Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions
Hardware
Content Creation
Service
Financing

General FAQ

Ideally, each visitor to your site would be accompanied by a knowledgeable, friendly, personal guide. For most institutions this is neither practical, nor within their budgets.

While having a knowledgeable, personal guide for each visitor is ideal, it’s often impractical and beyond the budget of most institutions. An audio or multimedia tour provides a cost-effective, accessible alternative that enhances the visitor experience.
These interpretive solutions are available anytime a visitor arrives, allowing them to explore at their own pace and stay as long as they like. Audio and multimedia devices ensure that your messaging is accurate, informative, and aligned with your institution’s interpretive goals. They also eliminate concerns about inconsistent or unauthorized delivery of your information, maintaining the integrity of your content.

Getting started is simple! Call us at 800.216.0029 or email info@tourmate.com to request a Client Service representative to reach out. Our experienced team will help you define your messaging goals, identify your target audience, and explore delivery platforms and content creation options that align with your budget.

To find out who your regional representative is, visit our Contact Us page. Your representative will provide detailed information, answer any questions, and guide you through every step of the process to ensure a seamless experience.

Absolutely! We’re proud to have partnered with over 800 clients across North America and beyond. We can provide references tailored to your needs, including institutions with similar interpretive objectives, organizations of comparable size, those who have transitioned to Tour-Mate from other providers, or institutions in your geographic region. Simply reach out, and we’ll be happy to share references.

For a closer look at the work we’ve done, visit our Client Showcase page to explore some of our past projects. You can also contact us directly at 800.216.0029 or email info@tourmate.com for more information and personalized guidance.

There are many compelling reasons to partner with Tour-Mate for your interpretive needs:

  1. Exceptional Value
    We provide competitive pricing paired with the ‘gold standard’ in customer service. From the start of the acquisition process to years of ongoing support, you’ll be in good hands.
  2. Comprehensive Solutions
    Our wide range of products and services caters to diverse visitor needs, ensuring your interpretive goals are met effectively and inclusively.
  3. Proven Expertise
    With over 35 years of experience and hundreds of satisfied clients worldwide, we bring a wealth of knowledge and a strong track record to every project.

The honest answer is, “It depends.”

Creating a tour from scratch, where Tour-Mate’s production team collaborates with your institution to write and produce the tour, typically takes 3–4 months. However, several factors can influence the timeline, including:

  • The number of tours being created
  • The number of stops for each tour
  • The number of languages required
  • Production requirements and content creation goals
  • The type and quantity of delivery platforms (e.g., hardware or app-based systems)

In general, about half the time is spent on research and scriptwriting, while the other half covers production, equipment shipping, and installation.

If your institution is providing pre-written scripts, the timeline is significantly shorter. In such cases, the “time to go live” can be reduced to approximately 6–8 weeks. Similarly, if you already have a completed tour, we can expedite installation and delivery to meet your needs.

Absolutely!

Docents are a valuable resource, providing personalized and engaging tours. However, it’s not always practical to rely on docent-led tours for all visitors, especially considering group size and varying arrival times. If you have enough docents to handle all visitor traffic, we recommend considering one of our Group Guide systems. These systems ensure that docents’ voices are clearly heard by all participants, no matter the group size, and help reduce the risk of voice strain during extended tours.

Our audio systems work seamlessly alongside docent-led experiences, enhancing the overall visitor engagement while improving operational efficiency.

Hardware FAQ

In many cases, one platform can meet all of your institution’s interpretive needs. However, there are situations where using multiple platforms might be the best solution to achieve all of your goals.

For example, if your site caters to both free independent travelers and group visitors, combining an individual tour guide system with a group guide system could be the most effective approach.

Additionally, if your venue includes both controlled-access areas and open spaces without staffed entrances or exits, you may benefit from using one platform for the controlled areas and another for the open spaces.

Not sure which approach is right for you? Contact our Project Development Team through the Contact Us page. We’ll work with you to determine whether a single platform or a multi-platform solution will best meet your interpretive objectives.

Choosing the right platform(s) starts with clearly defining your objectives. Once you have a better understanding of what you want to achieve, our Project Development team will work closely with you to assess your needs and recommend the most suitable platform(s) that align with your goals and budget. Whether you require individual, group, or multi-platform solutions, we’ll guide you through the process to ensure that your interpretive experience is effective, efficient, and within budget.

Reach out to us to get started!

We offer several platforms specifically designed to support visitors with special needs. From our Listening Wand’s “talking keypad” to the multi-wheeled Eco-Box (ideal for individuals with limited hand strength), to multimedia platforms featuring scrolling text and American Sign Language, we have a range of solutions to address various accessibility needs. Our goal is to ensure that every visitor can fully enjoy the interpretive experience, regardless of their abilities.

Visit our Accessibility page to learn more about our options and how we can help meet your accessibility requirements.

For outdoor, remote settings with minimal maintenance needs, our Eco-line of products is an ideal solution. These environmentally friendly platforms run on solar or mechanical (hand crank) energy, meaning they don’t require external power sources to operate, making them perfect for open, uncontrolled areas.

If your outdoor location has strong network coverage, consider our smartphone application platforms. This option is becoming increasingly popular as it allows you to easily manage, update, and expand your tour content in real time, offering a flexible and modern approach to outdoor interpretation.

Unless your tour is fully embedded in your app (with no external links to YouTube, videos, etc.) and visitors have pre-loaded the tour onto their smartphones before arriving, you will need either cellular coverage (4G or 5G) or Wi-Fi.

If you have Wi-Fi throughout your facility, visitors can stream content to their phones on demand without using cellular data. For limited Wi-Fi coverage, visitors will either need to download the entire tour in a Wi-Fi zone (which can be time-consuming) or access the tour via cellular networks, provided you have good cell service.

If you opt for one of our Multimedia Guide systems, the tour content is fully embedded on the device, eliminating the need for Wi-Fi. For more details, visit our Multimedia page.

All of our platforms are versatile and can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings. For controlled-access locations (such as sites with staffed entrances and exits), platforms that require dispensing, like our handheld devices, are typically the easiest to manage operationally.

For uncontrolled or open-air venues, we recommend our fixed-mounted Eco-line products, which are ideal for outdoor, low-maintenance settings. Additionally, our smartphones applications or multimedia players are excellent options, allowing for flexible, on-demand access to content both indoors and outdoors. These platforms provide a seamless experience across a variety of environments.

For audio-only tours, our handheld SC600 Listening Wand system has been a proven solution in many venues, offering clear, high-quality sound for visitors.

If you want to include text, visuals, and video clips in addition to audio, our Multimedia Guides provide a compact yet durable platform to deliver a rich, engaging experience.

For group tours, the TM-600 system is an excellent choice, known for its reliability and ruggedness, ensuring smooth communication in group settings.

To ensure that the platform you choose aligns with your goals, reach out to our Project Development team. We’ll help you select the best solution for your needs.

Content Creation FAQ

The choice is entirely yours. You can create and produce your own content, work with a third party, or contract with Tour-Mate to handle all or part of the content creation process. We offer a range of services to support you, from scriptwriting and translation to production and recording.

To learn more about our content creation services, visit our Content Creation page.

At Tour-Mate, we believe that content should belong to the client. If you contract with us to create content, it will be treated as a “work for hire.” Once we receive full payment, the copyrights to the content will transfer to you.

In cases where content creation costs are included in a lease or revenue share agreement, ownership of the content will transfer to you once the initial term of the agreement is complete.

No, you are not required to use Tour-Mate for content creation. While we’re happy to collaborate with you to develop engaging, high-quality content, the choice is entirely yours. You are free to create your own content or work with a third party if you prefer.

Yes, you can choose a celebrity narrator for your tour. However, please note that talent fees for celebrities tend to be higher than for professional narrators whose voices are not as widely recognized. If you believe that a celebrity narrator will enhance your tour’s appeal, boost credibility, or generate significant publicity for your institution, the additional costs may be well worth it. We can help you assess if this option aligns with your goals and budget.

Yes, you can include multiple languages in your tour program. Our products are designed to store and deliver multilingual content, allowing you to offer a more inclusive experience for visitors who speak different languages.

Yes, you can! Including experts, staff members, or board members as narrators can enhance the credibility and authenticity of your tour. Their personal insights and connection to your institution can make the experience feel more intimate and engaging for visitors, adding a unique, personal touch to the content.

If you choose to work with Tour-Mate to create your content, our producers will collaborate with your team to understand the tone and mood you want to convey with your tour. Based on this, they will curate a shortlist of potential narrators whose voices best align with your vision. While we’ll offer recommendations, the final decision will always be yours, ensuring that the narrator chosen is the best fit for your tour and its objectives. After all, it’s your tour, and we want it to reflect your institution’s unique voice.

Music and sound effects can significantly elevate the visitor experience by creating an immersive atmosphere, setting the tone, or evoking a specific historical period. These elements add depth and emotional resonance to the narrative, making the tour more engaging and memorable. Our producers collaborate closely with your team to carefully select music and sound effects that complement the narration, align with your interpretive goals, and amplify the overall impact of your content.

Absolutely! We provide the necessary editing software, allowing you to easily update or modify your tour content, regardless of the platform you choose. Whether you prefer to make changes in-house, work with a third party, or involve us in the process, we give you the flexibility to keep your content fresh and aligned with your institution’s needs.

We offer flexible content creation options tailored to your needs. If you have the resources to write and produce content in-house, you can manage it independently. If you have the content written but need help with production, we can assist with that. If you require full content creation services, we can handle everything from start to finish. You decide how much or how little involvement you want from us, and we’ll support you accordingly.

Creating high-quality, engaging content takes time, especially when we take a collaborative approach. We value input from those closely connected to the attraction, which may extend the production timeline but results in a more authentic and impactful final product. Since every attraction has unique requirements, we will work with you to establish a customized content creation timeline that aligns with your schedule and ensures that your tour(s) go live as planned.

Service FAQ

No, enrollment in an extended service and maintenance program is entirely optional. While we recommend these programs for ongoing support and peace of mind, your hardware will still be covered under the standard warranty. If you choose not to enroll in an extended program, you will be automatically placed in our “As Needed” service program. Under this plan, service is provided only upon request and will be charged at our current service rates.

Institutions enrolled in our extended service and maintenance programs are guaranteed hardware support on a “fit, form, and function” basis for a minimum of five years. In practice, however, Tour-Mate often provides service well beyond this timeframe. Even when a product is discontinued, we ensure a substantial inventory of spare parts to support repairs for years to come. Many of our systems remain fully operational more than a decade after installation, demonstrating our commitment to long-term client support.

The standard turnaround time for equipment sent to one of our repair depots is 10 business days. This timeframe begins once we receive the malfunctioning equipment and ends when we ship it back to you.

The total time your equipment will be unavailable also depends on your chosen shipping method. Ground shipping can take up to five days each way, extending downtime, while express shipping reduces transit time but may incur higher costs. To minimize disruption, we recommend considering the fastest shipping option that aligns with your budget.

Effective communication is key to preventing service-related disruptions. If your visitor traffic is seasonal or peaks during specific times of the year, let us know so we can develop a plan that minimizes operational impact. For temporary or time-sensitive exhibitions, we can maintain a factory buffer stock to quickly replace any malfunctioning equipment through a “swap-out” process.

For on-site service and maintenance, we’ll work with you to schedule visits at the most convenient times—whether that’s specific seasons, days of the week, or times of day—ensuring minimal interference with your operations and visitor experience.

Finance FAQ

We offer a range of flexible options for acquiring platforms to meet your specific needs. For hardware-based systems, you can choose from outright purchase, leasing (including self-liquidating or term leases), rentals, or revenue-sharing arrangements (universal or voluntary distribution). Leasing plans can also be customized to account for seasonal variations in equipment requirements or payment schedules that align with your revenue cycle. For non-hardware solutions, such as smartphone and cellular-based systems, fees are determined by term length, system usage, and required services. Learn more about our financial options by visiting our Financing page.

We offer flexible solutions to meet your seasonal or peak visitation needs. For lease, rental, or revenue share arrangements, we can include provisions for varying amounts of equipment to accommodate your fluctuating requirements. If you’ve purchased hardware, you can supplement your existing system with temporary equipment rentals during high-demand periods. These options ensure your institution is well-equipped to handle visitor surges without committing to year-round resources.

Yes, we accept payments via Mastercard and Visa. Please be aware that a small administrative fee may apply to cover processing costs.

Yes, you can convert a rental or lease into a purchase. For rentals, we will apply a portion of the rental fees you’ve already paid toward the purchase price. If you’re looking to buy out a lease, the terms will depend on the remaining lease duration and the specific components included in the agreement (such as content or hardware).

Service costs depend on the platform you choose. Discounts are available for multi-year service agreements paid upfront. If pre-payment isn’t feasible, you can secure your annual service rate by committing to a non-cancellable annual fee. Contact a Client Service representative to explore the service options that best suit your needs.

Universal Distribution provides the tour to every visitor, while Voluntary Distribution allows visitors to choose whether they want to participate. The best model for your institution depends on factors like your visitor flow and operational needs. Our Project Development team can help you assess which distribution approach—universal or voluntary—aligns best with your goals and constraints.

There is no minimum duration. We offer flexible rental options, including rentals for as short as a few hours, tailored to meet your specific needs. Each rental agreement is customized to accommodate your requirements.

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