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| Touchcom
interactive directories provide visitors with a wealth of
information about the property in a highly graphical form.
They are
an effective tool for office buildings, retail malls, campuses,
medical centers and many more environments. Directories typically
list the property’s companies or organizational departments
and their staff. They can also serve many other needs. For
instance, they can list retail outlets and services by category.
They can display maps of the environment (including the neighborhood)
and target destinations. They can show news items and carry
advertisements. They can provide voice or intercom connections
to help connect visitors to their parties - called parties
can dial a code to open the door.
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Chrysler
Building, NY attract image (enlarge) |
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Touchcom directories are always up-to-date: their listings
are automatically derived from the security databases: a click
or two in an individual’s security record determines
whether the name is shown on the directory screens. There
is no need for a separate directory cable network nor for
the maintenance of a separate directory database.
The directory
components (typically a PC and a touch-monitor) can be accommodated
in several ways: they can
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Chrysler
Building, NY listings (enlarge) |
be installed in
attractive free-standing enclosures; they can be surface mounted or
recessed within a wall; they can be embedded in a lobby desk or mounted
countertop. The screen graphics and the enclosures can be purchased
as standard items, else Touchcom provides professional services for
custom design. 
Directory Features
 Custom
designed attract screens -A slideshow of images that
display when the station is idle. |
| Custom
look - Affects the overall colors, the control buttons,
the fonts and the listings backgrounds |
| Show
personnel listings -Tenant names are shown alphabetically
by last name. |
| Show
company listings - Tenant company (or department) names
are displayed alphabetically. |
| Show
a company’s key listings - Departments and key
personnel of each company are displayed in these views. |
| Show
retail listings - Retail & services outlets can
be categorized (restaurants, shopping, hotels, etc…) and
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displayed,
along with a description line. |
| Wayfinding
and Mapping - Shows a combination of site, current
location and destination maps in combination |
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to guide
directory users from their current location to their destination.
Blinking targets show the entrance & exit doors and the
elevators & escalators to be used to get to the destination.
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| Area
maps – Maps of the property’s public areas
and of the local neighborhood are displayed. Blinking targets
show |
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the user’s
current location and the location of a selected (touched) listing
on the appropriate map. |
| Voice
Prompts
- Provide vocal directions and map interpretations to the user
(three languages can be supported at |
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a time). |
| News
& Events - Information can be entered and displayed
in several formats (free style, bulleted, columnar). |
| Information
Screens - Used for such purposes as advertising or
showing the property’s leasing contact. |
| Advertisement
Screens - Single page graphic screens can be “attached”
to nearly any listing (Person, Company, |
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Retail
& Services or News & Events). |
Technical Features
| The
databases accept a practically unlimited number of listings
and images. |
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database management function can be effected via a locally-stored
program or via OneFacility, the national website |
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that
is maintained by Touchcom for its customers. |
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If the
local database management program is used, it is installed on
one or more of the Property’s Office PCs. Updates requested
by the tenants can be effected via a diskette that is carried
to the directory station(s), or via the office’s existing
local area network (preferred way). |
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If the
OneFacility website is used, the database management task
is done on-line: the Tenant Administrators are assigned log-in
credentials so they can add / modify / delete their own (and
only their own) records. They can also extract reports. This
relieves the Property Office from all coordination, transcription
and reporting tasks. However, the Property Office can maintain
an approval right over all Tenant work if it so desires.
Alternatively,
the Property Office can continue to receive requests from
its tenants in conventional ways and go on-line to transcribe
them to the databases. |
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Touchcom
offers a full set of services to create and install graphics
in the system. This includes the design of attract images, custom
looks and maps, and the creation of targets for the wayfinding
function. |
| All
listings & graphics can be managed by the client without
special skills. |
| The
software runs on entirely off-the-shelf name brand hardware
(MS-Windows 2000 Professional platform, Dell |
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Computers,
Samsung Monitors). |
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directory application is a standard program, not a custom multi-media
product. This has several benefits: |
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No
per feature charges – clients use those they want. |
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More
easily supported –hundreds of copies are in operation. |
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Improved
longevity - software is evolved professionally and upgrades
are made available to all clients. |
Support
Features
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The
product is a component of Touchcom’s building security
system – it is supported according to the exacting standards
of the security industry, not those of a multimedia company. |
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The Product
is supported via Touchcom’s centralized client call-in
facility. Remote diagnostics (via the Internet or via dial-up)
solve 70 % of the problems without local intervention. |
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Local interventions
are backed by a full set of spare parts and handled by local
technicians under the direction of Touchcom’s central
support staff. |
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On-line training
is available for all users by knowledgeable Touchcom support
staff. |
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