Creating a Hotline Message Node
Message nodes can contain text or audio announcements and other sub-options. Message nodes form the basic navigation structure for most Hotlines.
To create a Hotline message node:
- Access the Hotline you want to add the message node to by clicking Hotlines in the left menu bar, then selecting the appropriate Hotline. The Hotline Editor appears.
- Add a New Message node to Hotline by dragging New Message from the left column into the Hotline tree in the right column. The Hotline Option Editor appears. Use this editor to set the options for this node.
- In the Message Name field, type the text you want the TTS engine to read when a caller accesses this node of the Hotline. Type the words that you want callers to hear immediately after the option number. For example, to build a message node that says, “Press 1 to hear weather updates for your location,” type
to hear weather updates for your locationinto the Message Name field. - You can click the Actions field name to bring up the Action Editor. Set up action logging to capture information about callers accessing this node. See Capturing Node Actions for more information on gathering information on node actions.
- By default, message nodes have no security restrictions. You can increase this to User Identification Required or User Identification and PIN Authentication Required. When you increase security for a node, a lock icon appears on the node in the Hotline Pro tree. For more information about security, see Security.
NOTE
When callers call in to Hotline Pro from a phone in their AlertFind personal escalation list, AlertFind recognizes them but still asks them to identify themselves by asking, “If you are Sam, press 1. If you are not Sam, press 2.”
TIP
You can control access to sub-options by setting security at the main message level. Sub-options (children) inherit the security of the main message (the parent). This can be used to simplify security management.
- In the Message section, you can:
- Type a message for the AlertFind TTS engine to read.
- Click Call to Record and type the phone number AlertFind should call to obtain the message. Click Call Now to initiate the call process. The status of the call appears in the window so that you can track the progress of recording. When the message has been recorded, the WAV appears on the Hotline Option Editor page.
- Click Upload Audio to upload an audio file. The file you upload must be a WAV file in a supported format. See Supported Audio Files.
- Click Save to save this node. Continue adding other nodes or options to the hotline until it is complete. To activate your Hotline, see Activating Your Hotline.