Voice Braodcast - Setup

Overview

Voice Broadcast is one of several notification methods available in the SafeZone platform. It can be used on its own or alongside other notification channels including Push Notifications, SMS, Email and Web Feed messages, allowing organisations to communicate with recipients through multiple channels from a single notification.

Voice Broadcast actively attracts a recipient's attention by placing an automated phone call and playing a spoken version of the notification. Unlike a Push Notification or SMS, the recipient's phone continues to ring until the call is answered, rejected or diverted to voicemail, making Voice Broadcast particularly effective for high-priority communications.

Because voice calls are more intrusive than many other notification methods, they are generally best suited to urgent or critical communications where gaining immediate attention is more important than minimising disruption.

Voice Broadcast can be especially effective for smaller, well-defined groups such as emergency management teams, executives and operational response teams. These audiences are more likely to recognise the calling number, answer promptly and configure their phones to allow calls from that number.

Voice Broadcast can also improve accessibility for recipients who are blind or have low vision, as the notification is delivered as spoken audio rather than requiring the recipient to read text from a screen.

Voice Broadcast is available as an optional licensed add-on. Where supported, your organisation is assigned a dedicated local telephone number which is used for all outbound voice broadcasts. Using the same calling number for each broadcast helps recipients recognise future calls and can improve answer rates over time.

CriticalArc proactively monitors the reputation of Voice Broadcast numbers to maximise successful call delivery and reduce the likelihood of calls being identified as spam by telecommunications providers.

Voice Broadcast messages can be pre-built into Notification Templates, edited from an existing template, or sent ad hoc using the Notify - New Blank Message feature.

You will need appropriate permissions to create, edit or send Voice Broadcast messages. See the Access Control guide for more information.

Configuring Voice Broadcast

Whether you are creating a new blank message, editing an existing template, or sending a template, the Voice Broadcast configuration options are the same.

1. Select Send voice messages to enable Voice Broadcast as a delivery channel for the notification.

2. Set the Loop Count.

   The Loop Count determines how many times the spoken message will be repeated during the call. The message can be played between 1 and 10 times.

   Repeating important information can improve recipient comprehension, particularly during stressful situations where instructions may not be fully understood the first time. Increasing the Loop Count also extends the overall call duration, which helps support call reputation with telecommunications providers.

3. Confirm that Leave Voice Mail is enabled.

   Leave Voice Mail is enabled by default. When a call is unanswered, SafeZone attempts to leave the notification as a voicemail where supported by the recipient's carrier or voicemail service.

   Leaving a voicemail gives recipients another opportunity to receive the information if they miss the initial call and also helps support call reputation.

4. Compose the Voice Message.

   Enter the text that will be converted into spoken audio and played to the recipient during the call.

   The editor displays both the remaining character count and the approximate word count for the message.

   To support reliable call delivery and maintain call reputation, Voice Broadcast enforces a minimum overall message length based on word count. If the message is too short, increase the Loop Count or add further information until the required minimum is reached.

Voice Broadcast Best Practices

• Reserve Voice Broadcast for urgent or high-priority communications where immediate attention is required.
• Consider using Voice Broadcast for emergency management teams, executives and operational response groups where recipients are more likely to answer promptly.
• Encourage recipients to save the assigned Voice Broadcast number in their phone contacts so future calls are easier to recognise.
• Use a Loop Count of two or more where appropriate to reinforce important instructions and increase the overall call duration.
• Keep Leave Voice Mail enabled so recipients who miss the call can still receive the message.
• Write messages in clear, plain language and place the most important information near the beginning.
• Avoid unnecessary abbreviations, symbols or formatting that may not be read naturally by text-to-speech.