What is an information hotline?

An information hotline is a dedicated toll-free or local phone number that automatically plays a prerecorded message.

How do I create an information hotline?

Order a toll-free or local phone number. If your hotline callers are nationwide, you may want to offer a toll-free number.

Can I update my hotline message?

The account owner can log in and change a hotline message any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Upload an audio file or record a new message by phone.

What is a phone extension?

A phone extension can be assigned to a prerecorded message, allowing callers to hear product information, announcements, FAQs, or other recorded information without speaking to a live representative.

How long can my recorded message be?

Each extension can play a recorded message up to 30 minutes long. Multiple extensions can each have their own recording.

Can I choose a toll-free or local phone number?

Yes. You can choose either a toll-free or local phone number based on your business needs. Both options support your information hotline.

Will I have an online account portal?

Yes. Your account portal allows you to upload or record announcements, edit settings, and manage your hotline at any time.

Can callers leave voicemail?

Yes. You can enable voicemail so callers can leave questions, comments, or requests after hearing your recorded message. Voicemail can also be disabled.

What are information hotlines used for?

Information hotlines provide recorded information 24 hours a day for products, services, FAQs, events, emergency notifications, employee communications, and marketing campaigns.

Can the hotline handle many callers?

Yes. Information hotlines are designed to accommodate multiple simultaneous callers, allowing many people to hear the same recorded message at the same time.

What are included monthly minutes?

Included monthly minutes are the total number of calling minutes included with your service plan each month. Every minute that callers spend listening to your recordings counts toward your monthly allowance.

Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?

Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your service plan as your business needs change.

Will I have access to information about call activity?

Yes. Your online account portal provides call history including date, time, duration, caller ID when available, and the extension or recording each caller accessed.

Create an Information Hotline | Toll-Free & Local Phone Numbers

Set up your hotline.

It's easy. Follow these steps:

📞 1. Activate an account and Try It Out

Reserve your choice of a toll-free or local phone number that fits the location where you expect your calls to come from. If your hotline audience is nationwide, you may want to offer your hotline callers a toll-free number. If you expect most of your callers will be located in your city, choose a local number that matches your city's area code.

Open this form

On the upper right of the form, click a number category that matches your needs such as standard toll-free, true toll-free or local number.

The form will list available numbers from the database. (there may be some loading time)

Then choose a plan that fits your project: either

Starter
Basic
Pro
Premier

Simply submit the form to activate your free trial account.

🎙️ 2. Record or upload your hotline message

When your account is activated, login:

– Upload an existing MP3 or WAV file (up to 30 minutes long), or

– Optionally, record the hotline message using your phone.

📣 3. Promote your hotline

Promote your hotline phone number on your website, radio, TV, print ads, email, SMS, social media, anywhere.

🎉 Enjoy Your Free Trial!

Frequently Asked Questions About Creating an Information Hotline

What is an information hotline?: An information hotline is a dedicated toll-free or local phone number that automatically plays a prerecorded message.
How do I create an information hotline?: Order a toll-free or local phone number. If your hotline callers are nationwide, you may want to offer your hotline callers a toll-free number.
Can I update my hotline message?: The account owner can login and change a hotline message any time 24/7. Upload an audio file or record a new message by phone.
What is an extension?: An extension number can be assigned to a prerecorded message, allowing callers to hear product information, announcements, FAQs, or other recorded information without speaking to a live representative. Example; to learn about loan rates, press #102
How long can my recorded message be?: Each extension can play a recorded message of up to 30 minutes in length. For example, the Starter Plan includes 3 extensions, allowing you to create separate recordings for different purposes. You might use Extension 1 for your main greeting or menu, Extension 2 for a 25-minute product or service presentation, and Extension 3 for a 30-minute new product announcement. Use as many extensions as you need, with each supporting a recording of up to 30 minutes. Many customers begin with one or two active extensions and add additional recorded messages to their remaining extensions as their needs grow.
Can I choose a toll-free or local number?: Yes. You can choose either a toll-free or local phone number based on your business needs. Toll-free numbers help establish a nationwide presence and allow customers to call without long-distance charges (where applicable), while local numbers help create a presence within a specific city or region. Both options can be used with your information hotline and provide callers with 24/7 access to your recorded messages.
Will I have an online account portal?: Yes. Your account portal is provided upon account activation. It enables the customer to edit, modify preferences and upload or record announcements any time 24/7.
Can callers leave voicemail?: Yes. You can enable voicemail so callers can leave questions, comments, or requests after listening to your recorded message. If you prefer an information-only hotline, voicemail can be disabled so callers simply hear your announcement and then disconnect.
What are information hotlines used for?: Information hotlines provide callers with instant access to recorded information 24/7. Businesses and organizations use them to answer frequently asked questions, share product information, announce events, provide emergency notifications, communicate with employees, promote marketing campaigns, and deliver timely updates without requiring live staff to answer every call.
Can the hotline handle many callers?: Yes. Information hotlines are designed to accommodate multiple simultaneous callers, making it easy to deliver the same recorded message to many people at once. This is especially useful during promotions, special events, emergency notifications, and other periods of increased call activity.
What are included monthly minutes?: Free plan minutes are the total number of minutes included with your service plan each month at no additional charge. Every minute that callers spend listening to your recorded message counts toward your monthly allowance. If your usage exceeds the included minutes, additional usage may be billed according to your service plan. View the included minutes for each of the four plans offered on the sign up form.
Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?: Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your service plan as your business needs change. This flexibility makes it easy to choose the plan that best matches your expected call volume and feature requirements.
Will I have access to information about call activity?: Yes. When you log into your account you can view a listing of all calls by date, what message or extension was listened to, time of day, call duration, what the caller ID of the caller was even if it was blocked.

📞 Your 24/7 Hotline Solution

✨ Deliver your message anytime, anywhere — no missed calls, no busy signals.

Change your message instantly and keep your caller engaged!

🚀 Why Use a Hotline?

✔️ Market your product or service 24/7

✔️ Answer FAQs instantly

✔️ Give instructions once — save time & resources

✔️ Boost sales & conversions

🎯 Perfect for Any Project

Whether you need it for a short campaign or want it running for years to come, our hotline numbers are:

✅ Easy to use

💲 Affordable

⭐ Packed with features

☎️ Pick Your Number

📍 Local Numbers – Build trust with a local presence (e.g., South Carolina callers get a SC number).

🌐 Toll-Free Numbers – Ideal for U.S. & Canada-wide reach (800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, etc.).

📞 Your announcement plays instantly when someone calls.

🛠️ Easy Setup — No Phone System Needed

✔️ We handle the incoming calls

✔️ Plays your custom announcement

✔️ Add voicemail or forward calls to your teams direct phone number

📢 Promote Your Hotline

Get the word out through:

📧 Email blasts

📱 Social media

📰 Press releases

🎯 Advertising campaigns

✅ Test & Launch in Minutes

🔍 Call your number, test scripts & voicemail, make tweaks.

🚀 Once satisfied, launch and start connecting instantly!

💪 Scalable. Reliable. Guaranteed.

Every caller gets through — up to 1,000 calls at once.

❌ No busy signals

⚡ No interruptions

📶 Always available

🌟 Start Your Hotline Today!

Simple. Affordable. Always on.

📞 Your audience is waiting.

Call and Listen free to this Demo Line: 1-800-704-1309
Scenario – Widgets International

Widgets International is a small but growing business located in California; they have 3 employees spread out at various locations. Mary handles all Customer Service calls for the company from their office in California. Two of the employees actually live in two different states. Bob handles Sales from his home office in Texas and John handles Technical Support for the company from his office in New York.

Widgets International wanted one central number its customers and prospects could call to receive whatever support they needed. Rather than having multiple phone numbers for each department, Widgets International uses Unlimited Voicemail Plan. When callers call Widgets International the call is forwarded to the person handling that department regardless of where they are located.

Calls being transferred from one department to another are so seamless that the caller feels that they are being transferred to the next cubicle, not to a person or department in another state!

Script – Widgets International

Main Greeting: “Thank you for calling Widgets International. If you know your party’s extension please enter it now. To learn more about our products and services press 1. For Sales press 2. For Customer Service press 3. For Technical Support press 4. For a Dial-By-Name directory press 411. For all other requests press 0 for an Operator.”

Extension 0 – Operator: This extension forwards to a designated person at the main office.

Extension 1 – Products and Services Description: Products and Services Description: This extension contains a 10 minute description of the Widget International products and services. At the conclusion of the description, callers are prompted to enter extension 2 for Sales. This automates the close of the sale! Bob in Sales is standing by, ready to take the order.

Extension 2 – Sales/Bob: “Hello, this is Bob, thank you for calling the Widgets International Sales department. You may press 0 now to speak to me, # to leave a message or if you have a Fax order ready to go simply press the start or send button on your fax machine now.” (Bob can also turn the ‘greeting first’ option off so that Unlimited Voicemail Plan dials him instantly instead of playing his greeting once his extension is dialed.)

Extension 3 – Customer Service/Mary: Mary’s line rings directly to her phone number(s) of choice. If she is unable to take the call, the caller will hear her recorded voice. “You have reached the Customer Service Department, I apologize we are unable to take your call personally at this time. Please leave your full name, account number, phone number and the best time to call you and we will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you for choosing Widgets International!”

Extension 4 – Technical Support/John: John’s line also rings directly to his phone number(s) of choice. If he is unable to take the call, the caller will hear his recorded voice. “You have reached John in the Technical Support Department. I am either on the other line or it is after normal business hours. Please leave your full name, account number, phone number, as well as the best time to call you and we will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you for choosing Widgets International!”

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Prerecorded hotlines are often used to provide information about a particular service or product, or to give instructions or information about a specific event or situation.

To use a prerecorded hotline effectively, it is important to ensure that the recorded message is clear and easy to understand. The message should provide all of the necessary information that the caller needs, and it should be organized in a logical and easy-to-follow manner.

In addition to providing prerecorded information, many hotlines also offer the option for callers to speak with a live operator or to leave a message for a representative to call them back. This can be useful for callers who have specific questions or concerns that are not addressed in the prerecorded message.

It is also important for the hotline to have clear procedures in place for handling calls and for providing assistance to callers, whether through the prerecorded message or through live operators. This can help to ensure that callers receive the information and assistance they need in a timely and efficient manner.

Cost-efficient: Pre-recorded audio presentations using toll-free numbers eliminate the need for live operators, resulting in significant cost savings for your business.

Cost free call: Toll-free numbers allow customers to access your pre-recorded audio presentations at any time without hesitation.

Increased effectiveness: Pre-recorded audio presentations allow you to provide consistent, accurate information to customers, which can help to improve customer satisfaction and reduce the number of calls to your customer service team.

Customization: Pre-recorded audio presentations can be tailored to specific customer segments or situations, allowing you to deliver targeted messages to different groups of customers.

Scalability: Pre-recorded audio presentations can be used to handle a high volume of calls simultaneously, making them an effective solution for businesses experiencing rapid growth.

Q&A Sessions: Pre-recorded audio presentations can be set up to collect consenting data from callers, which can be used to analyse customer interactions and improve your business's marketing and sales lead efforts.

Hotline use for promotion and marketing:

Product information: Hotlines can be set up to provide detailed information about products, features, pricing, and availability to potential customers.

Promotional offers: Hotlines can be used to deliver exclusive promotional offers, discounts, and rewards to customers who call in.

Feedback collection: Hotlines can serve as a channel for customers to provide feedback, suggestions, or complaints, helping businesses improve their products and services.

Pre-sales inquiries: Hotlines can assist potential customers by addressing their questions and concerns before making a purchase, thus boosting sales.

By placing hotline phone numbers on websites, businesses make it convenient for callers to get the information they require without leaving a voice mail message or waiting for an operator. This allows for faster response times and enhances customer satisfaction.

Determine Hotline Objectives

Identify the primary objective of the hotline: such as providing customer support, disseminating information, handling emergencies, or marketing products.

Choose the hotline type: Decide whether it will be a dedicated phone line, a toll-free number, or a virtual hotline that can be accessed through various channels like phone, email, or live chat.

Develop scripts and FAQs: Prepare scripts and frequently asked questions (FAQs) documents to provide consistent and accurate information to callers.

Industries using information hotlines

Healthcare: Hospitals, clinics, and health insurance providers often use hotlines to provide medical advice, schedule appointments, or handle emergencies.

Financial services: Banks, credit card companies, and investment firms utilize hotlines for customer support, fraud reporting, and account management.

Consumer goods: Companies in the consumer goods industry use hotlines for customer inquiries, product recalls, and feedback collection.

Travel and hospitality: Airlines, hotels, and travel agencies employ hotlines for booking assistance, travel updates, and customer complaints.

Government and public services: Government agencies set up hotlines for citizen inquiries, emergency management, and reporting specific incidents.

Companies using hotlines

Apple: Apple operates a customer support hotline to assist customers with technical issues, product information, and service requests.
Phone Number (U.S.): (1-800-692-7753)

Amazon: Amazon has a customer service hotline for handling inquiries about orders, refunds, and general assistance.
Phone Number (U.S.): 1-888-280-4331.

Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola has a hotline dedicated to answering questions about their products, promotions, and sponsorship opportunities.
Phone Number (U.S.): 1-800-GET-COKE (1-800-438-2653)

Microsoft: Microsoft operates a hotline for technical support, software licensing, and product information.
Phone Number (U.S.): (1-800-642-7676)

American Red Cross: The American Red Cross uses hotlines for disaster response, blood donation inquiries, and emergency assistance.
Phone Number (U.S.): (1-800-733-2767)

Create an Information Hotline

Frequently Asked Questions About Creating an Information Hotline

Benefits of pre-recorded audio presentations with dedicated hotline number

Determine Hotline Objectives

Industries using information hotlines

Companies using hotlines

Company Greeting

Informational

Pharmaceutical