News

Marlin Co. gets patent for QR codes and digital signage in the workplace

August 27, 2013

Wallingford, Conn.-based The Marlin Co. has been granted its third patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,516,527) for displaying QR codes on digital signage, the company announced.

Marlin is a specialist in providing digital signage solutions for the workplace designed to enable companies to engage, inform and motivate employees with dynamic animated content. Screens are typically located in common areas such as cafeterias and break rooms where employees congregate, and Marlin introduced the QR functionality to create an interactive experience between the screens and employees with smartphones and tablets, according to the announcement.

Marlin's content management software enables users to add a QR code to a memo, chart or PowerPoint to be displayed on the screen. The code can be scanned using any smart device with a QR scanner app. When employees scan the QR code they can be directed to additional information or the opportunity to provide feedback. For example, a job posting can be displayed in a memo with a QR Code. By scanning the code, the employee can learn of the job description details. QR Codes can also link to text documents, websites, emails and surveys.

"Effective communication in the workplace is all about engagement," The Marlin Co. President Frank Kenna III said in the announcement. "Digital signage offers a great platform for visual communication, which is highly effective at getting employees' attention. QR codes take the experience to the next level by encouraging employees to interact with the content. Employers benefit by gathering important feedback from employees. In a recent survey that we conducted with our users, 67 percent said that receiving feedback was extremely important to them. The days of top-down communication are over. It's our job as managers to create a forum for two-way conversation with our employees."

Learn more about digital signage and corporate communications.