Emergency Alert Features

Standard Alert Notification Features

X-on Alert is an application intended to handle notification of people in emergency situations, using a variety of media. It should be considered as much a planning tool as a notification tool, since it requires emergency situations (scenarios) to be pre-planned in advance to gain the most benefit from the product.

	Organisations to define and plan possible emergencies (scenarios) and specify who will be contacted (and by which method) in those situations. In the event of the emergency arising, the intended recipients can be contacted very quickly by executing the predefined scenario.
	Simple and/or detailed reporting on the results of sent alerts. This includes on-screen live monitoring as well as historical reporting, and emailed contact reports.
	Recipients to be contacted using any combination of SMS, Voice, and Email, with the option of sending back a response, regardless of media.
	Data Editors to add, edit and delete recipients and manage their contact details using a web interface.

A fine degree of detail can be selected when configuring alerts, in terms of response times and user acknowledgement requirements. With voice alerts, the audio content can be chosen using the web interface on a per scenario basis.

Service Setup

The following features are supplied as part of the standard creation of an Alert service. These settings are generally fixed once set up, but may be reconfigured later, dependant on the Alert service.

	Choose a 'From' address for email alerts on the service. This will appear as the From address on all alerts sent by email.
	Choose a 'Subject' for email alerts on the service. This will appear as the Subject line on all alerts sent by email.
	Choose a CLI for SMS alerts (one-way SMS only). This will appear as the From Number on all one-way SMS alerts. Not applicable for 2-way SMS alerts as each individual response comes from a unique assigned number.
	Choose a CLI for voice alerts. Voice alerts can display a dedicated sender telephone number, so recipients who miss the call will be aware from their missed call log that an alert in progress.
	Supply custom audio content (in .WAV or .PCM format) for each of the standard voice prompts on the service. The customer can supply their own choice of audio prompts or accept the default X-on recordings. The audio prompts can be changed at any time via the web interface.
	Supply custom banner logo (.GIF format) for the web interface of the service. The customer can supply their own banner logo to appear on the web pages.
	Select a colour scheme and icon theme from preset list, for the web interface of the service. The customer can choose a colour scheme for the web pages, from a list of preset options.
	Voicebank configuration. Where required the Voicebank Phone-in Information Line service will be set up.

The setup itself is carried out by X-on Support using an internal Alert Setup Wizard.

Administration

These features allow Administrators to maintain their Alert service.

	Create new users and their contact details using a web form. The web pages can be used to create new users, including their contact details and team membership where relevant.
	Edit users and their contact details using a web form. The name and contact details of a user can be changed at any time, as well as their team membership.
	Delete users permanently from the database using web form. When deleted, users are automatically removed from all teams and scenarios to which they belong.
	Change the PIN for all users (Global PIN change). This changes the PIN for every user on the service. The PIN is used for web login, and can optionally be used for authentication on voice prompts.
	Create, Edit and Delete users via a .CSV file upload. Users can be created, changed and deleted using the CSV upload facility. This facility should be used with careful guidance from the user guide.
	Change the alert service audio prompts (applies to all scenarios). There is an audio configuration web page which allows service-level prompts to be replaced with WAV files uploaded by the user.
	Create an alert scenario. New scenarios can be created at any time. This includes specifying the people to be contacted in that scenario, and the choice of contact methods. If the scenario requires audio, this must be attached after the scenario has been created.
	Configure the amount of time allowed for acknowledgement. This is the Timeout setting; it can be specified for each scenario created. It dictates how long the system will wait for a recipient to respond to their alert, before it is deemed 'timed out'. For voice alerts, the alert 'times out' after 3 repetitions of the acknowledgement prompt. Please note, the acknowledgement timeout applies on a per-contact basis, and is not a 'master timeout' for the whole alert.
	Configure the Authentication setting. Voice alerts have the option of asking the recipient to press a key, or enter a PIN, before hearing the alert message. This is configured on a per-scenario basis. This is called Authentication and is optional. It can be switched off on scenarios where not required.
	Attach audio content to a scenario using WAV file upload. Users can upload their own WAV files in 44k Mono WAV format. These will be used for the main content of the alert message. Typically these would be pre-recorded messages that are created by the customer as part of their scenario setups. However, if requested, X-on can instead supply professionally recorded audio through the sales process.
	Attach audio content to a scenario using text-to-speech. A basic text-to-speech service is available on a per-scenario basis, allowing users to enter text that will be spoken down the phone to voice alert recipients. This should be used with guidance from the user guide. When using text to speech, words should be spelled phonetically, to ensure clarity over the phone.
	Choose any combination of contact methods for a scenario. Available options are Mobile, Landline, SMS, Email, Voicebank, or Conference Call. Voicebank and Conference Call are subject to sales agreement. The others are standard contact methods. The user can select any combination of contact method when defining their scenario.
	Find users with a Search facility within scenario page. When configuring a scenario, it is possible to search from a database of predefined contacts to choose the recipients of the alert. This makes it easier and/or quicker to set up a contact list for a scenario.
	Set up Teams of recipients. Users can define groups of individuals ("Teams") and use these when choosing recipients of alerts. Teams can be shared across many scenarios. Users can belong to more than one team, or to no teams at all. When users join or leave teams, any scenarios that contact those teams, are automatically updated.
	Primary and Secondary users. Allow specification of up to 1 x Primary and 2 x Secondary users within a team, if required. Within a team, the Primary is contacted first, followed by the Secondary. If neither one responds, the rest of the team is contacted. This feature is designed to prioritise managers and deputy managers when alerting a team.
	Find users with a Search facility within the Individuals page. While adding, removing, or editing user details, it is possible to search for existing users by name.
	Disable or Enable any user. It is possible to disable users from receiving alerts. This effectively switches them off, and they will not be contacted from any scenarios on the system. When enabled, they are contactable again. Disabling/Enabling users is done through the Teams web page, but they do not have to be part of a team.
	Define up to 2 landline contact numbers for each user Mobile numbers should not ever be used as landline numbers.
	Define up to 2 mobile contact numbers for each user. Landline numbers should not ever be used as mobile numbers.
	Define up to 2 e-mail addresses for each user. X-on has no control over the length of time it takes for e-mail alerts to arrive at their destination, or the amount of time it takes for the recipient to read and/or respond to their e-mails.
	Preview all audio content using the web interface. Buttons on the scenario web page allow preview of the audio content through your PC speakers. You can also preview the system prompts from the Alert System Audio web page. However, it is recommended that alerts are previewed by executing them, to confirm the audio quality is sufficient over telephone handsets.
	Assign any user to any Team(s) using web form and/or CSV upload. Using the Teams web page you can assign users to teams. If using the CSV upload to assign users to teams, you can only assign a user to 1 team per line in the CSV file.
	Remove any user from any Team(s) using web form. Using the web page, you can remove users from teams. You remove them from each team separately. You can do this on the User Details page or the Teams page. You cannot remove users from teams using the CSV upload.
	Categories of user. Each user on the service can be categorised as one of: Administrator, Data Editor, Operator. These have different permissions associated with them.
	Administrators Can maintain user and scenario data, and start alerts.
	Data Editors Can maintain user and scenario data, but cannot start alerts.
	Operators Can start alerts, but cannot change any data.

Alerting

These features are related to the sending of alerts, and the handling of responses.

	Send a voice alert to mobile. Voice alerts can be sent to any UK mobile phone number. However, X-on has no control over mobile network availability or signal strength at the time of an alert being sent. X-on has no control over mobile handset settings or voicemail settings used by the recipient; these can affect contactability. If the call goes to voicemail, this will not be detected, and will be treated as if picked up by a human.
	Send a voice alert to landline. Voice alerts can be sent to any UK landline phone number. If the call is picked up by answer phone, this will not be detected, and will be treated as if picked up by a human.
	Send a voice alert to voicebank. Voicebank alerts are dependent on people later phoning the voicebank to hear the message. Voicebank will not be available unless created as part of the initial setup of the service.
	Send a text alert to e-mail. Text-based alert messages can be sent via email. X-on has no control over the speed at which e-mail gets processed by external mail servers, or the time it takes for the recipient to read their e-mail messages. Therefore, e-mail is not recommended for time-critical alert messages.
	Send a text alert to Mobile. Text-based alerts can be sent via SMS to any UK mobile phone number. X-on has no control over mobile network availability or signal strength at the time of an SMS being sent. The recipients handset settings can also affect contactability, for example if switched to silent or switched off.
	Retrieve a response from mobile voice call. When a scenario has Acknowledgement required, the response to the mobile voice call is accepted as a single keypress on the handset. If no key is pressed, it is considered a failed contact. (If Acknowledgement is not required, no keypress is required or asked for).
	Retrieve a response from landline voice call. When a scenario has Acknowledgement required, the response to the landline voice call is accepted as a single keypress on the handset. If no key is pressed, it is considered a failed contact. (If Acknowledgement is not required, no keypress is required or asked for).
	Retrieve a response from e-mail. When a scenario has Acknowledgement required, the response to an email is obtained by asking the recipient to click a link to a web page. On that web page, they type in their response and click a CONFIRM button. This response is then sent back immediately to the alert system.
	Retrieve a response from SMS. When a scenario has Acknowledgement required, the response to an SMS alert is obtained by the recipient directly replying to the SMS.
	Auto-Retry. This facility must be turned ON or OFF on a per scenario basis. The system can automatically retry FAILED voice calls when the result was one of: ENGAGED, NO ANSWER, TIMED OUT, or HUNG UP. The maximum number of auto retries is 2. There is a 2 minute wait before auto retry is attempted. Auto-Retry does not apply to SMS or Email alerts, only to voice calls.
	Manual Retry. You can manually retry any failed contacts by clicking the RETRY button on the monitor page. Manual retry applies to all contacts regardless of their reason for failure or the contact method used. Manual Retry covers SMS and Email as well as Voice contacts. Manual Retry can be used alongside Auto Retry if required.
	Stop an alert session. It is possible to immediately stop an alert during its execution, by clicking the STOP button on the monitor page. A typical reason for doing this, would be realising that you had accidentally started the wrong alert. When STOP is clicked, any outstanding (Pending) contacts are marked as STOPPED.
	Pause an alert session. An alert session can be paused by clicking the PAUSE button on the monitor page. When you pause an alert session, the overall status of the session becomes PAUSED, but the status of the individual contacts is unaffected. Pending contacts remain pending, until the START button is clicked to continue the session.
	Start an alert session. Clicking the START button on the Nofity page will start the alert for the selected scenario. Clicking START on the monitor page will continue an alert that has been PAUSED.
	Schedule an alert. An alert can be scheduled to run at a future date/time, using the Scheduled Alerts page. Once scheduled, the alert will run automatically at the specified date/time. A scheduled alert can be 'unscheduled' by deleting it from the list of scheduled alerts.
	Mobile conference call. If enabled on the service, a conference call can be initiated for a list of mobile phone recipients. There is a maximum of 8 participants in a conference call. You cannot mix mobiles and landlines in a conference call.
	Landline conference call. If enabled on the service, a conference call can be started to a list of landline phone recipients. There is a maximum of 8 participants in a conference call. You cannot mix mobiles and landlines in a conference call.
	Alert Contact Reports. These are sent out automatically once an alert session has completed. This will only happen if an email address has been entered in the scenario to receive the alert contact report. This is shown at the bottom of the scenario details page. The email address can be left blank if an alert contact report is not required. When sent, the email contains a brief summary of the alert results, with a link to a report web page containing the detailed results. Any email address can be used for the alert contact report. A different email address can be used on different scenarios.
	Authentication. Voice calls can be authenticated before allowing playback of the message, if required. Authentication can be either a key press on the handset, or entry of a PIN, or nothing at all. Authentication applies to voice based alerts only.
	Acknowledgement. Acknowledgements are responses to alert messages. These are captured and sent back to the alert system for reporting purposes. Acknowledgement is not always required, and can be switched ON/OFF per scenario. Acknowledgement can be used on all contact methods (voice and text based).
	Acknowledgement Timeout. When Acknowledgement is required, a configurable time limit ("Timeout") can apply. This means the recipient must respond within a certain amount of time, after which their contact is deemed as TIMED OUT, which means it failed because the response was not forthcoming. If the response is given after the timeout, the contact is marked LATE, which is also a failed contact status.
	Response Translation. In scenarios which require Acknowledgement, the system will interpret the response as either positive or negative. Responses like YES, Y, or 1 will be deemed positive (Confirmed), whereas things like NO, N, or 0 are considered negative (Rejected). All responses however, are considered successful contacts, whether positive or negative. The only difference is that negative contacts have the word "Rejected" shown next to them on the report. The distinction is there for situations where, for example, people are asked if they can attend a scene; the results can be used as a simple yes/no answer list for reporting purposes.
	Excluded Contacts. Contacts are marked as 'Excluded' where deemed not necessary to attempt them. This might happen if the person is disabled from receiving alerts, or has already been contacted as part of another team, or there was another recipient with the same mobile number who has already been contacted. Recipients are also Excluded if they are part of a team whose Primary/Secondary user has already been reached. Excluded contacts are marked clearly on the report, to allow administrators to understand why certain people were not contacted.
	In-Team Prioritisation. When contacting a team of people, if that team has a designated Primary user, that person will be contacted first, and given until the acknowledgement timeout to respond, before moving on to the Secondary user (if specified) with the same timeout limit, then finally to the rest of the users in the team. The idea is that users in a team are only contacted if their managers cannot be reached. This feature is optional, and you can have teams without Primary or Secondary users, in which case everyone in the team is given equal priority. For maximum contactability, it is recommended that Primary and Secondary users are not set.
	Email Attachments. With Email alerts, it is possible to attach any file to be sent out with the alert message (PDF doc, GIF image, etc). Typically this might be an emergency protocol document, a map of directions, or some other information that helps the recipient deal with the emergency situation to which the alert applies.

Reporting and Monitoring

These features allow monitoring and review of current and historical alert results.

	Live Monitoring. When running an alert, the results can be viewed in real time, on screen, for the first 10 contacts in the list. The summary totals (how many contacted, failed, etc) are also shown in real time on the monitor page.
	Search within results. It is possible to search within the on-screen live monitor page, by typing in all or part of a user's name into the search box at the top of the screen. This will filter the on-screen results to those which match the entered text.
	Detailed Report. The complete set of results for an alert are included in a detailed report, accessible during or after the alert session by clicking a button on the web page, or a link in the email report.The detailed report can be opened at any time during or after the alert, but the detailed report does not automatically refresh. Reportable data goes back 6 months. (Requests for older reports are to be handled as support requests). The alert report is currently automatically emailed to the address specified in the scenario, upon completion of the alert. The email contains a brief summary of totals (plain text), and a link which can be clicked on to open up the detailed report (reporting services browser window).
	Export Detailed Report. Detailed reports are viewed in the web browser, and can be exported to XML, CSV, TIFF, PDF, HTML, or Excel formats from within the browser window.

Standard Detailed Report

The standard detailed report is a per-contact report of the completed alert session, with collapsable/expandable branches per team.

CLICK TO VIEW ALERT SCREENSHOTS

Optional Extras

Optional features that are configurable by Support upon request:

These features can be enabled/disabled by Support upon request.

	Colour Filter. Filter on-screen results by colour (Red/Amber/Green) - for example to show only the successful contacts (Green), or just the errors (Red).
	Telephone interface. Allow starting an alert by telephone. This optional feature is described in the user guide.
	On-screen confirmations. The safety prompts (e.g. "Are you sure you want to start this alert?") can be enabled/disabled on a per-user basis.
	Per-Person vs. Per-Contact monitoring. The on-screen monitoring can be switched from 'Per Person' to 'Per Contact' style.
	PIN entry. The users' PIN can be entered on the User Details web page.
	User Notes. Notes can be entered on the User Details page. These notes will not be visible anywhere else, unless included in a customized report.
	Team Membership on User Details. The user details page can include tick boxes for the teams, allowing choice of team membership by ticking/unticking the teams shown.

Optional features that require development time upon request:

These features require bespoke development and/or specification before being provided.

	Bespoke reports. Customised alert reports can be produced to suit specific customer requirements. These would be in addition to the detailed alert contact report currently produced.
	Historic reports. The standard package is limited to reports of data up to 6 months old, however older reports can be supplied if required.
	Customer branded icons and logos Can be used for the web interface, in place of the standard graphics.

Supportable API functions (part of .Net web service) for developers:

These functions are accessible through a .Net web service, allowing 3rd party developers to access basic Alert functionality from within their own applications. The following functions are supported by the API documentation and X-on developers.

	Start an alert. Execute a scenario which has been set up using the web interface.
	Retrieve results of an alert. List the results of an alert session that has been executed.