The AlertTraveler settings page serves as centralized hub for configuring site options like notifications, traveler eligibility, the app activation material, integrations, email customization, help request functionality and more. Customizing the options on this page offers admins flexibility to tailor their experience to their specific needs and institutional processes.

This article discusses the following topics: 

• Access and Permissions
• Notifications Tab
  • Admin Email and SMS Notifications
  • Email and SMS Threshold Settings
  • Subscription Settings
• Eligibility Tab
• Admin Tab
  • App Activation Material
  • Reply to Email
  • Send From Email
  • Institution Emergency Contact
  • Email Customization
  • Risk Rating Preference
  • Help Request Button
  • Assistance Reminders
  • Unit Administrators
  • Proximity Configuration
  • Detailed Itineraries

 

 

Access and Permissions

The settings for AlertTraveler® is accessed by navigating to AlertTraveler® > Settings.

In order to use this feature, the admin must have the following permission:

• AlertTraveler: Settings

Note: For optimal performance the admin should be in the AlertTraveler permission group, however this permission group provides unrestricted access to AlertTraveler data and settings, so exercise caution when adding users to this group. 

Notifications Tab

The following settings are found under the Notifications tab:

• Admin Email and SMS Notifications
• Email and SMS Threshold Settings
• Subscription Settings

Admin Email and SMS Notifications

This setting allows admins to configure notifications to be delivered to specified administrators:

New administrators are added using the Add New User field at the top of the section: Note: A user must be in the permission group entitled AlertTraveler in order to appear in the search field. 

Existing administrators are displayed with the following information:

• Admin User: Name of the added administrator
• Email Address: Email address associated with the admin's Terra Dotta profile.
• Via Email: Indicates if the user has opted into AlertTraveler email notifications. 
• SMS Number: SMS number entered in the AlertTraveler activation panel on the admin's home page:
  
  
  Note: If this field is blank for a user, verify they have added their SMS number to the AlertTraveler activation in their admin home, and have generated/saved their credentials. Then remove them from the Admin Notifications section/table and add them again. Their phone number should populate in the SMS column after this action is taken. 
• Via SMS: Indicates if the user has opted into AlertTraveler email notifications. 
• User Type: Indicates if the user is a Leader or an Admin. 
  Important Note: The "Leader" user type is a restrictive view. If a user has this user type, the admin will only have AlertTraveler access/notifications to users for whom they are designated as the Program Director (Study Abroad) or Group Leader (Travel Registry). 

Existing primary travel administrators will be denoted with an asterisk:

The notification preferences for an admin can be edited individually by clicking the edit pencil. This opens the "Notification Preferences" page for that admin, allowing you to set notifications unique to this person:

If a user is designated as a Primary Travel Officer here, they will not be able to establish location or program group notification preferences; they will receive alerts for all groups and locations. One person in your office must be designated as a Primary Travel Officer to ensure no alerts are missed inadvertently. Alert levels and categories can be established for email and SMS notifications independently. Please note that Primary Travel Officers cannot opt out of receiving help request notifications.

High-level administrators are also able to lock another admin's notification preferences by designated them as a "locked" admin. When an admin is locked, they are unable to edit their own notification preferences and instead must have their preferences edited by a high-level admin. This is as opposed to a "standard" admin who is able to edit their own preferences freely. This can be done to ensure that risk officers and group leaders don't inadvertently disable important notifications:

 

Email and SMS Threshold Settings  

These settings allow administrators to override travelers’ preferences, as set in the app, regarding what level of alerts generate email notifications to the traveler. This only affects alerts for subscriptions that are based on GPS or a Terra Dotta itinerary and not subscriptions that travelers opt into. For example, if a traveler sets the app so that they only want critical alert notifications by email for an itinerary-based subscription, and the admin sets the email threshold to “>=Warning,” that traveler will receive all warning- and critical-level alerts as well. You can also select specific categories of alert to include. These settings affect only email and SMS preferences and do not affect the user's preferences for push notifications:

 

Subscription Settings

Subscription settings allow an administrator to set the default subscription preference for new travelers. The preferences for existing subscriptions will not be changed, however the default for all new subscriptions will be set in accordance with the boxes checked in the Alert Notification and Email Notification columns:

 

 

Eligibility Tab

The eligibility tab contains the following sections: 

• AlertTraveler® Program Eligibility
• Scheduled Eligibility
• Tracking Control

Eligibility is a complex topic that is crucial for the success of Study Abroad sites that have the AlertTraveler® add-on. To learn more about AlertTraveler eligibility settings see AlertTraveler® + Study Abroad: Eligibility.

For Travel Registry sites that have the AlertTraveler® add-on, the eligibility tab is less consequential. Travel Registry admins will only need to configure the Tracking Control settings: 

Tracking Control: 

This setting determines the period of days before and after the itinerary that AlertTraveler® will track your traveler's GPS location:

 

When enabled, admins can use this setting to determine the duration before and after the itinerary dates that GPS details are updated in AlertTraveler®. The default setting is 1 day).

Tracking Control sends two emails: 

• The traveler will be sent an email prior to their departure, (however many days configured after the itinerary end date), encouraging them to download the AlertTraveler® App.
• The traveler will be sent an email upon returning home (however many days configured after the itinerary end date), notifying them that they will no longer receive automated alert notifications from the AlertTraveler® system for the related trip. The email appears as follows:

 

 

Admin Tab

The following settings are found in the Admin tab:

• App Activation Material
• Reply to Email
• Institution Emergency Contact
• Email Customization
• Risk Rating Preference
• Help Request Button
• Assistance Reminders
• Unit Administrators
• Proximity Configuration
• Detailed Itineraries

 

App Activation Material

This setting is only for Study Abroad clients. If enabled, this setting will add a material to AT-eligible applications that have reached the post-decision phase. The traveler can only complete this material by activating the traveler activating the AlertTraveler® app. To learn more about the app-activation material see our article entitled AlertTraveler® + Study Abroad: App Activation Material 

Reply to Email

An admin can use this field to set an email address that will be included in check-in request emails. If a traveler replies to the email, the response will go to the designated address.

 

Send From Email

To improve email deliverability, admins can specify a custom email address to replace the default “@alerttraveler.com” sender. 

To designate your custom sending address navigate to: AlertTraveler>Settings>Admin>Send from Email:

After entering the Send from Email, the admin should select Verify Email. Taking this action sends a verification link to the entered email. Once the verification link is clicked, the status on the settings page will update to Email Verified. 

Note: For emails to be delivered as expected, the sender domain/institution must have DKIM enabled. Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an important layer of sender verification. It is an email authentication method designed to detect email spoofing by providing a mechanism to allow receiving mail exchangers to check that incoming mail from a domain has been digitally signed by an authorized email server. If you would like to verify if your institution has DKIM enabled, please contact Terra Dotta Support.

 

Institution Emergency Contact

An Institution Emergency Contact phone number can be enabled and configured in this section. If enabled, you can enter the contact phone number in the field to the right then include the country code in the left field. A WYSIWYG editor is also provided that will allow you to add addition numbers and information you want to appear alongside the main emergency number. This information will be displayed on all "Contacts" screens of the AlertTraveler® app.

 

Email Customization

The Email Customization section is a global setting that allows you to add a header and/or a footer to all AlertTraveler® system-generated emails. Use the WYSIWYG editors to create and configure. Clicking on "Send me an Email Preview" sends a sample email to the logged in admin: 

See also: AlertTraveler® Notifications: Examples of Header and Footer Email Customization.

 

Risk Rating Preference

This setting allows you to choose which risk rating information is displayed to your travelers. U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Levels or your chosen intelligence provider (Security Exchange or Riskline) risk ratings are displayed in the in-app Country/City Intelligence view based on your choice.

Note: Other than this rating value, all Country/City Intelligence is from your chosen intelligence provider regardless of this setting.

 

Help Request Button

An admin can enable the AlertTraveler® app's "Help Request" button using this setting. The Help Request button will appear in the traveler's navigation menu of the AlertTraveler® App and can be used to initiate an immediate, proactive request for help independent of an alert or check-in request initiated by an admin. Traveler has the option to place a phone call to your institutional emergency contact number or send a message through the app. Once a request is initiated, the traveler can message back and forth with an admin. They will also have the option to review current and past Help Requests messages. Admin notifications of Help Request messages are based on your Admin Notification settings (configured in AlertTraveler® admin portal).

By default, all admins will be notified of any Help Requests received. To designate admins to receive notifications, search for the admin users in the "Select Admin to Notify" space. Once at least one admin is added to this list, only those who have been added will receive the initial Help Request notification.

 

Assistance Reminders

The Assistance Reminders setting allows you to designate an escalation administrator who will be notified if an assistance request does not receive a response from another administrator within a designated period of time.

 

Unit Administrators

This setting allows you to provide AlertTraveler® access to a certain subset of your faculty and staff. More information can be found in the AlertTraveler®: Unit Admin article.

 

Proximity Configuration

This setting allows you to notify travelers that an alert may impact them due to their proximity to an ongoing issue. The AlertTraveler®: Proximity article provides more information.

 

Detailed Itineraries

This setting is only for Study Abroad clients. If enabled, travelers are able to provide transportation and lodging details for program-based itineraries as well as create side trips with detailed transportation and lodging information.

Note: Enabling "Detailed Itineraries" will allow for travelers participating in any program, including programs that have been excluded from AlertTraveler®, to enter itinerary information that would become visible in Travel Registry systems.)