Hotline

The emergency crisis phone at Niagara Falls.

Commonly, a hotline is a telephone service, which offers specialized information. This information can be about how to deal with certain situations, but it can also be about the products of a company. The term originally came from a telephone which would automatically dial a pre-set number, once the receiver is lifted. Such telephones can still be found alongside highways, where they serve to call for help. Today, very often, hotlines are operated by call-centers.