Configure an auto attendant for users who have similar names in Exchange Server
Applies to: Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016
You can configure the method to use for users with similar names on an auto attendant's Address book and operator access options, or you can leave the default setting on the auto attendant and configure this setting on the dial plan associated with the auto attendant. By default, an auto attendant can disambiguate between two or more users who have the same or similar names because the default setting on the auto attendant is Inherit from dial plan.
Note
For the information that will be included for users with similar names to work correctly, you must provide the title, department, and location information for the recipients in your Microsoft Exchange organization.
For additional management tasks related to UM auto attendants, see UM auto attendant procedures.
What do you need to know before you begin?
Estimated time to complete: Less than 1 minute.
You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure or procedures. To see what permissions you need, see the "UM auto attendants" entry in the Unified Messaging permissions topic.
Before you perform these procedures, confirm that a UM dial plan has been created. For detailed steps, see Create a UM dial plan.
Before you perform these procedures, confirm that a UM auto attendant has been created. For detailed steps, see Create a UM auto attendant.
For information about keyboard shortcuts that may apply to the procedures in this topic, see Keyboard shortcuts for the Exchange admin center in Exchange 2013.
Tip
Having problems? Ask for help in the Exchange forums. Visit the forums at Exchange Server.
Use the EAC to configure a UM auto attendant for users with similar names
In the EAC, navigate to Unified Messaging > UM dial plans. In the list view, select the UM dial plan you want to change, and then click Edit
.On the UM Dial Plan page, under UM Auto Attendants, select the UM auto attendant you want to configure, and then click Edit
.On the UM Auto Attendant page, click Address book and operator access, and under Information to include for users with the same name, select one of the following:
Title: The auto attendant will include each user's title when it lists matches.
Department: The auto attendant will include each user's department when it lists matches.
Location: The auto attendant will include each user's location when it lists matches.
None: The auto attendant won't include any additional information when it lists matches.
Prompt For alias: The auto attendant will prompt the caller for the user's alias.
Inherit from dial plan: The auto attendant will use the default setting from the dial plan associated with the auto attendant.
Click Save.
Use the Shell to configure a UM auto attendant for users with similar names
This example sets the information to be included with users with similar names to Prompt for Alias for a UM auto attendant named MyUMAutoAttendant.
Set-UMAutoAttendant -Identity MyUMAutoAttendant -MatchedNameSelectionMethod PromptForAlias
This example sets the information to be included with users with similar names to the title of the users, enables name lookups, and enables callers that dial into the auto attendant to press * to be presented with the Outlook Voice Access welcome greeting for a UM auto attendant named MyUMAutoAttendant.
Set-UMAutoAttendant -Identity MyUMAutoAttendant -MatchedNameSelectionMethod Title -NameLookupEnabled $true -StarOutToDialPlanEnabled $true