ELEVATOR PARTNER PROGRAM FAQS

Question 1

How is Kings III different from an answering service?

So glad you asked because there is an extreme difference in our services.

Our dispatchers answer only emergency calls coming from emergency phones. We are NOT an after hours solution for business calls. We take emergency calls only. Did I say we take emergency calls only? This is important for a few reasons but none more worth talking about than our specialized employee training. Our employees are not minimum wage call takers. They are highly trained emergency dispatch operators, receiving a higher level of training than is often required in 911 centers. We view calls outside of these parameters as a distraction to our team and they need to be at the top of their game at all times. The response to an emergency call is vastly different than a typical phone call and the person on the other end makes all the difference.

Question 2

b

What is Kings III’s typical customer base?

We service predominantly owners and managers of multifamily and commercial real estate properties. If there is a need for an emergency phone, we are a good fit.

Question 3

b

Do you work through us or do you work directly with our customers?

Both, actually. We work with elevator companies for the introduction but we do not rely on you to sell our services. We work directly with customers to keep you from being the middle man and more importantly to ensure we have a direct line to the end user so we can keep up to date emergency call lists, which we customize for all our customers based on their needs.

Question 4

b

Give me the rundown of the Kings III service. How does it work and what does it include?

We provide an all-inclusive elevator phone service. This includes the phone equipment, installation, maintenance and professional emergency monitoring.

Question 5

b

Most of my customers are college campuses who prefer to handle their own monitoring with onsite security. Does Kings III have customers in this same scenario?

Absolutely. Regardless of building type and the presence of onsite security, your customers should be careful of going the simplest route and the likelihood of failed inspections. They need not worry about security being out of the loop, which is the most common concern. All Kings III customers complete a custom emergency call list and customers with onsite security typically list security and their elevator company first. Our operators can keep everyone looped into what’s transpiring. Campuses in particular have a variety of emergency phone needs ranging from elevators to stairwells, parking garages, areas of refuge and walking paths, all a benefit where safety is concerned. Plus, we imagine these customers are always looking to cut costs and our turnkey package with line seizure can help do just that, both in the elimination of dedicated phone lines and eliminating unbudgeted phone equipment expenses.

Question 6

b

You say your service includes installation. What does that mean? Will you need my elevator tech to take care of that?

Not at all. We can take you completely out of the phone business if that’s what you desire. Kings III technicians and subcontractors will install the emergency elevator phone. If in a union environment, we will enlist the assistance of your techs to help oversee the installation.

Question 7

b

Should I be worried about Kings III enlisting the help of one of my competitors to install or service these elevator phones?

Not at all. We understand the conflict of interest there and if an elevator license is required and our Kings III technician in the area does not have one, we will enlist the help of your team to complete the job. We understand the competitive environment and act accordingly.

Question 8

b

What if I want to be involved with the initial installation, just not the maintenance or monitoring?

No problem at all. We have several partners who install the phones at their customer sites and we take it from there.

Question 9

b

Most elevator phones are not the best quality. Is there anything different about what Kings III offers?

We’ve been strategic about how we’ve built our business. Our equipment is built to last. We keep customers for a very long time and the most expensive thing for us to do once we are up and running is to roll a truck. It makes sense for us to build our phones with that in mind. As you well know, that is not the case for the off the shelf phones you’ll find in the marketplace.

Our service also includes auto-testing whereby we test the phones for dial tone and power monthly. Plus, remember that if your customers are utilizing our all-inclusive service, we take care of any equipment maintenance, repairs and replacement, taking that off your plate.

Question 10

b

Outside of dispatcher training, what else sets Kings III apart from other third party monitoring?

We have quite a bit that sets us apart. Here are a few that seem to strike a chord.

Code Compliance Issues: Answering services not staffed at the necessary level often miss the 45 second call pick up that is required by code.
On Hold Issues (also code compliant related): When they do pick up, if they put the caller on hold as we have heard is a common occurrence from our colleagues in the elevator world, they are missing the valuable step of retrieving location and elevator cab information, also required by code. The answering of Kings III emergency calls and proper staffing is not an issue. What’s even better is that we do not have loopholes that allow us to miss the location information of a caller. When we install our phones, that customer account is kept in our system with detailed address and elevator cab information that is auto-identified when it rings into the Kings III Dispatch Center. In fact, our operators have location ID and cab automatically served up to them before they even pick up the call. It’s these details that matter.
Investment in the Elevator Industry. We are invested in the industry. Our CEO is an elevator guy, owning his own California-based elevator company in a prior life and maintaining his Qualified Elevator Inspector (QEI) license. We have a slew of certified elevator mechanics as well and our internal team marries competencies from the elevator industry, central station monitoring, telecommunicatons and security world. What this really means for you is we are well versed in the space and invested in keeping on top of code changes and development needs such as the 2018 IBC Code update for the hearing impaired and the 2019 ASME code change that is set to require the ability to capture an image of the elevator floor and the ability to communicate via text on the elevator panel. . The elevator monitoring world is changing, but you can rest assured we are on top of it – our business relies on it.

Question 11

b

I’m concerned of fire rescue or some other resource being unnecessarily dispatched. How does the dispatch process work?

Before we turn on service, every Kings III customer completes a custom emergency call list. For elevator phones, we advise the first number on the call list to be the elevator maintenance company – makes sense right? We do require a minimum of two emergency numbers for every customer and often that is the elevator company and a property on-call number. We find that most customers prefer us to do both – call you and also loop them in on what’s going on.

Question 12

b

Is there anything I should know about the Kings III insurance policy?

We carry a multi-ten million dollar combined liability, Errors & Omissions, and umbrella insurance policies. Upon request, we will name our clients (your customers) as additional insured.

Question 13

b

When you talk about limiting liability, what do you mean?

Our call recordings provide invaluable information that confirms how an entrapment call was handled, eliminating the he said, she said in the aftermath. One of the first questions our emergency dispatchers ask the caller is: Are you physically okay? Do you need medical attention?

Question 14

b

How does Kings III monitoring help me deliver additional value to my customers?

Glad you asked! We get you out of the phone business and focused on your core service offering. Emergency communications is our only business and that is by design. Our service helps you bring additional value to your customers via a best in class emergency phone solution, better than what the Big Four offer (more on customer benefits below).

Additionally, if you struggle with any of the following, look no further. We can help.

Struggling with wasted time dealing with elevator phones and failed inspections? We can help.
VoIP solutions starting to creep in and throw a wrench in the system? We can help.
Issues with your current answering service? We can help although we are NOT an answering service.

Question 15

b

Tell me more about the benefits for my customers.

That’s easy. We help you offer your customers a best in class emergency monitoring solution that helps:

Increase Safety & Reliability – If you use our phones you know our equipment is reliable. Where we really add value is our monitoring. Medically trained operators handle entrapments daily and can respond in 175+ languages.
Mitigate Liability Exposure – All calls are digitally recorded, date and time stamped. These are provided to customers upon request and have proven invaluable for heading off potential litigation. We receive at least 5 calls weekly from customers requesting this information to head off an issue.
Manage Tenant Experience – We respond to callers with the utmost care, staying on the line until help arrives, if requested. We keep customers informed so they can follow up with entrapped parties as they wish.
Reduce Costs – Our smart line seizure technology eliminates the need for dedicated emergency telephone lines. Your customers aren’t using landlines? We offer cellular solutions as well and have a slew of reasons for why that is the better option. Additionally, your customers can avoid unbudgeted expenses – our phones come with a lifetime warranty with our all-inclusive solution.

Your customers will thank you, trust us! We have nearly 30 years invested and with a consistent 97% customer retention rate are confident in the value we provide.

Question 16

b

So far so good, but how do we work together to get me out of the phone business but in a way that makes me comfortable introducing you to my customers?

It’s not one size fits all. We have varying relationships with our elevator partners, typically based on how long we’ve been working together, level of desire and immediacy in wanting to get out of the phone business, number of existing cases that need immediate action, etc. Some partners share their customer information readily and others want to get their feet wet first, trialing with a customer or a handful of customers. The point is we have options. Our goal is to add value to the service you provide your customers and to do so together.