| What kind of phones can access a Museum411
system?
The system is designed to work on any touch-tone wireless or landline phone
regardless of service provider or plan. Advanced options such as text message
reminders and calendar updates require phones with text messaging capabilities. return
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What
about visitors without cell phones?
The demographic of most museum visitors closely matches
the demographic of those who own cell phones. One of the primary
advantages of Museum411 is that museums no longer need to manage
interpretive hardware or provide visitors with technical support.
While it is possible for museums to check out wireless phones to
visitors who do not have a cell phone, we encourage our client to
carefully consider the additional internal support this requires.
Remember, visitors without cell phones will still be able to read
didactic material, have a docent-guided tour, and all the other options
for access to information that are available at most museums and
gardens. We recommend that cell phone tours make up just one component
of an overall interpretive plan. Museums can also consider making
the audio tour information available through their Web site. return
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What
if cell phone coverage is limited in the museum?
Many buildings have areas with limited or no cell phone
coverage. These "deadzones" can be overcome with the installation
of devices called signal repeaters that boost and redirect cell phone
services throughout a building. return to top
Don't
we want to discourage cell phone use in the galleries?
Yes, most museums do discourage visitors from making or
taking personal calls in the galleries. Museum441 provides an opportunity
to clearly express such a policy and to ask visitors to turn off
their phone's ringtone when they first call into the program (Caller
ID information can be used so the visitor will only hear such a message
the first time they call in). So – people will be using their
cell phones to access content they listen to, not talking on them
- a big difference. return to top
What
equipment does the museum need to buy?
There is no one answer to this question, it depends on what
kind of system or plan best fits your situation. Small museums may
choose to adopt a hosted system where the Museum411 equipment is
installed and maintained externally through a "hosted" solution.
Other museums may wish to lease or buy the system and install it
internally, eliminating hosting costs and providing opportunities
for local administration. Museum411 offers a wide range of solutions
and will help design the one that best fits your needs and budget. return
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Why
cell phones rather than handhelds, iPods, PDAs?
Museum411 strongly believes that it is in an organization's
best interest to produce and provide media-based interpretive programming
as ubiquitously as possible, using standards that allow programming
to be simultaneously delivered to as many devices as possible. Because
of this we provide counterpart program delivery options for pod-casting
and browser-based access.
Cell phones are currently the most ubiquitous
and standardized piece of hardware carried by museum visitors. While
handheld computers, PDAs and audio players continue to change and
should not be ignored, we believe that cell phone technology will
become the future foundation for much of the functionality now carried
by
these various devices. Programming the cell phone as today's delivery
device prepares the museum for the future. return
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Are
there specific areas where the system works?
Visitors can access your content 7 x 24 x 365 anywhere they
have phone coverage . Museums with off-site programming, sculpture
gardens, walking tours, even traveling exhibitions can use the same
system to provide programming for all of these venues. return
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Do
visitors have to pay to use the system?
This is up to you. Many museums find that providing cell
phone audio tours as a free service is actually the most cost effective
strategy, particularly when compared to the ongoing costs of supporting
traditional audio tour systems. If earned revenue is essential, a
secure transaction phone-based interface option is available. return
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What
about visitors using their cell plan minutes?
This is entirely dependent on each visitor's specific
phone plan. Most plans are free for evenings and weekends when
the majority of museum visits take place. At those times when calls
are not free, visitors can looked at it as paying for their audio
tour incrementally and on-demand, rather than a set price at the
front door. return to top
Can
we choose a custom 800 number?
Yes, in fact every Museum411 hosted account includes a custom
800 based number. Museum411 offers theses toll free numbers
primarily to improve visitor usability. In most cases the use of
a toll-free number will not have any effect on visitor's cell
phone charges since usage charges are typically determined by visitor's
cell phone provider's airtime fees. Most cell
plans
now include
free
roaming and since calling plans charge based on "airtime" rather
than the number called, a toll-free number will have no effect on
cost. return to top
What
type of technical support in required/available?
In most cases a Museum411 system will require little or no support or maintenance
after it is set-up and tested. Museum411 and its technical partner Plum Voice
provide a range of 24/7 support plans for hosted, leased and purchased systems. return
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Who
produces and updates the content?
You, us, anyone you want. Museum411 can produce original
audio content or use content produced by your institution or any
third party. You may even be able to reuse materials previously produced
for a traditional audio tour system. When it comes to adding or updating
material, the Museum411 system can be quickly updated by us, or it
can be customized to allow you to update and add your own material
via any web browser. return to top
How
much does the system/service cost?
This depends on the type of system and use.
For hosted solutions, the costs are for the initial design and setup and the
minutes the system is used per month. For leased and purchased systems, the
costs are the initial design and setup, the equipment purchase or monthly leasing
charge and a support plan. Museums installing such systems also need to have
enough incoming phone lines to service caller load. There are no per minute
or usage charges with these types of installations. Call or email us for an
estimate for your particular project. Keep in mind that producing audio content
is not included in the system costs. return to top
What
kinds of information can be accessed through this system?
Anything audio or text can be delivered through Museum411,
it's really up to you. Whether it's current exhibition information,
artist interviews, archival recordings or traditional interpretive
narratives, Museum 411 can deliver it in a well organized, menu-based,
tiered approach. Because Museum411 works with the VoiceXML standard,
the system can be designed to interface with a museum's existing
media and/or Web server for full internal system integration. Custom
applications can also utilize state-of-the-art text to speech technology
to dynamically read information from almost any database driven application
for up to the minute calendar information, etc. return
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Does
the system support the delivery of content in multiple languages?
All Museum411 applications have the capability of delivering
content in multiple languages. Language selection can
be done on both a program wide or stop by stop basis. Museum411 can
also provides content translation services as a part of any program
production package. return
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Can
the program and content be moved or reused?
Museum411 applications are built around non-proprietary,
open standards such as Voice XML, HTML and the MP3 and WAV file format.
This means that anything you develop can be reused or moved to any
other compatible system with little or no changes needed. return
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What
types of features and customization is available?
Because of its open architecture, Museum411 applications
can be customized to do almost anything you can imagine from collecting
survey data and providing gaming opportunities to functioning as
remote controls and entry devices for interactive installations.
Caller ID driven logic, secure financial transactions/purchasing,
text to speech, voice recognition, voice annotation, Web site integration
are just some examples of the tools you can work with. return
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Why
not use our existing voicemail system?
Some of Museum411's basic audio playback features are available
as add-ons to traditional PBX or VOIP phone systems, however most
of these systems have a limited capacity for expansion. Dedicated
Interactive Voice Response systems like Museum411 are much more cost
effective, scalable, customizable and feature-rich than those found
within most contemporary phone systems. return to
top
What
kind of usage statistics can we collect?
Individuals Caller ID information allows Museum411 to collect
a level of detail and repeat visit/use information not possible with
other types of tour systems. Variable data such as calls per day,
per stop, completed requests, and sequence data is captured and recorded
dynamically so museums can have up-to-the-second usage reporting.
Statistic collection and reporting can be customized to best fit
a museum's needs. return to top
How
are visitors made aware that the system exists?
Marketing is key to the success of any audio tour system,
particularly one like Museum411 that's available anytime, anywhere.
We work with each of our clients to get the most usage possible through
a wide range of signage, print materials, online marketing and take-away
items like plastic "calling cards". return
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More
questions?
If you have more questions and we're sure you must, please
give us a call at 612.423.9691 or email us at info@museum411.com. return
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