Do you share the Review by Simon Caillot, who led the project to replace the screen fleet for the ETAM and UNDIZ stores?
“Screens in store windows are now a normal situation. However, when they do not display or display content incorrectly, this can have a direct impact on the brand image and the attractiveness of a store, because a black screen is a disappointing customer experience.”
What is the real impact of black screens?
- Brand image put at risk
- Decentralized field teams, busy fixing bugs (and identifying the right contacts...)
- High maintenance costs due to the intervention of multiple people and the associated loss of time
Programming errors or network failures are inevitable on large screen fleets. But you can limit the effects and check The answers that digital signage solutions provide to these incidents, in terms of pricing, human relationships, preventive tools, transparency...
- Continue to broadcast your content even if the player is disconnected due to a network outage. To do this, campaigns can be stored locally on your digital signage player.
- Program your communication campaigns remotely and in advance in time.
- Broadcast a rescue campaign (at Cenareo, we call it Default Campaign), which will be broadcast if by mistake, no more content is scheduled on your screens.
Far from being an exhaustive list, These questions provide a good basis for predicting the quality of support provided.
What transparency policy does the provider offer?
Is the service provider hiding the incidents that its solution encounters or is it transparent about these problems? Even better, do you know how he handles these incidents. Do you have guarantees about the resolution time?
Does the solution include a user manual?
Are you in a position to consult a help section or documentation to provide an initial part of the support yourself, and in some cases resolve the incident alone? Is this documentation versioned, easily accessible, equipped with a search engine and intended for technical and non-technical audiences?
Is customer support available?
Does the provider provide an interaction channel by email, chat or telephone? Are you always redirected to a support page, a voicemail or a robot, although very friendly, inviting you to consult the support page? Do you have the option ofExplain your problem to someone who listens to you ? How many intermediaries are needed before join higher-level technical assistance ? As for a telephone operator, do you need 3 hours of waiting at 10 cents per minute and 5 intermediaries before talking to a manager?
Do you monitor the resolution of incidents?
If an incident is reported, do you track the progress of the resolution? Do you have access to a summary of the interventions and the resolution date? Are you left in the dark? Do you have to call support again yourself to get answers? Are you informed of the operations carried out and the resumption of the service?
What is the maintenance cost?
Not all solutions offer the same billing policy (flat rate, per intervention, basic included...) or the same support rates. Often hidden from the first negotiations, this parameter must nevertheless be clarified quickly, at the risk of discovering unpleasant surprises.
How responsive is customer support?
After an incident has been reported, how long does it take for support to get back in touch with you? To confirm the incident? To tell you a resolution date? On average, how long does it take for a problem to be resolved?
Does your provider have partners?
A digital signage project often involves different companies, each intervening in its preferred field of expertise. Do you have a single point of contact? The possibility of creating a discussion among these partners? Are you left alone with your problem in the midst of these numerous societies, blaming each other?
What are the limitations of the provider?
Following an incident, is your service provider primarily looking for coverage or is it helping you to really solve your problem? Does it limit itself to incidents relating to its core business or does it offer more comprehensive expertise, beyond the scope of its activity if necessary?
A digital signage project can be expensive, and benefit from a low return if it is not functional. In fact, while the cost of hardware (screen, player, etc.) and of a possible license necessarily weigh in the balance, the same is true for the cost of maintenance, especially in the long term. It is therefore important not to neglect this aspect.
Obviously, too high a frequency of critical incidents cannot be compensated by efficient customer support and an effective maintenance team... But are such competent teams possible without the support of good development teams, and of a reliable and qualitative product?
→ Are you preparing your digital signage project? Here are our 8 tips to find the solution that best suits your needs.
Selecting a digital signage supplier can be tedious. Whether you are looking for software or a complete solution, we are here to advise you. By opting for our services, you will benefit from our help at every stage of the process and personalized assistance.
→ See our examples of deployments.
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