digital signage

5 things to consider when choosing a digital signage provider

Choosing a digital signage provider can be a tricky business. There’s literally thousands of options worldwide each with their own unique selling points and pitches. But, in reality, many of them are using the same technology, provide the same features….at least on paper.

This short guide provides you with the key things to look out for when choosing a provider and avoiding the pitfalls;

1. How easy is it to use (in reality) for non-technical users?

A problem faced by many ‘designated’ users. If the platform is tricky to navigate, then someone in the operations team will take on sole responsibility. So make sure you see and can test the ACTUAL user interface before signing up. If they don’t show it on their website, or it looks a bit complex during the demo, it probably isn’t suitable for non-technical users and should be avoided.

2. Are you tied into a long contract?

If the only option is a long term contract then this should raise some red flags. Go for flexibility until you know exactly how well the system works for you and your team.

3. What is the technical support and personal service like?

If there are any issues, how quickly do they respond and how personal is the approach by the support team. This can be discovered in the first few months of the digital signage install or by contacting case study references and their current clients.

Is there an expensive call-out fee for on-site maintenance? If so, that’s another red flag.

4. How scalable is the hardware?

If the hardware runs on Windows it will likely be expensive to replace and be less efficient when running 24/7, causing issues down the line. The hardware should be low cost but robust – there’s no reason why digital signage hardware should be expensive these days (more than £200 per media player unit).

5. Is the software over-engineered for your purpose?

The vast majority of digital signage customers just want an easy-to-use, low cost, reliable, platform that is modern in design and flexible. This is available but some of the market leaders have legacy systems that haven’t allowed for these design principles. Avoid over-complex content management systems that always result in more issues. Trust us on this!

After seeing the pain caused by many digital signage solutions, at Hawkr we’ve made things simple. We’ve used the latest web-based technologies with an API driven, modular design to create a product that is, well…..

Simple. Flexible. Scalable. Intuitive.

Contact us to arrange a demo today.

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