Digital Signage Solutions

Reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated #digitalsignage

Chuck Gose — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:03:00 +0000

Borrowing from this classic Mark Twain quote seemed fitting given that some in the digital signage industry were biting on the rumors that MediaTile was closing its doors.

But proven by today's announcement, this couldn't be further from the truth.

We are a now proud member of the Corum Digital Corporation family. Our name and family of products are sticking around, along with the employees and our treasured customer base. We know the transition hasn't been easy on every one, but this is great news for all involved.

It was important to me that we notified customers first and they received the news on Friday.

Over the past few weeks, I've had several one-on-one conversations with Amedeo Tarzia, President/CEO of Corum Digital. Not only do I think customers and industry partners will be impressed by his leadership, but also by him as a person. We definitely see eye to eye on MediaTile's future.

The acqusition will enable MediaTile to grow our digital signage hardware and software offerings while also still delivering on the excellent customer service that our customers are used to.

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The Seven Cs of effective internal communication #internalcomms

Chuck Gose — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:11:58 +0000

The best part about my job is that I get to work with internal communication pros every single day. But keep in mind that not all of these people's jobs are solely focused on employee communications. Like many of you, they might also be focused on public relations, marketing communication, human resources and even IT (Yes, IT).

So I was thinking about what could be the critical components to an effective communication strategy. And so I came up with the seven Cs of effective internal communication. (I guarantee that there are more than seven but I got hung up on the "seven seas" comparison.) If you have others, please add them in the comments.

Creativity - This is probably the one that gets overlooked the most. Creativity takes time and a lot of communicators don't have this. But I propose that if you spend the time and use the right kind of creativity, the return on the message will be worth it.

Cleverness - Maybe a bit subjective, but I like people who are clever. They usually come up with not just a creative way of doing a communication, but also a very clever way. Maybe they use a new tactic or approach communication from a different angle. But "cleverality" (made up word) helps communication.

Consistency - Weekly newsletters. Daily intranet updates. Monthly magazines. These are all parts of a communicator's schedule and it's important that there is consistency. But not just in the timing but of the message and words used. If on the same content, one message is playful while another is way too serious. Consistency of the message and timing are both important.

Clarity - This might be the one C where larger corporations struggle most. By the time a message is delivered, so many hands have put in their "two cents" that the key messages are muddied or buried. Employees just want you to get to the point and be clear in what's expected of them or what they need to do.

Coordination - And yet another struggle for large companies. This is often a case where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. One department might send out one piece of communication while the corporate communications team is working on the same thing. When an employee receives both, it can create confusion (a bad C word). But if there had been coordination between the two, all win.

Capacity - Everybody has too much work on their plates. People are being asked to do more with less every single day. And so capacity is a huge part of internal communication. We all know what would be great to do, but just may not have the time to do it. So how can communicators spend time wisely and make the most of energy spent.

Caring - And this might be the most important C of all. The communicators who care will get the job done. They will be clever. They will be creative. They will be clear. And they will be all of these things because they care about the company, the communication and the employees.

If you have another C to add to the list (& therefore ruin my "Seven Seas), please add it in the comments.

________________

The picture is a hat tip (pun intended) to the first place Cincinnati Reds (my favorite team). Convenient that they have the famous wishbone C on their hats.

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Blogging inspiration can come from the strangest of places

Chuck Gose — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:07:30 +0000

Sometimes I'll get an idea about a blog post from something I've read online. Other times, it could be a TV show. Maybe a conversation with a coworker or customer gets the writing juices flowing. You just never know.

But recently I was so gently reminded by DailyDOOH that I hadn't blogged in almost two months. Yikes?! I could come up with the laundry list of excuses, but basically I didn't make it the priority it needed to be. So expect there to be more activity on here in the coming weeks. . . in case you were wondering.

60 seconds on why video is so valuable for internal communications #internalcomms

Chuck Gose — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:15:00 +0000

There's really no excuse for businesses not to take advantage of video for internal communications. Whether or not you have a digital signage network, internal video is a powerful AND reliable tool to deliver important news to employees.

Video used to insanely expensive and invconvenient to produce. Now, it is exactly the opposite.

Check out this 60-second video featuring Rocky Walls from 12 Stars Media preaching the value of video for employees.

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Are digital menu boards all they are cracked up to be?

Chuck Gose — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:01:00 +0000

Think about the last time you entered a fast food establishment or quick service restaurant. Were they using digital signage as menu boards?

Being the health nut that I am (or lack thereof), I'm seeing more and more of them. To me, they make a ton of sense. Restaurants are able to dynamically change content based on seasonal offerings or time of day. Even adjust pricing from a central area.

But who cares if they make sense to me. Do they make sense to the restaurants? Check out this Digital Signage Today infographic on the top 12 benefits of digital menu boards.

A few of stats that I found interesting from the survey are:

The focus has been on digital signage inside the restaurants but nearly three out of four visits take place in the drive-thru.
A little more than 75% said it took six months to two years to recoup the investment. That sounds reasonable to me if the technology stays relevant for that long.
Centralized control was the number one reason touted for installing signage (we provide that in case you were curious).
The sales lift wasn't nearly as high as I thought it would be.

Anything that you found surprising?

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On the minds of retail employees

Chuck Gose — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:07:17 +0000

In the digital signage world, the retail industry is a clear focus for many looking to launch networks to support customer marketing. The primary driver is to communicate messages to drive customer behavior.

But what about the concerns of the retail employees (not customers)? We are working with several retailers who are using digital signage to just that, support internal communications to a very disconnected and dispersed workforce.

So what's on the minds of retail employees? What's keeping them up at night? The American Society of Employers developed this list of issues your retail associates are worrying about.

Recognition– Make sure that you spend a few minutes each day thanking employees for their hard work and let them know when they have met or exceeded your expectations!
Clear and Fair Policies – Communicating how you want things done in your retail store is important…just as important is communicating why you want things done. Then remember that you must always apply the rules equitably.
Strength of the Team – Does everyone in your retail store know what your goals are for the business? This includes daily, weekly, and monthly sales targets. Even more importantly, is everyone working together to achieve them?
Autonomy – As a retail store owner you have a right to expect that your team members execute effectively in return for their weekly pay check. Conversely, shouldn’t your team members expect that you give them the room and time to execute those tasks?
Fair Benefits – There is no doubt that providing some benefits can be an expensive proposition. On the other hand, it is estimated that each time a retailer loses an employee it costs $10,000 or more in lost sales, overtime, recruiting and training costs. Additionally many benefits such as merchandise discounts, monthly pizza parties, and flexible hours cost very little and go to great lengths toward driving employee satisfaction.
Positive Management – Positive management does not mean no or lax management. It means that retail leaders are focused on giving retail employees clear goals, the tools they need to achieve them, constructive feedback, and a genuine thank you when they are successful. Then when they achieve the goal, don’t forget to set a new one!
Manageable Workload – Everyone in the retail business recognizes that it demands working evenings and weekends. The key is to set expectations about the work week and the work requirements ahead of time. Then balance the hours and tasks between all employees.
Job security – If you are establishing reasonable expectations and SMART goals for your team members and then they achieve them they should have a reasonable expectation for job security. On the other hand, you do need to make sure that their goals are in line with your business requirements.
Fair Pay – It is amazing how far down the list compensation is. Retail sales associates – especially those who work in a commission environment – can make very good money. But the truth is that no one stays in this business over the long term unless they like working with and serving customers. As long as your compensation plans are fair and they reward productivity compensation usually is not a major factor in job dissatisfaction.
Opportunity for Promotion and Evaluation – Former New York Mayor Ed Koch was famous for always asking “How am I doing?” Well, the truth is that virtually everyone who is working for a supervisor wants to know the same thing. Conduct formal reviews twice a year and make sure to have informal one-on-one status updates at least once a week!

Look at how many of these involve communication. Digital communication could go a long way with putting many of these out of employees' minds and focusing them more on the task at hand.

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Cooking up your own digital signage network

Chuck Gose — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:05:38 +0000

If you're launching a new digital signage network from scratch, it can be a bit messy. As Digital Signage Connection points out in this article, there are a lot of "ingredients" that go into a new network. You can go read their thoughts on each of the ingredients, but I've added mine in the following:

Hardware. This is a big decision and arguably the most visible one. As THIS is what people see as "digital signage." Our hardware is simple and we mean it to be that way. You can either purchase our Digital Sign in a Box, which includes a commercial grade screen, media player and mount. Or you can supply your own screens and buy one of our media players. Other than that, there is no other hardware. I should point out that touch screens are also an option.

Software. This is the important part of launching a network that I think is the least appreciated. So often purchases by based on hardware and assume the software will get figured out. I strongly, strongly recommend that the daily users of any proposed network get brought in early so that they can evaluate the software. We are a SaaS company so our digital signage software is entirely web-based. Called MediaCast, it is your content management system for your digital signage network.

Content. And this is the part that most people forget about until the end. We work very closely with our customers to make sure they are truly ready to run a network. And this is because we've run network ourselves. We're not just out there telling people what to do. We've done it and we've learned lessons from it that we share with our customers. Customers can certainly create their own content and be on their own. However, we also have a team that can assist with content and provide counsel.

Purchase Partner. Well that's us. We provide everything you need to get your network started. Hardware, software and content can all be provided by us. Digital signage is what we do and that's all that we do.

Physical installation. Now this is one area that we don't do. However, our equipment is so simple to install that any facilities team or AV integrator will not have any issues. But if you do need assistance, we have installation partners who can provide this type of expertise.

IT. The article says that you'll need an "IT expert" to facilitate. Not with ours. Our signage solution runs off of cellular, WiFi or LAN. And the networking is all very simple. So many other digital signage companies sell themselves as an IT solution. And that's fine with us. But ours is a communication solution. The wording may be subtle but the applications are not.

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Are you neglecting employee communications in PR campaigns?

Chuck Gose — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:25:07 +0000

So often when companies have good news to share, they spend valuable time and resources to develop a solid public relations campaign to let the public and media know.

But often they also neglect the most important audience of any campaign - the employees.

In this Huffington Post article, "The Importance of Effective Internal Communications for a PR Campaign," Phillip Keightly writes:

The internal stakeholders, especially your employees, are a business's greatest asset; therefore it is important to ensure they are informed of good and bad news.

And despite this importance, employees are commonly an after thought in the campaign, if even thought of at all. Phillip goes on to provide some great basic reminders about how to not only communicate to employees but to also get their valuable feedback. By doing so, they will be your greatest PR advocates and help spread the word.

What unique things has your company done to engage employees in PR campaigns?

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And you thought safety videos had to be boring... #internalcomms

Chuck Gose — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:32:00 +0000

Health and safety videos are a dime a dozen. So many companies have them and just go through the motions when creating them. And by not putting extra thought into them, they will largely go ignored, which is not the point of safety videos.

But check out what Air New Zealand did with what normally would be a stereotypical safety announcement during take-off. The key is to find who your corporate Richard Simmons is. . . if you dare.

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Getting employee recognition right. . . and wrong [VIDEO] #internalcomms

Chuck Gose — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:09:00 +0000

Employees love to be recognized. I just read a study that showed 67% of employees said their performance improved due to recognition. That's amazing. (But also kind of sad that a simple thank you is all it takes and managers struggle with that.)

But the biggest key for managers is determining how employees want to be recognized because each is unique. Some like a simple "thank you" and a pat on the back. Others might want to be mentioned in a meeting. And for some (though less than you'd think), money is the ultimate recognition.

But there's getting it right and getting it wrong. Here's wrong.

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Embracing social media inside a company [VIDEO]

Chuck Gose — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:51:00 +0000

I know a lot of companies are struggling instituting social media-like tools and features INSIDE the company. As we all know, companies tend to be very risk averse and there is a "risky" side of social media. The horror stories scream louder than the successes.

But if your organization is launching social tools or is thinking about it, watch this video. I'm curious if you had the same thoughts I did.

Social Media @ Work from Red Sky Vision on Vimeo.

My first thoughts are these...

Blah, blah, blah. I feel like some of the people interviewed are those that read Mashable articles and then just spew the same statistics and anecdotal stories. "We all laughed at Facebook and Twitter." Did you? I didn't.
I did like the one gentleman's point that internal communication pros are are perfect to help drive social tools inside an organization, but also don't have to own it. Instead, position themselves as "hubs" and influencers in the network. That part I liked.
I also liked the part about how the "experts" won't be the ones to drive innovation, but instead will be the professionals new to internal communication. I wish the likes of IABC, PRSA and others believed this.
It really wasn't that long ago that only a few people at companies had email addresses or access to the Internet (which may have been been dial-up). And employees need to recognize this that while companies are slow to change, they will get there. . . eventually.
The point of creating emotionally-engaging content should exist far beyond the realm of social media. During a focus group I did for a company's digital signage network, we asked, "What was your favorite piece of content you've seen?" It was the announcement of an employee having a child. That's what really matters to people.
Weighing benefits versus risks is an easy calculation for companies to do. AND is also easily understood by anyone with a brain.

So what are your thoughts on the video? Is your company embracing social as part of its employee communication strategy?

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Service with a smile. . . literally

Chuck Gose — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:12:00 +0000

We hear amazing examples of customer service, as well as truly awful ones. But I believe that most companies and people do strive to provide great service to their customers, whether in retail, banking, hospitality or any other markets where we interact face to face with businesses.

But what about those times when we aren't face to face, maybe stuck on hold waiting for "the next available agent." Companies can still provide great service, but you lose that value of seeing the person. Sometimes all it takes is a smile.

Enter our HumanKiosk.

The HumanKiosk, powered by MediaCast Video Presence, can be deployed by any company looking to deploy face-to-face customer service WITHOUT deploying your most valuable resource - people. Using 4G cellular technology, customers can walk up to the HumanKiosk and navigate the touch screen to find information they are looking for.

But if they can't find what they need, they can connect to a live person directly through the kiosk. This "call" is then intelligently routed to the best person to answer the customer's questions. And for mobile-savvy customers, the customer service agent can drive content on the screen that the customer can use or read on his mobile device.

It's great for both ends. The customer is getting the information they need in a very unique way and a company is able to deliver consistent customer service while letting a representative service multiple locations. All through a personal connection on interactive digital signage.

Check out the video and contact us if you'd like to learn more.

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6 Ways to Screw Up an Executive Video Interview by Rocky Walls

Chuck Gose — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:41:00 +0000

Every now and then, we like to feature posts on our blog from guest authors who are outside of the digital signage world, but who have expertise that can impact content strategies for internal communication networks.

We hope you enjoy this post from Rocky Walls, CEO of 12 Stars Media. He works with businesses to create video that's so real and simple it changes audiences into relationships.

Recently 12 Stars Media posted 10 Tips for Conducting an Executive Video Interview. Let's say someone, Joe Schmoe we'll call him, read the post and not only didn't take the advice, but did the exact opposite.

To avoid any more mishaps, I interviewed Joe for his "tips" on interviewing top execs, which are listed below.

WARNING: Please keep in mind that these six tips are actually ways to screw up an executive interview, and that if Joe were real he would be on the job search. Do not follow his example.

Give Prepared, Typed Answers:
The best way to prepare for an interview is to give your exec cue cards with scripts printed in block lettering. This prevents any awkward silences or fumbling during the interview (especially important for the company with a short editing schedule). If your exec doesn't feel comfortable saying what's on the cue card, it does not matter; the entire reason you're doing the interview is to back up what you've already said with an important face.
Arrive after the Exec Does to Give the Interviewee a Chance to Be Alone:
Give your exec a meeting time, but arrive 25 minutes late to start setting up. All execs need time to prepare themselves, and everyone knows they're too busy to do it without outside guidance. Set up while they're still warming up; they won't care that you have to tweak your microphones if they're in their "special place."
Keep It Professional:
You're dealing with a professional, so you must also be professional. Ignore any signs of nervousness or pressure from your subject; you'll only belittle the exec if you draw attention to their discomfort. This is actually a great opportunity to hard press your executive. If they're feeling pressure, it means you're asking good questions that might unearth trade secrets to sell to other corporations. Turn up the heat, and be ruthless.
If It's Less than an Hour, It's Too Short:
There's no possible way you can get everything you need in less than an hour. If you did your job with the cue cards, your exec will be reading for the majority of the afternoon. If you decided to ask questions on the spot, both you and your exec won't get into a comfortable sway for at least 45 minutes; you have to create a relationship with each other, and relationships take time.
Don't Ever Offer a Retake:
After the completion of the interview, your exec will be ready to return to work or probably go to bed. A retake will mean more work for you on your time when it comes to editing; however, if you must redo a portion or the entire interview, the big, important executive will be more than happy to go through the entire process again once you've given a chance for recuperation.
Don't Dare Let Your Exec have the Final Word:
There's always a possibility that after an hour or so of reading your script, your executive might come up with a compelling, heartfelt contribution of their own. Don't let them sneak this in on you, especially since there's a good chance their final statement could be better than all your glorious scripting.

Please, everyone, don't be Joe Schmoe. Instead, check out the Top 10 Tips for Conducting an Executive Video Interview.

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Content Strategies for Workplace Digital Signage at @DSExpo #dse2012

Chuck Gose — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:22:00 +0000

For the second straight year, I'll be moderating a panel at Digital Signage Expo focusing on digital signage networks for corporate and employee communication.

But I'm taking on a new challenge this year. See at last year's panel, we had three corporate communicators all talking about their networks and they all did a wonderful job. I know this because the surveys submitted after the event said so.

But you know what the lowest score was last year? The moderator. Ouch. Now I know I'm not to be the center of attention, but I clearly need to a better job this year and I vow to do it. Heading out to Vegas? Make sure you attend our session (S24) Thursday, March 8, bright and early at 9am.

There are a lot of great sessions that morning, but I promise ours will be the most informative.

So what can you expect this year?

The workplace poses unique content challenges in terms of content creation, ownership and effectiveness. This session focuses on the power of visual communication in the workplace, offering specific strategies for engaging employees with content that is fresh, varied, balanced, and most of all, effective at reinforcing critical workplace topics.

Following the instructional half of this session, led by The Marlin Co.'s Frank Kenna, an expert panel of corporate communications practitioners will provide insights from their day-to-day experiences and answers to your nagging questions.

In this session, you will ... 

Learn why employees aren’t paying attention 
Examine the “Whole Person Concept” and how it impacts employee communication 
Identify 6 proven strategies for engaging employees

And the speakers...

Frank Kenna III is CEO and president of The Marlin Co., which helps companies improve safety, employee morale, productivity and performance through its workplace digital signage products. Kenna is responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction and developing new ideas to help industry leaders implement workplace communication programs that motivate employees, change behavior and improve profits.

Chris Bias works in employee communications at the global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co., where he runs the LillyTV digital signage network — about 1,000 screens in 40+ countries — to communicate to Lilly’s 40,000-person workforce. Bias also manages video production for employee communications, produces intranet graphics and works with Lilly’s CEO on video, blogs, social media and other CEO communications.

Brian Wood has more than 23 years of operations management experience working various leadership positions at American Airlines and Waste Management. He is currently the Arizona director of operations for Waste Management, responsible for continuous improvement relative to safety, service and efficiency. Wood serves as a board member for several non-profit organizations including Valley Leadership, The Partnership for a Drug Free America (Ariz. affiliate) and the Mesa Arts Center Foundation.

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Can QR codes enrich employee communications? #internalcomms

Chuck Gose — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:09:00 +0000

I am the furthest thing from a QR code fan boy. And they are far from perfect. The reason they can fail can come at many levels. The codes can be tricky to scan. The content at the other end is either irrelevant or not optimized for mobile. Again, far from perfect.

Even QR codes on cupcakes? Yes, it's happened.

However, with employee communications, they can help drive communication and link employees to additional content that they might not have access to otherwise.

We recently launched a QR code creator inside MediaCast, our digital signage software. All you have to do is provide us the link we'll automatically create the QR code for you. And what's great with this feature, is that you can track how many times it's scanned, providing a nice metric for tracking employee behavior. You can easily add the code to existing content to link employees additional information. Download this QR Code Maker sheet to learn more.

But QR codes still also have a lot of a value in traditional print communication, as pointed out by the folks at SpinWeb. But again, it comes down to what's being linked to that will provide the true value. I'm a huge fan of print communication and QR codes CAN give it an enriched feel. But "can" is a tricky word. But the good news is that you'll be able to easily track the scans.

If QR codes are still a little foreign to you, check out SpinWeb's how-to on QR codes. And here's an example of how QR codes can be used in an interactive environment.

__________________________

Flickr image by clevercupcakes

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