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| Industry Pricing Information |
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So how much does it cost to buy a
system? |
| Well, Fleetwood's list price on
the standard
Reply system is $179.00 per keypad, and $1450.00 per interface (at
the time of this update - July 10, 2005). You need one interface for
each 250 keypads. So, using an example of a 100 pad system, the hardware
would be
$19,350.
You then need software ($3,000 average) training ($1,500 in travel expense) and probably
need to cover shipping ($150). |
| So that puts the whole
bundle at about $24,000 for a 100 pad system, clearly a worthwhile investment. For smaller
and larger sizes just add and subtract keypads at $179 each. You should also check
out
Our
USA Favorites and
Our European
Favorites pages to find the right vendor for you. |
| Note:
Infrared technology may be in option if your meetings are always very small.
These systems are very low cost but have strict limitations. That
said, they are still very effect for applications such as focus group work,
strategic planning, and as
student response systems. |
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| How about renting? |
| We'll start with an
industry average list price for smaller meetings of $20 per pad, and $130 per interface per day.
So, you have $2,130 in equipment for one day (same 100 pad system) plus you
need a technician to set it up and run it. Figure about $1250 for a
one day meeting for the tech. Some Audience Response companies charge for show day only. Others
charge for show day plus the travel/set day. And still others charge
overtime on any day more than 10 hours. Either way, it should all
shake out about the same. |
| In addition to the
$3380 above, you'll have travel and lodging expense for the technician
($1500 average) and round trip shipping costs ($300). That puts you at
about $5,180 for a one day meeting. |
| Additional days are typically 70% of the equipment
rate and full price on the technician daily rate. In this example, a second day
would be about $2,300. If you're comparing rental versus purchase, the rule of
thumb is that 8 or 9 rentals is your break-even. |
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| Tips on hiring a Rental Service
Provider |
| First and foremost, hire a company
with lots of interactive meeting experience. You should ask for a written price
quote. The quote should be clear, detailed, and specific. If
back-up equipment (interfaces & computers) are not clearly shown, ask for a
new quote with details. Don't accept descriptions like '1 backup
package - $1100.00'. Find out what's in it. Also, your price quote should include an estimate
of shipping expense and travel expense for technicians. |
| Be aware of contracts. In
particular, read cancellation clauses carefully. If the vendor does
not require a signed contract (a practice we prefer) find out what the
cancellation policy is, and ask for it in writing. Some vendors
require payment in full regardless of when, or why, you might cancel. |
| Last,
find out who within the vendor's organization you will be dealing with, once you place the order.
You should expect to deal with a rental services manager, or project manager.
This person works out all of the logistics and is responsible for
getting people and equipment to your meeting. If you are told that
your salesperson is also the project manager, you may want to look
elsewhere. |
| Oh yes, and if this is a large
rental ($10,000 U.S. and higher) you should speak with the President or a
Vice President. Let these people now how important your project is,
and ask them to "ride herd". If you can't get through to one of them,
or they don't seem willing to get personally involved in your project, you
should probably continue your search. |
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What Are The Issues of
Ownership? |
| First off, we believe that every company
should own two or more Audience Response systems. They should be part of every
presentation, and every training session. What you'll need is someone who will be
responsible for keeping the hardware in good working order, and training for the people
who will use it. |
| We strongly suggest that you
keep the system out of the hands of people with poor computing skills. This is a
very powerful tool that may ultimately provide data for guiding your business,
and simple errors like 'overwriting a data file' can be catastrophic. |
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