It turns out, I regret to admit, that failure is an option when implementing a digital signage project. Although I don’t believe for a moment that a client starts out with failure in mind, it seems projects can unwittingly get underway with strong “failure potential.”
As advisors and sales professionals, we are often sidelined by customers’ decisions that ignore some basic fundamentals—building blocks that we know from experience will lead to solid digital signage projects. In short, it seems they “do not listen.” That’s why the best professional advice is that it is important and necessary for integrators to educate their clients.
When we dig deeper into common ways projects get off track and even fail and contrast these failed strategies with effective strategies we have learned over time, there are definable steps that lead to successful projects. However, one of the most compelling steps in our control is the benefit of educating our clients and its effect on project outcome. Our customers need new frameworks for decision-making and new tools to measure the implications of each one of the definable decisions that make up a project.
The earlier we begin to educate our clients about what a successful project looks like, the better equipped they are at weaving these concepts into discussions with their team as well as setting goals and expectations.
The earlier we begin to educate our clients about what a successful project looks like, the better equipped they are at weaving these concepts into discussions with their team as well as setting goals and expectations. These practices make it easier to generate the teamwork and enthusiasm that is required for the project and directly impacts result.
Educating our clients helps them navigate their organizational budgets, particularly when competing goals and directives are entertained. We find we are most successful and the process is more enjoyable when we become an experienced resource that our customers can leverage toward a shared goal of defining a solid plan to deliver a successful ongoing project.
As we take a closer look at completed projects—both the good and bad—it is easy to pinpoint the decisions and their effects both positive and negative on a digital signage roll out. The following are just some of the issues that can balloon out of control if we fail to educate our clients:
1.) Understand the factors that keep customers from developing a solid vision and good budgeting practices for their project.
2.) Help customers grasp the tradeoff of performance and price when scoping the project hardware and support requirements for their roll out.
3.) Provide clear information on performance and price with the desired content outcome in the delivery of a signage vision.
Throughout the selling and education process we find our clients can begin to create an accurate vision of their finished projects. They can understand and communicate deliverables around implementation and plan and define how they will scale their solution over time.
When we educate the teams responsible for developing content very early in the process, we find they can make the compelling argument for the correct processing power to support their internal collective vision that directly impact the budgeting process. We find the better we are at helping our clients create a vision early on, understanding the guiding principles to support this vision the better are our delivered solutions and customer satisfaction.
We continue to strive to help clients work collaboratively within their organizations and to gain every advantage their digital signage implementation can provide. If we find our customers are not listening, it just may be we need to take a few steps back and help paint a new vision for their projects that they can understand and build on.
Author Theresa Robbins will present “Why It Seems Customers Don’t Listen and Why They Fail,” at DSE 2016 on March 17 from 8-9am at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information on this or any educational program offered at DSE 2016.
Theresa Robbins, owner of video integration specialist Axcess Video Corporation, is a 20-year industry veteran. She founded Axcess Video in 2005 with a mission to be a leading provider of collaborative integrated communication solutions for the commercial business, government, education and healthcare markets. Focused on creating and implementing well-designed, simple to use and easily scaled solutions. “We help our clients with solutions that encourage creativity, collaboration and communication across the enterprise”. Clear focus has provided remarkable growth and success in the digital signage/messaging and wayfinding space. Axcess Video’s designs reflect a long term perspective, clear understanding of available technologies, emerging standards to help their customers protect their investments.
