How to avoid black screens?

Do you share theopinion of Simon Caillot, who led the project to replace the screens in the ETAM and UNDIZ stores?

"Today, screens in store windows are a normal occurrence. But when they don't display content, or display it poorly, this can have a direct impact on a store's brand image and appeal, because a black screen means a disappointing customer experience".

What is the real impact of black screens?

• Brand image at risk
• Decentralized field teams, busy reporting bugs (and identifying the right contacts...).
• High maintenance costs due to the intervention of multiple people and the associated loss of time

Programming errors and network failures are inevitable with large-scale displays. But you can limit the effects, and check out how digital signage solutions respond to these incidents, in terms of pricing, human relations, preventive tools, transparency...

• Continue to display your content even if the player is disconnected due to a network failure. To do this, campaigns can be stored locally on your digital signage player.
• Program your communication campaigns remotely and in advance.
• Broadcast a back-up campaign (at Cenareo, we call it the Default Campaign), which will be broadcast if, by accident, no more content is programmed on your screens. 

Far from being an exhaustive list, these questions provide a good basis for predicting the quality of support .

What transparency policy does the service provider propose?

Does the provider conceal the incidents its solution encounters, or is it transparent about these problems? Better still, do you know how it handles these incidents? Do you have any guarantees about resolution times?

Does the solution include a user manual?

Are you able to consult a help section or documentation to carry out the first part of support yourself, and in some cases solve the problem on your own? Is this documentation versioned, easily accessible, equipped with a search engine and aimed at both technical and non-technical audiences?

Can you contact support ?

Does the service provider provide an e-mail, chat or telephone interaction channel? Are you systematically redirected to a support page, a voice mailbox or a robot, albeit a very friendly one, inviting you to consult the support page? Do you have the opportunity toexplain your problem to someone who is there to listen to you? How many intermediaries do you have to go through before you reach a higher level of technical support? Do you have to wait 3 hours at 10 cents a minute and go through 5 intermediaries before speaking to someone in charge?

Do you track incident resolution?

In the event of an incident being reported, do you track the progress of the resolution? Do you have access to a summary of interventions and the date of resolution? Are you left in the dark? Do you have to contact support yourself to get answers? Are you informed of the operations carried out and when service is up and running again?

How much does maintenance cost?

Not all solutions offer the same billing policy (flat-rate, per intervention, basic inclusion, etc.), nor the same support rates. This parameter is often overlooked during the initial negotiations, but it should be clarified as soon as possible, to avoid unpleasant surprises.

How responsive is support ?

After an incident is reported, how long does it take support to contact you again at contact ? To confirm the incident? To announce a resolution date? On average, how long does it take to resolve a problem?

Does your provider have any partners?

A digital signage project often involves a number of different companies, each with its own particular area of expertise. Do you have a single point of contact? Is it possible to create a discussion among these partners? Are you left to deal with your problem in the midst of so many companies blaming each other?

What are the provider's limits?

Following an incident, is your service provider primarily concerned with covering its own ass, or does it help you to really solve your problem? Does it confine itself to incidents relating to its core business, or does it offer a more comprehensive expertise , even beyond the scope of its activity if need be?

A digital signage project can be expensive, with little return if it isn't up and running. Indeed, while the cost of the hardware (screen, player...) and any license necessarily weighs in the balance, so does the cost of maintenance, especially over the long term. This aspect should not be overlooked.

Of course, too high a frequency of critical incidents cannot be compensated for by an efficient support customer and maintenance team... But are such competent teams possible without the support of good development teams, and a reliable, high-quality product?

→ Planning your digital signage project? Here are our 8 tips for finding the solution that best suits your needs.

Cenareo propose une solution Saas intuitive, évolutive et parfaitement adaptée aux besoins des professionnels de la communication de tous secteurs d'activité : Points de vente, Communication interne, Hôtellerie et Restauration mais aussi DOOH.{{cta('2234d280-0394-4257-8e50-754f8a507348','justifycenter')}}

Selecting a digital signage supplier can be a daunting task. Whether you're looking for software or a complete solution, we're here to advise you. By opting for our services, you'll benefit from our help every step of the way, as well as personalized support.

→ See our deployment examples.