By Theresa Bontempo
Everyone always says that communication is key and it is so in many different situations. From being able to efficiently communicate issues with loved ones, or even getting the correct, up-to-date information needed in a workplace setting–communication can help to make everyone’s lives easier.
Nothing is worse than being out of the loop when it comes to a big company project, or not getting corporate-wide updates on upcoming work events, employee evaluations, or even deadlines on tasks that need to be completed throughout the day. The corporate world can come with a lot of stress depending on the position you hold, but properly communicating–including through using digital signage–can help improve staff retention, productivity, and efficiency.
Digital signage can help to improve many different aspects of how corporate businesses run, while also helping employees stay organized and informed. Let’s learn about how email is old news and digital signage can help improve corporate communication ASAP!
How Does Digital Signage Work?
Knowing how digital signage can help improve communication is important, but so is getting familiar with how it works!
Digital signage can help improve work life in corporate offices by allowing more fluent communication and recognizing employees. Image courtesy of 22Miles.
Many businesses are making the switch to update their technology–and communication–to help staff be more informed and up-to-date on day-to-day operations using digital signage. By implementing digital signage, it can be a brighter, easier way to be informed of upcoming company events, internal communications, and even emergency alerts, but knowing what it is and how it works is the most important step.
What is Digital Signage?
If you’re not familiar with digital signage, it is the use of an electronic display–mainly LED/LCD TVs or monitors to broadcast information, advertisements, and other dynamic content that is both bright, colorful, and eye-catching. This could consist of everything from pictures, videos, or even animations.
Digital signage is commonly used in places such as car dealerships, retail stores, restaurants, even transportation locations to broadcast everything from essential information like bus or train schedules, menus, advertisements, and deals.
Digital signage can be used for dynamic content that can be updated or changed in an instant. These types of signs also help to increase engagement, whether it’s from employees or customers that improve the overall work culture and environment, or help out with directions.They can also assist with ordering food or drinks, or even be used as a navigation tool in hospitals or larger corporate buildings to find the right department. It can also be updated in real-time to reflect any changes or announcements instantly, all while keeping brand consistency and allowing companies to feature their logo and message, even if corporate offices have multiple locations.
What You Need: Hardware, Software, and Connectivity
There are a few things that you’ll need when it comes to implementing digital signage in the workplace–especially a corporate office. The first thing that anyone will need to start using digital signage is a LED/LCD TV screen or a monitor to display information. A computer, tablet, or cell phone oftentimes is able to edit what is posted and sent directly to the TV or monitor to display. Many times companies invest in touch-sensitive panels to up employee engagement with interactive content.
The next thing you’ll need in terms of setting up digital signage in the corporate offices is the software–also known as content management systems. This software can plan, create, schedule, and post the content that is posted to a digital signage screen–and there are a ton to choose from depending on what you’re using it for. There are content management systems to help with more retail or customer-service based businesses, but there are also others that can help improve internal communications and build a solid repertoire with your staff too.
And the very last thing you’ll need for digital signage to work the way that it was intended is having reliable connectivity, or internet. Having a working internet connection, such as ethernet, Wi-Fi, or LTE, is the only way for digital signage and content management systems to coincide and work together to post, update, or remove current messages, announcements, or pictures and videos. It is also important to note that having a stable connection is needed to update digital signage remotely and for everything to update as it should.
Digital Signage and Email: The Pros and Cons and Why Throwing Out Old Communication Methods May be Beneficial
Email has been the top internal communications method for staff, but digital signage provides a technological upgrade corporations need!
Digital signage can help improve internal communications in large corporations with real-time updates. Image courtesy of GoBright.
It can be hard to ensure that all staff in any corporation is up-to-date on the most important announcements, as well as other necessary information for internal staff to know. While email has been the top method for staff for communication purposes for many years, it’s easy for them to pile up making it hard to sift through. Digital signage can really help fix this issue and can ensure everyone knows important dates, deadlines, and other company announcements.
Pros and Cons of Email
There are many reasons why email has remained the top method of communication for years, so it’s important to go over just why it has reigned supreme.
Listed below are some of the pros and cons of email for communication in corporations:
- Pros:
- Efficient and cost-effective
- Can communicate to many people at once
- Creates a permanent record for documentation purposes
- Can be read at any time
- Reliable for employees who work in-office, hybrid, or fully remote
- Can send over documents, pictures, videos, and other essential media staff need to obtain
- Emails can be typed out and sent instantly
- A flexible communication tool that staff can check at any time
- Cons:
- Emails can pile up if not read through
- Reduction of stress and productivity with an overload of emails
- Potential for miscommunication
- Not useful for emergencies
- Security risks from outside emails can potentially leak confidential internal communication
Ways Digital Signage Can Up Your Company Game for Internal Communications
Email has its many pros, making it one of the most effective ways to communicate to staff throughout their day. Digital signage can help make a huge difference when it comes to how it catches the attention of staff, and can help revolutionize corporate communications.
Consistent and Widespread Across Large Corporations
Corporations often have multiple locations which is why it’s important to make sure staff in every department, branch, and location is kept up to speed on important announcements. Since digital signage can be updated in real-time, any changes or new announcements that are made can be displayed and broadcasted no matter how large of a corporation or where it’s located. It can be edited to post updates pertaining to IT issues, emergency alerts, operational changes, work meeting dates and times, and other company-wide information important for all staff to know.
Improves Employee Engagement and Recognition
One of the top reasons why using digital signage and pairing it with a content management system can be beneficial is to create a more positive workplace environment. Many people often leave their jobs because of a negative or toxic work environment that provides no place to celebrate successes. Digital signage can help to improve the workplace environment by showcasing employees of the month, work anniversaries, and even achievements that staff can congratulate each other on.
Targeted Messaging Depending on Where Digital Signage is Located
It’s important to put digital signage in spots where staff typically frequent and can see as they’re walking to their office or on break. For example, having it displayed as soon as they walk into the building, in meeting rooms, or even in the break room are some top spots to display digital signage. By doing this, different screens can have specific messages or announcements displayed on them compared to all over the corporation. Break room digital signage can display upcoming fun company events, social gatherings, and even show reminders to sign up for professional development opportunities. A front desk screen can show company announcements, emergency alerts, and welcoming staff with the date, time, and weather.
Helps to Streamline Daily Operations
Many times, it can be unclear what the goals are that need to be completed in the day for a company to successfully run the way it should. Digital signage has a way of helping to streamline day-to-day operations, especially for corporations that have hundreds or thousands of employees. It displays meeting room schedules, helps to streamline the workflow throughout the day, and it just makes sure that everyone is on the same page to help avoid communication silos. Overall, digital signage provides a reliable communication system that is on one central system, providing shared information that all staff can visibly see or inform each other about.
Our Recommendation: Add Shift to Your Corporate Offices
Shift can help to encourage and recognize staff for their hard work, post announcements, and help improve company retention and productivity!
Shift is a useful tool to keep corporations in the loop with essential internal communication announcements, plus develop deeper connections with staff. Image courtesy of Shift.
Now that you know that content management systems and digital signage work better than email in corporate communication, it’s important to first choose the platform to help incorporate all of this new, useful communication. Shift is a content management system that can help employers develop deeper connections with their staff, along with other positive benefits that could improve productivity and company retention.
All About Shift: How it is Useful to Corporations
Corporations can greatly benefit from content management systems and digital signage combined because of the way they can help internal communications, productivity, and even help employees feel like they’re appreciated. Shift does just that while aiming to provide employers a better, deeper understanding of who their staff are to develop connections with them.
Shift can do everything from send out reminders for meetings and upcoming work events, highlight staff achievements and work anniversaries, broadcast announcements, increase productivity, and reduce high employee turnover rates. This is all because it allows staff to feel recognized by the company that they are working for, and managers and leaders can see just how well their staff are doing with real-time updates on the day’s workload.
Features Corporate Can Use With Shift
There are many unique features that can be used with Shift in corporations across the globe. While Shift is mainly used for deskless companies, it can also be a great addition to any office setting because it has a number of incredible features that can make staff feel appreciated, while also helping to improve internal communications.
Some of the best features that Shift has to offer include the following:
- Boost employee engagement through recognition and appreciation
- Celebrate staff birthdays, work anniversaries, and other achievements
- Show training videos
- Employee spotlights
- Interactive polls for staff to anonymously complete
- Expands internal communications
- Allows staff to retrain and re-skill in key trainings
- Helps leaders learn more about staff
- Encourages employees to do work harder
- Increases productivity
Make Email the Second Option For Communication By Putting Bright and Noticeable Digital Signage First!
There’s no doubt that it’s hard to miss digital signage because of its bright LED/LCD screens in eye-catching colors and updates that can be made within a couple of clicks. Digital signage is taking over corporations and replacing how mundane emails can be by broadcasting announcements, work events, reminders, and even highlighting staff and their achievements.
With so many unique benefits to digital signage and content management systems combined, consider implementing Shift into the workplace to revolutionize how corporations communicate with one another!
