Chris Miller

The automated attendant loop is a great way to tie up an 800 number if you have access to a spare line. since most 800 numbers have more than one incoming line it wont tie up everything but it will still cost them a pretty penny.

most interstate 800 numbers cost them about 30 cents a minute and the automated attendant loop can go all night long. assuming 10 hours, thats 600 minutes or $180 a night.

to make an automated attendant loop first you will have to call their system after hours and find a sequence of digits that brings you back and forth between two menus. make sure that there isnt a limit on the amount of times you can select either of the menus.

As in the manufacture of the cracker hook a telephone pick-up to your telephone and take it off the hook. record the two digits onto both sides of an audio tape just as if you were entering them into their VMS.

use the speaker you made for the cracker and test these tones in the same way. the speaker can be taped or you can use a velcro strap to keep it on the mouth piece. call the system and get to the area where your digit sequence starts from and press play. listen for a while to make sure it is working and dont forget to check back every once in a while.

the fact that it ties up your line can be a hassle after all you probably wont want to leave a tape recorder on a payphone when you arent around. since using the loop mostly takes place at night and you wont be doing it all the time you may be able to live with the hassle.

also check your house lines because when they disconnect phones you are usually still able to dial 800 numbers and 911. this will give you a second line for 800 number campaigns without paying for it. remember to check the line with an anac as it will have a different number than the one you previosly had. attempting to dial into this number will get you the recording “not in service for incoming calls”

when they get the phone bill you can expect some changes to their system. if they dont make changes you are either lucky or they are very stupid.