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Digital signage boosts internal communications

Getting out information to employees quickly and effectively can be a major challenge. The San Bernardino County Department of Child Support Services used digital signage to make it easier.

Photo: provided

May 28, 2021 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Many managers have had the unfortunate experience of sending out an important email only for a significant portion of employees to not read it. It is incredibly challenging to deliver effective internal communications for employees, especially when the organization has multiple locations.

The San Bernardino County Department of Child Support Services, for example, had trouble getting out all of its information to employees in an effective manner.

"The department needed a means to disseminate a variety of informational content to employees across multiple physical localities in a way that was both easy to manage and easy for employees to see and ingest the information," Timoney Stewart, systems analyst, Child Support Services, said in an email. "When this information was emailed, it often went unread and employees were less aware of things that were going on within the department."

In order to address this issue, the department turned to digital signage, in particular Carousel Digital Signage's cloud solution.

"Digital signage gets around email and Sharepoint fatigue by simplifying the presentation, requiring less effort on the part of staff to take in the information," Stewart said. "With displays thoughtfully placed around the office spaces, employees are more likely to be compelled to read it."

The department used this platform to keep staff up-to-date on current events, programs and business information, Stewart said.

As a cloud-based platform, the solution can deliver more seamless updates and users can access the network from any location or device, Amber Ward, creative director at Carousel, said in an email.

In addition to this main feature, the solution also comes with user management tools so that administrators have control over what content posts and when.

"We believe the more people that can help contribute content to a digital signage system the better," Ward said. "That's why user management is so important. Set up a role for a user and define what permissions that user has. Carousel's approval workflow will hold content created from users until an administrator approves it so nothing goes out the door unexpectedly."

In order to successfully take advantage of a digital signage system for employees Stewart recommended companies identify a set of needs it would fulfill. In addition, he also said you should have high quality content that your employees will want to look at as well as carefully consider the placement of the display.

"Make sure your display locations are well thought out. Choose busy traffic locations, as well as locations where staff tend to dwell for longer periods of time, such as break rooms or large open office areas," Stewart said.

Ward recommended that organizations choose one digital signage platform to use across all departments, and to give each individual "rights and control over messaging."

For example, with government services, Ward said, "the courts, parks and recreation, human services and city council can all be managed together, providing seamless communication across the board."

In order to ensure the digital signage is effective, organizations will need to use it to celebrate employees, not just push out information.

"Users can easily and clearly display waiting queues, safety information and employee achievements that keep both employees and customers in the loop. Digital signage can also create a sense of community as it that brings people together and keeps them connected as a society," Ward said.

About Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

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