FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. I have a club and have found non-members using the facilities, what can I do?
A. The Metra access control system will stop this. You can use Metra's wristbands or cards and their integrated access control system to allow only those visitors with valid credentials in. The physical access control equipment can be car park barriers, door lock units or turnstiles.

Q. I don't like turnstiles but want to control access, how can I achieve this?
A. There are several ways of doing this. You could consider equipment such as optical turnstiles which don't have arms like the traditional units. They rely on beams of light to monitor visitors coming in to the club and will alert the staff if the member doesn't present a valid card to a reader. These optical turnstiles can be hidden and made unobtrusive. Another option is to have no access control in the reception area but to have Metra's door lock units on the internal doors such as those to the locker areas. A third option is to rely on Metra's locker system only. In this way if a visitor does not go to reception to pay for a wristband or card, they cannot lock their things in a locker.

Q. How can I stop visitors "hogging" or "personalising" lockers?
A. If you use a Metra exit device such as a turnstile it will stop the visitor leaving if they have left their locker locked. If you don't want to use a turnstile you could consider charging a deposit and then using the coin return machine coupled to a wristband "eater" to collect the wristband and give the deposit back. If they have left their locker locked the wristband eater will not accept the wristband. We have used this at a very busy leisure centre with excellent results.

Q. How does electronic locker control cut costs?
A. In many ways! With mechanical locks, keys get lost or broken, often in the lock barrel, which means changing the barrel as well as having a new key, so not only would you save on the material cost but on the cost of labour of doing this. With Metra's system there are no mechanical keys to get lost or broken, if a visitor loses their card or wristband you can encode a new one, and delete the old one from the system. In a mechanical system, if the master key is lost you are immediately faced with serious security implications. You will have to change all the locks/barrels. This of course can cost a serious amount! With Metra's system if the master card is lost you just present the next master card in the pack to all the readers and this will prevent the lost card being used.

Q. How can electronic locker control increase revenue?
A. When you think about it, your day spa or clubs revenue is dependent on how many lockers you have available for visitors, for instance if you have 100 lockers and 30 of them are out of use because of broken locks, lost keys or locker "hogging" your revenue is immediately cut by 30%. With Metra's system you don`t have to worry about this, you will get 100% efficiency out of your lockers.

Q. What happens with Metra's system if a visitors card or wristband is lost?
A. Just go into the software, go into "cancelled cards", enter the cards details and click on the "devices" button. The cancelled card details are then sent to the different devices connected to the PC and the cancelled card will not be able to be used.

Q. I have had break-ins to my lockers, what can I do?
A. Unfortunately this can happen to even the best of clubs, and when you consider the value of peoples belongings, not just cash and credit cards, but laptops, car keys and house keys, that are kept in a locker the consequences are serious. Fortunately there is a solution! Metra's electronic locker control will alert staff if there is a break-in happening. I was really impressed at the thought Metra put into this feature. Firstly the alarm system has been designed to be triggered if the door is being forced open, but the thief has not been successful at completely opening the door. Then if the door is completely opened the alarm carries on working.

Q. My spa is more popular than I had planned and I have had embarrassing moments when there hasn't been a locker available for a visitor.
A. Because Metra's locker system can give immediate locker occupancy information, the reception staff can easily see if there is going to be a locker available for an incoming visitor.

Q. I want to install the Metra system because I know it will save me money in the long term but I just don't have the capital available to do it now.
A. We can offer a leasing package, so you can pay for the system over a period of time but get the benefits immediately.

Q. My facility is growing and changing. How easy is it to add to Metra's system and to change the way I use it?
A. When Metra designed this system they knew that nothing stays the same! Facilities want to be adaptable to new market demands; they might start as a tennis club then want to add a spa! All of Metra`s products and systems can be reprogrammed, added to, and altered to take advantage of potential business.

Q. I have heard that some systems won't work if the PC crashes.
A. Metra's system has been designed to run off-line, in other words the PC is purely monitoring rather than controlling the system. If the PC crashes visitors will still be able to use the access control and the locker system, and so on. But you will not be able to encode new cards or wristbands until your PC is running again. Because of this we recommend that you have some pre-encoded wristbands /cards ready to be used.

Q. Is Metra's access control really powerful and flexible?
A. Yes! I havn't found any thing it cannot do! For example you could encode a wristband /card for a visitor to be able to come into you club every Tues morning between 0800 and 1200 and to always be able to use the fitness suite, but to only use the swimming pool for a maximum of three times a month.

Q. I have groups and families coming in to our swimming pool and want to be able to cater for them quickly and efficiently.
A. Metra's turnstiles allow one wristband to let in a pre-determined number of people, and to allow the same number of people out. Their locker system can also be set up to allow one wristband or card to operate more than one locker.

Q. How does Metra's locker system tell visitors which locker they have left their clothes in?
A. The visitors merely present their card to any reader and that will tell them their locker number - they then go to their correct locker controller to open their locker.

Q What after sales support and service do you give?
A. Metra's equipment comes with a one year warranty as standard. In that year we take care of any problems, looking after the cost of the replacement parts and the cost of labour. There are two help-lines open, one for normal working hours, and the other for out of hours use, but in addition we use Skype for free voice communication through the internet. Metra can also give remote assistance and their engineers can be on stand by at any time if, for example you are doing maintenance and want the reassurance of Metra's help in the middle of the night.

Q. What training do you give?
A. Depending on the size of the project we usually give two sessions of training. One at the time of commissioning and another after a few weeks when there has been some events to analyse. Additional training can also be given as required.

Q. I want to install the Metra system into my new club but I am concerned with the technical requirements, power supply, cabling and so on. Can you help with this?
A. We would work in conjunction with the consultants and contractors to advise on all aspects of the systems requirements.

Q. I have some lockers with mechanical locks, and I issue the keys to my members on an annual basis. The problem is when they leave the club they don`t return the key, and they loose their keys as well. Can I retrofit the Metra system?
A. In many cases this can be done with Metra's existing system, but they are developing a battery powered lock to make this even easier.

Q. I just want the advantages of electronic locker control without wristbands, encoders and so on? Do you have a solution?
A. Yes Metra's keypad locker control gives a simple alternative where visitors use their own selected PIN number to secure their locker.

Q. I want to use Metra's locker control but I don't know whose lockers to use? Can you help?
A. We do not have any exclusive arrangement with any locker manufacturer, but have a selection of locker manufacturers whose product is suitable for incorporation of Metra's system. In this way you can choose from laminate, timber or steel lockers in a variety of designs.

Q. I am using Technogym's equipment, which is fantastic! But I now want to introduce locker control into my club using their keys. Can this be done?
A. Yes, Metras locker system can use these.

Q. Can I charge my visitors for using Metra's lockers system?
A. Yes not only could you charge a coin for the visitor to use a locker, but it could be returned when the visitor leaves the locker vacant.

Q. Can visitors choose which locker they want to use?
A. Yes. Normally the Metra locker system is set up in "free mode" so the locker door is left open when the compartment is vacant. In this way a new visitor can quickly see which lockers are vacant and can go to a suitable locker.

Q. I want my clubs members to have their own locker on an annual basis. Can Metra's system be set up to handle this?
A. Yes. We can set up the lockers in "permanent" mode so the individual's card is dedicated to a particular locker.

Q. I am using a well known Membership software system, and now want to introduce electronic locker control. Can you help?
A. Metra's locker system can be adapted to use existing membership cards and tags.

Q. I want to make more money out of my club. Can you suggest ways of doing this?
A. By introducing Metra's cashless vending system visitors can leave their cash and credit cards in their locker and buy refreshments, sports gear and so on using the smart chip in their wristband or card.

Q. I don't like the idea of wristbands to operate Metra's system. What can you suggest?
A. The smart chip which Metra use can be embedded in a card, key fob, applied to a wristwatch, or similar item. Metra can use their vast experience in many different clubs and spas to advise on this.

Q. I am worried about the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the implications as far as access control is concerned. Can you give some advice please?
A. Metra's access control system can be adapted to suit the requirements of disabled visitors, for example it can be interfaced with disabled gates.

Q. If I put turnstiles in the reception area, what about fire escape routes?
A. You should consult your fire officer on this. Metra's turnstiles can be set up to go into free wheeling mode if the alarm is activated, but if the fire officer stipulates that the turnstiles should have drop down arms, Metra can supply drive units to interface with these.

Q. I have got existing turnstiles (push button operated) but want to install access control so the receptionist doesn't have to keep pressing the button to let visitors in.
A. This is simply the case of having Metra's drive units interfaced with your existing equipment.

Q. I like the Metra system and the idea of encoding the wristbands for different ticket types, but we get very busy at certain times of the day and I am not sure that we will be able to cope with the extra work.
A. There are several solutions to this, but firstly let me reassure you that to encode a wristband is very quick and easy to do, in fact it normally takes the visitor more time to find their money and pay you! But if you are concerned, you could encode batches of wristbands, lets say 20 at a time ready for immediate use, or of course you could invest in Metra's wristband dispenser; this lets the visitors select the ticket type they want, pay the money, and the machine will encode and dispense the wristband for them.

Q. Can the wristbands or cards be time limited?
A. Yes. You could for example time limit them for one day, so if a visitor uses the system on the Monday and returns the next day to use it, it will not work. By the way, we set it up like this at a leisure centre which was using coin return machines to collect the used wristbands, and to encourage visitors to return the bands they were able to do this at any time after their visit. In addition, at this site we configured their emergency pre-encode wristbands so that as soon as they were used in the locker system the clock would start ticking and they would not be able to use the wristband the next day.

Q. I am worried about the complexities of the system, but am interested to see whether it is going to be of benefit to me, what should I do?
A. Firstly someone from Silver Kite would visit you to understand your requirements and do a survey of the site. Then we would put forward a proposal costed out so you can see the cost/benefit relationship. Remember you can always start small and build on the system.

Q. I am very happy with my spa booking software but now want to install Metra's system to help me develop my business. How easy will this be?
A. Metra have their own software writers so they would liase with the booking software company to ensure that there is a seamless integration between the two applications. They are very used to doing this.

Q. What are the advantages of turnstiles?
A. I would sum them up as follows:- Supervision is not needed, you do not need a person checking tickets at a door. 100% control of visitors entering, no tailgating (two people going in at the same time). Not only can the access control check the date and time of the ticket but it can count how many times a person goes through, for example you may want to allow a visitor three sessions in a particular area, the turnstile will count exactly the number of times that the person goes into that area. Turnstiles can handle groups with one wristband - the turnstile recognises the wristband and then counts a pre-determined number of people going through. Because a turnstile can control exits as well as entrances it can deny exit if:-

The visitor has exceeded their allocated time period, so you can charge that visitor more.
If the visitor has borrowed an item and has not returned it, this eliminates wastage in this case.
If the visitor has left their locker locked, thereby making sure the lockers are not hogged.
The visitor has made purchases using Metra's cashless vending and needs to settle their bill.

Also because a turnstile is counting the number of visitors going out as well as in, it can give an immediate head count for that part of a facility. The turnstile can incorporate a wristband eater which will allow the visitor out and when swallowing the wristband will automatically wipe its memory so it can be used again.

Q. I want to give my visitors the very best service and loan items to them, usually towels. Unfortunately the towels are going missing, how can I prevent this?
A. If you use Metra's exit control it can be set up to prevent a visitor leaving if they have not returned a loaned item.

Q. I am a new club and want members to swipe in, but I do not have a lot of money, can Metra help?
A. Yes. Metra have included in their software a basic membership package which has a membership database along with picture ID of the member which instantly comes on screen when they presents their card or wristband. The software also includes bookings application and can be interfaced with direct debit software. Metra's membership software does not include all the features of other well known applications, but gives you enough to get started.

Q. What happens with locked lockers in the event of a power failure?
A. All locked lockers will remain closed until the power is restored. For this reason we recommend that the locker system is connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). We can advise on this.