more auto attendants depending on the needs of your organization. For more information about UM auto attendants, see Understanding Unified Messaging Auto Attendants.

Auto Attendant Message Flow

When a call is received by an Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging server, the Unified Messaging server performs an LDAP query to an Active Directory directory service domain controller to determine how to handle the incoming call.

The following figure illustrates the message flow process when Unified Messaging auto attendants are used in an Exchange 2010 organization.

UM auto attendant message flow

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