FAQs
How come your service is free?
Our income comes from local taxi operators, who pay a fee to be featured on the help points, in return for the business this brings them.
If you don’t want to feature a taxi operator on your help points, we also offer the option of paying for our service directly via a low monthly fee.
Do the Infopoint units need to connect to our switchboard?
No. We install a brand new phone line that is in our name. As well as taking care of installation and cabling, we cover all line rental and call charges. Our help points are powered by the phone line, so they don’t require mains power.
How do you get the new phone line to the required location and what help do you need from us?
Our telephone service provider (normally BT Openreach but we can also use Kingston Communications or whoever provides service in your area) installs the new phone line to the nearest frame room.
Once the new line is in place, we need your IT/Telecoms team/contractor to patch the line through your existing cabling infrastructure (wherever possible) to the comms/datapoint socket where the Infopoint is to be installed.
If any additional cabling is required, or if there isn’t a socket already in place, we contract with and pay for your existing approved cabling contractor to carry out this work. If you don’t have a preferred cabling company, we can use one of our national specialist cabling partners.
Is there any way of monitoring usage?
Yes. All Infopoint help points feature Self Monitoring and Reporting Technology (SMART). In addition to remote fault monitoring, this allows us to gather statistics on the number of calls made to each service and provide you with a comprehensive overview of the unit’s effectiveness.
How long does it take for the units to be installed?
Normally 8-10 weeks, but our record is 4 days!
Who chooses the services featured on the additional buttons?
You do. We’re happy to offer ideas and share best practice from similar organisations to yours. The services offered on the additional buttons can be changed or updated any time, at no cost.
How do I change the additional services featured on my help points?
If you want to change one of the services for an alternative, simply email us the artwork/logo/text for the new service and the phone number and let us know which service you’d like to replace. We will then send you a draft of the new artwork for your approval. Once approved, one of our service engineers will fit the new artwork into your help point and programme the new number into the unit’s memory.
What happens if one the featured services changes their phone number?
If you need to change the phone number of an existing service, all you need to do is advise us of the new number and we can reprogramme your help point remotely.
What if we already have taxi free phones?
If you already have a taxi free phone, we can upgrade your existing facilities with our help points. We will take care of all negotiations with your taxi provider or, if you prefer, help you to select a new one.
Infopoint help points are taxi free phones and much more besides. Smart, user-friendly and vandal-resistant, our help points provide a free phone link to a local taxi company plus additional buttons that will connect your customers to a range of other services and information providers completely free of charge.
To find out more about upgrading your taxi free phone, click here.
Our taxi free phones are covered by the same contract as our taxi account. Can we still have an Infopoint?
Yes. More and more organisations are separating these contracts for transparency. We will handle all necessary negotiations with the taxi operator in order to make this possible. Please call us on 01223 420020 to find out more.
We don’t really fit into any of your listed “sectors”. Can we still have an Infopoint?
Yes. In fact, our first healthcare provider came about from an enquiry from a hospital facilities manager who had seen a help point at his local shopping centre and the general manager of our first hotel site saw a unit in a nearby casino. Please get in touch so we can discuss your requirements.
Do we need to have a certain footfall?
No. Some of the best-used help points are in relatively low footfall locations.
We already have touch-screen information points in place. Is this a problem?
No. The Infopoint help point is a free telephone service. As such, it can often complement other types of information systems already in place.
Our old payphones are no longer commercially viable. Could we replace them with Infopoint help points?Our old payphones are no longer commercially viable. Could we replace them with Infopoint help points?
Yes. Feedback from site managers tells us that Infopoint help points definitely plug the ‘communications gap’ left by the removal of payphones. Also, the popular Infopoint 6 six-button unit has a slightly larger footprint (870mm x 280mm) than most standard payphones so it neatly conceals any unsightly holes left by the payphone.
Can we have any size of unit we want?
Yes, you can.
Who provides artwork and other display materials?
We provide everything that you will need, including artwork, backboards and signage. We can work from your files or produce artwork from scratch if you have nothing available.
How are the units fixed to the wall? Are they compatible with all wall types (stud walls, brick, granite etc.)?
Our help points are fixed to walls with appropriate fittings (including provision for stud, stone and granite type surfaces) using CE- and ETA-approved fixtures and components.
What happens if we want to refurbish the area in which the Infopoint is installed?
Just give us as much notice as possible (minimum 1 month) and we will move the Infopoint to a temporary location or to its new permanent location at no cost to you.
If space is an issue, we can also supply temporary GSM taxi phones while refurbishment is going on.
What if the unit is vandalised or stolen?
This is extremely rare as the units are extremely robust, do not contain cash and are normally installed in reasonably well supervised areas. However, in the event that this does occur, the equipment is covered by our insurance, removing you from any liability.
We’d like a demonstration of the equipment. How long will it take?
We would be happy to arrange a demonstration – simply call us on 01223 420020.
A demonstration will normally take 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the time required for Q&A.
Arranging a demonstration: Is any special equipment required?
No. Our representative will bring an actual unit to show you, along with everything else that’s needed.
Arranging a demonstration: Who else from our organisation should I invite?
Ideally, your colleagues involved in customer services or visitor/patient experience, estates/facilities management and telecoms.
We’d like one or more Infopoints – what happens next?
It normally takes 8-10 weeks for a help point to be installed. Once you have returned your completed application and agreement form with a list of the location(s) for your help point(s), here’s what typically happens next:
Weeks 1-3:
We approach local taxi providers for sponsorship
Weeks 4-5:
One of our engineers carries out the site surveys with you and/or someone from your estates department
You tell us what numbers you’d like on your additional buttonsWeeks 5-6:
We order the telephone line(s) for the help point(s)
Weeks 6-8
The telephone line(s), sockets and any cabling required for the help point(s) are installed
We install the help point(s), backboards and signage
We’d like one or more help points but only if there’s no cost to us. How/when can you let us know?
Return your completed application and agreement form with a list of the location(s) for your help point(s). We will let you know, normally within three weeks (before we order the units and the telephone line), whether we’ve been successful in finding a suitable local taxi operator to sponsor your unit. If we have, the service will be completely free to you and your customers.
We’d like a help point in a building we’re planning/in the process of building – can we sign up for one now?
Yes. While most of our installations are ‘retrofits’ within existing premises, an increasing number are in new builds.
Many of the site managers we work with plan the installation of Infopoints into the specification for their new buildings. We can help you pick a sensible location when you have your architect’s plans. Then all you have to do is arrange for your cabling contractors to fit a Cat5e socket in the chosen spot and our new telephone line can easily be patched through to the unit with no cables.
Do you have experience of installing units in LIFT, PFI or third party-owned premises?
Yes. We’ve installed hundreds of help points in LIFT/PFI/third party-owned sites so we can help to organise the extra necessary approvals for these buildings.
We normally request that a LIFT/PFI company representative be present at the site survey. We will also send you our LIFT/PFI pack at the relevant stage, containing risk assessments, method statements and other technical information normally required.
How is the taxi operator selected?
We normally tender the opportunity to all firms in the area. There are over 20 different selection criteria including fleet size, tariffs, age and type of vehicles, emissions, pick-up times, staff discounts. We also require the taxi operators to produce valid insurance and licensing documents. If you have a preferred provider, we can approach them first before any tender process is undertaken.
Our tender process is extremely thorough and designed to ensure that the taxi operator who will deliver the best standard of service is selected. We’ve learned that if taxi operators don’t perform, we have to replace them. We have over 14 years’ experience of dealing with taxi operators and managing their performance so we know what to look for. More often than not, the existing provider is selected, only now they’re managed, by us, under a strict Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Who is responsible for managing taxi operator performance and handling customer complaints?
We are. The chosen taxi provider signs up to a strict SLA. We manage their performance and handle any complaints.
If performance issues develop, we work with the taxi operator to try to resolve them. If problems can’t be resolved we can replace the taxi operator quickly, easily and without disruption.
What background checks do you carry out on the taxi provider?
We obtain and maintain up-to-date copies of their Taxi Operator’s Licence, issued by the local taxi licensing authority, and relevant insurance documents.