Dial-by-Name directory helps clients find out and connect with the extension of an agent or a user without having to involve a human receptionist.
A simplified version of the feature gives clients the choice to hear the entire list of office personnel, prompting them to enter a number for specific user — "Press 1 for Rick James... Press 12 for Jessica Kramer..." etc. Obviously, this is mostly practical for a smaller business.
For bigger companies or for those preferring employees confidentiality, the advanced Dial-by-Name is a better choice. It works by prompting callers to enter the first three letters of the surname (default) or given name (optional) of an employee on their dial pad. If there is a match, the system will announce the employee's full name and his extension and then give the caller the option to be transfer to that extension.
You can also easily select some employees, who wish not to be bothered by general calls, to be excluded from the directory. All changes are automatically loaded to the auto-attendant menu.