{"id":99,"date":"2013-11-13T09:22:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-13T09:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/?page_id=99"},"modified":"2019-01-16T11:16:45","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T11:16:45","slug":"faqs-calendars","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/faqs\/faqs-calendars\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQs: Calendars"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]\n

\"Month<\/strong><\/span>Why do I need Calendars ?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span> –\u00a0There’s still no better way of communicating your collection arrangements than with a calendar. They used to be\u00a0exclusively\u00a0paper-based, for hand delivery or mailing to households but most Councils now hold copies on their website for self-service access, too.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0problem\u00a0for Councils is how best to\u00a0communicate collection information to\u00a0all<\/span> householders, bearing in mind that\u00a0not everyone has access to the internet (or can use it) and not everyone has a mobile phone that could handle an app (or would want to use it if they did) – so traditional calendars are still the most universal communications tool available. Even if they have access to other channels, we’ve found that\u00a0many people prefer a paper calendar that can be pinned up,\u00a0clearly showing exactly what’s going to happen every day throughout the year.<\/p>\n

Calendars are the optimum\u00a0solution –\u00a0so whether you send paper copies out or just load versions on your website, it’s worth doing them well. That’s where we can help.<\/p>\n

Aren’t calendars expensive ?<\/strong><\/span> – if you opt for a web-based solution, no. Typical costs are around\u00a05p per household,\u00a0\u00a0depending on Council size, and the complexity of the collection regime. Even if you decide to send out a printed version, then with careful design, printing\u00a0and distribution they can be very cost effective. \u00a0A full-colour\u00a0A5 double-sided postcard (calendar on one side, the householders address and your message and branding on the other) can typically be designed, printed and bulk mailed\u00a0by our partners Mail Marketing <\/a>for around 50p each, or less\u00a0–\u00a0inclusive. That’s\u00a0less than the\u00a0cost of\u00a0a 2nd class stamp.<\/p>\n

But I don’t want to send out paper copies ! <\/strong><\/span>–\u00a0 OK. If you’re just doing an update then a\u00a0web-based solution\u00a0may\u00a0be all that’s needed. You can\u00a0send out update calendars\u00a0only to householders that ask for\u00a0them\u00a0or set up a simple self-service print arrangement on your website if you don’t already have one.<\/p>\n

But if you need to\u00a0communicate a major service change (new collections, new days, new frequencies etc.) then we strongly recommend that you consider\u00a0a paper-based mailshot as a core element of your communications campaign. If you plan to send a mailshot anyway, then the calendar can go “free”. So – however you do it, an investment in\u00a0calendars\u00a0can quickly pay for itself in terms of a\u00a0smoother service transition, with\u00a0fewer missed bins and\u00a0reduced contamination during\u00a0switch-over as householders quickly adapt to the new arrangements. All of which will save you money.<\/p>\n

I need to send calendars out\u00a0now, but I know collections\u00a0will change later in the year. <\/strong><\/strong>OK – that’s not a problem. As long as you know what the change is going to be, our system is capable of\u00a0<\/span>showing a shift to a new collection regime in mid-calendar. It can show this happening all at once (the “big bang” approach)\u00a0or can be introduced in\u00a0phases for different collections\u00a0or groups of properties.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How many months can the calendars cover ?<\/strong><\/span> – it’s really up to you. Our system can produce calendars that\u00a0span up to 3 years, although most clients choose something in the range of 12-24 months. The calendars\u00a0are produced as standard in rectangular grids, in fixed layouts (e.g. 5 x 3,\u00a0 4 x 4,\u00a0 6 x 3) but we can produce “specials” if required.<\/p>\n

\"Full<\/a>

Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

What size do you recommend ?<\/strong><\/span> – An A4 calendar can comfortably show up to 24 months and still be legible for most people so that’s the largest we’d recommend.\u00a0Reducing the span to\u00a018 months (6 x 3) will free up some useful\u00a0space on an A4 sheet for your branding, recycling reminders, contact details and other service messages. If you decide to use an A5 format, we think 5 x 3 months is about the largest practical size if you want to include space for your “message” – or 5 x 4 months\u00a0if not.<\/p>\n

These are just suggestions – our system is very flexible and we’ll work with you to provide what you need.<\/p>\n

W<\/strong>hat’s your advice on versions for the visually impaired ?<\/strong><\/span> – We’ll work closely with your communications team to make sure that the finished copies are as legible as possible. This involves making sensible choices about the colours and shapes used to show for each collection, so that most people (even those who\u00a0are\u00a0colour blind)\u00a0can tell the difference between them. The shapes can left plain, or\u00a0overlaid with the date or\u00a0a mnemonic code (like the 3-way example below) to indicate which bins are to be collected on any given day. The mix of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>unique shapes, colours and codes means that almost everyone should be able to distinguish the codes apart, and understand which bins or combination of bins to put out, and when. The calendars are designed to scale well\u00a0so you can produce much larger versions for those that need them, if required.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Combo<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>How clear are the images ?<\/strong><\/span> – The calendars are generated by the system at a native size of about 40\u00a0cm wide, and in most cases are scaled down to fit your document so the images remain\u00a0very clear and crisp.\u00a0The example symbol shown here is for\u00a0a 3-way G<\/strong>reen, R<\/strong>ecycling and F<\/strong>ood collection all happening on the same day – with the code GRF <\/strong>superimposed on a\u00a0unique 3 colour background. Click on the symbol to see a zoomed-in version.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The calendar graphics\u00a0can be imported into other applications, and because they are vector-based (not JPEGs) they can be scaled\u00a0up to A1 or even A0 size without going fuzzy or grainy. These sizes\u00a0are clearly not meant for general distribution but can be useful\u00a0for\u00a0making big copies for publicity purposes – and they still look good. Try zooming in on the details\u00a0in a\u00a0PDF Example<\/a> calendar, and you’ll see.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Things keep changing – what if I need a new calendar later ?<\/strong><\/span> – We will create\u00a0new calendars for you at any time during the lifespan of the calendars as part of the service, for free. The only exception is if the calendars are needed because of a major service redesign\u00a0and substantial changes are necessary, in which case we may have to make an additional\u00a0charge.<\/p>\n

I don’t want to pay for calendars every 12, 18 or 24 months !<\/strong><\/span> –\u00a0We offer substantial discounts for repeat business where there have been only minor changes to collections.<\/p>\n

A 3-month production time seems very long !<\/strong><\/span> – For first commissions it’s surprising how long it can take to\u00a0assemble the data, even when it seems “clean” – and transforming your data into calendar graphics is\u00a0a very good way to find any remaining data errors, as these tend to stand out\u00a0visually on the calendars right away. And that investment up-front in good data will pay back handsomely, later on – and not just for calendars.<\/p>\n

We’ve found\u00a0that on average 3 months from start to finish\u00a0is typical, although remember this is\u00a0elapsed<\/span> time fitted in around your other commitments\u00a0– not 100% work time. Repeat commissions are usually much quicker.<\/p>\n

We’ll take a look at your data before we start, and if we think it can be done\u00a0quicker, we’ll tell you. Check out the example programme<\/a>\u00a0to see a complete breakdown of all the steps that may be required.<\/p>\n

Can I buy the software ?<\/span><\/strong> – No<\/strong>. The system is still being developed and is provided as a service only (although you can buy the Lookup Tool). We may\u00a0make a version of the software available to end users in future, but have no immediate plans to do so.<\/p>\n

Can you supply\u00a0apps for mobile devices ?<\/strong><\/span> – No.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Our system is not designed for mobile devices but we can supply each calendar graphic as a series of single month blocks as well as the whole calendar if you want to use our data to\u00a0develop simple\u00a0mobile applications in-house. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever you want to do, we will be pleased to work with you and your contractors to provide\u00a0images that\u00a0support your requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anything else ?<\/strong><\/span> – If you have any other questions, or would simply like to talk to someone please contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text] Why do I need Calendars ?\u00a0 –\u00a0There’s still no better way of communicating your collection arrangements than with a calendar. They used to be\u00a0exclusively\u00a0paper-based, for hand delivery or mailing to households but most Councils now hold copies on their website for self-service access, too. The\u00a0problem\u00a0for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":95,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-FullWidth.php","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-99","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/99","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":160,"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/99\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2352,"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/99\/revisions\/2352"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/95"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ch2associates.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}