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New partnership between Pompe Média and ITESMEDIA

ITESMEDIA and Pompe Média have joined forces to create a unique project in the province of Quebec.

On January 16th, we proceeded with the first installation of digital signage monitors on gasoline pumps in Montreal North.

The challenge was to operate the equipment outdoors with the extreme temperatures we are experiencing in the city. Read our last article on the subject: How does outdoor digital signage survive Québec’s winter? We also installed our software solution to manage the content displayed on these screens.

This project will reach thousands of drivers every week. Pompe Média plans to expand its network nationwide to have a wider reach.

Congratulations to our client Pompe Média for this innovative project.

A few pictures of the project:

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Using Digital Signage: Food Service Industry

As we previously discussed in the first article of this series, the real estate industry is increasingly using digital signage to communicate with clients. In the same line of thoughts, we would like to give you another example of the use of dynamic digital display but this time, in the food service industry.

In recent years, you may have noticed the rising number of digital screens in restaurants. Many fast food chains now use digital screens. Initially, these screens were used in restaurants to broadcast the menu just over the cash registers. It was an innovation for several reasons: the colors were dynamic, people had a sense of novelty and the paper menus were replaced for something greener.

Easy to update and with infinite possibilities

Nowadays, the digital screens still serve the same purpose, but many new features are available. You can make your screen dynamic with scrolling menus; you can adapt the content of your screens based on the time of the day (breakfast, lunch or dinner); and as a restaurant owner or manager, you can easily change prices or feature specials or on sale items by updating your screens.

Dynamize your screens with tactile use for customers

You can also get touch screens and invite your customers to place their orders by themselves. This feature is recent, but is already very popular in fast food restaurants. With this type of screen, customers can go so far as to pay for their order without the help of a cashier.

For customers, there is still a sense of novelty and autonomy and it allows the restaurant owner to use more staff to execute orders in the kitchen. These screens are particularly helpful during high traffic periods and help the restaurant run more efficiently. Here’s an example of a restaurant located in a touristy region of Québec who wanted to dynamize the presentation of the menu.

Click here to see the screens above in live see

To finish, there are so many ways to use digital screens in the food service industry. You can get an interactive screen so that your customers can place and pay for their order at once, allowing you to use more staff in the kitchen, or display a different menu based on the time of the day, or feature your specials or on sale items in a dynamic way.

Feel free to contact us for a demonstration at your office.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have!

Phone (toll-free): 1 866 553-5462 Ext .: 250

Email: click here

How does outdoor digital signage survive Québec’s winter ?

Outdoor digital signage is a very effective way to reach a broad audience. During summer, things are simple because of the mild weather conditions which help the screens and the installations function properly. However, several factors can affect your installations during the winter season. For this reason, we decided to write an article to help you understand how outdoor digital signage holds up during the winter season.

1 – Product quality

Quality is the most important factor to take into consideration when buying your screens and installations. Knowing that you will install them in a location where weather conditions are changing and can sometimes be hostile (cold, humidity, extreme heat, etc.), it is important to invest in a good product that can withstand such changes in temperature. We suggest that you seek advice from an expert in the industry who will fully understand your needs and present you with quality products that can withstand the four seasons.

A high quality display has a built-in ventilation system to prevent moisture damage. Outdoor screens installed in Las Vegas (extreme heat conditions, prolonged exposure to the sun) and outdoor screens installed in Québec may seem similar at first sight, but the one located in Québec will have to withstand the harshness of winter and must therefore be heated and better ventilated . A screen designed to operate in extreme conditions will be waterproof and insulated to prevent damages from water, cold, sun exposure, extreme heat and other natural phenomena.

Also, it is important to buy a screen with strong luminance (brightness) so that people looking at its content are able to see what is being broadcast even when the monitor is directly facing powerful sunlight. If your screen is not suitable for the outdoor (but is a quality product), you won’t be able to see the content displayed on the monitor. You can test it with your smartphone or your laptop; you can barely see the content. Note that the minimum recommended brightness for an outdoor screen is 2500 NITS.

2 – Remotely control your screens

Get an operating system that will allow you to control your screens from your computer. This way, you will be able to know immediately when a problem comes up. Most of the time, you can fix a problem directly from your computer. It’s important to know at all times what is happening on your screens and to keep control of it. In addition, you can change the content of your screens from your computer. For example, if your screens are located in a ski resort, you can inform the skiers of the next weather alert.

3 – The installation of a protective housing

To ensure that your screens are well protected outside, you must have a heated and ventilated protective box covering each screen. The protective housing has to be transparent and very rigid as it must resist heat, frost, snow, rain, wind. etc. It will act as a shield for the screen which we want to protect as much possible. Moreover, with such protection, your eoutdoor digital displays are less likely to be vandalized or stolen. It is better that the protective housing be damaged rather than your screens.

To sum up, if you decide to invest in outdoor digital signage, make sure to do your research beforehand. It is important to take into consideration the orientation of your screen, the level of brightness, the vibrations in the ground, the weather conditions and the risks of vandalism. Also, a very crucial yet often forgotten detail: make sure to have access to electricity and the Internet!

If you have any questions about outdoor digital signage, do not hesitate to contact an expert!

By phone (toll free): 1 866 553-5462 ext: 251

By email : Click here

Using Digital Signage: Real Estate Offices

Nowadays, we notice that digital signage has a significant impact in several fields. Therefore we thought pertinent to write a series of articles on its many aspects. This article is the first of the series and focuses on digital signage in the field of real estate.

The real estate market is a field that has evolved tremendously in recent years, especially from a technological point of view. Most brokers are now active on social media and offer digital content such as photos and virtual tours knowing that prospective buyers and sellers spend a lot of time doing research on the Internet before contacting a broker. As a result, real estate offices experienced a significant decline in ridership. Consequently, agency owners had no choice but to modernize and enhance their promotional tools.

How to attract potential clients

Below is an example of a screen installed in the window of a broker’s office located in Montreal *. This office relies on the increased traffic of the street and uses the great power of attraction of high luminosity screen to draw customers inside.

No effort required updating the screens

In addition to the power of attraction of the screens, an undeniable advantage of the digital display compared to the paper display, resides in the automatic updating of the screens. Technology allows you to collect all the data about your properties for sale in databases. The photos, the number of rooms, the price and the information to contact the broker can be displayed without any human intervention.

Displaying properties according to the office’s location

Another advantage of digital signage is that, depending on the location of your screen, you can view the properties of a specific neighbourhood and thus define your target. In other words, you can adapt the content of a screen according to its geographic location and the average budget of the residents of the targeted neighbourhood. In addition, you can modify the data presented on your screen at any time and promote properties that have changed selling prices or that have been sold.

Take a look at a live screen by clicking here.

Finally, digital signage is a form of advertising that offers infinite possibilities for your agency. The number of potential customers grows considerably given that a screen installed in your office window is far-reaching. Use this screen strategically by adapting its content according to its location (target neighbourhood and clientele). The quick and easy updating also allows you to renew its content to continually attract the attention of passers-by.

If this article inspired you to use digital signage, we invite you to contact us to schedule an online demonstration.

We are at your disposal! We are happy to answer your questions.

By phone (toll-free): 1 866 553-5462 ext.: 251

By email: Click here

Why did we migrate to Microsoft Azure?

ITESMEDIA has decided to go ahead and migrate its servers to the Microsoft Azure CLOUD. Every year, we strive to provide a high quality service to our customers so they can get the most benefits out of it. As a customer of ITESMEDIA, you have a guaranteed access to the latest updates of the applications you use.

“A significant part of our income is invested in the improvement of our software suite,” says Richard Fortin, CEO at ITESMEDIA. “Migrating our servers to Microsoft Azure is a part of our strategic plan to strengthen our leadership position in digital signage over the country.”

Here are 4 reasons why we are making this technological investment:

1- Protecting our customers’ data

Over the past 18 months, ITESMEDIA has redoubled its efforts to improve the protection of its customers’ data.

First, we set up a strengthened encryption methodology. Then, we decided to move our servers to Microsoft Azure. We made this decision because Microsoft is the first CLOUD supplier to adopt the new international standard ISO 27018 regarding privacy in the CLOUD.

2- Trusting an approved CLOUD service

The Azure solution has been designed to handle all workloads. More than 66% of Fortune 500 companies rely on Azure, which offers SLA contracts as well as technical support and an analysis of how services run continuously.

3- Business continuity

Microsoft Azure offers a plan for its users to access their applications and data at any time. If you are out of office without access to your computer, you can still recover your data because it safely lives on the CLOUD. This is business continuity and it’s the reason why ITESMEDIA stores the data of its customers on Azure.

4- The evolution of servers according to the growth of the company

By using Microsoft Azure, ITESMEDIA ensures that its servers are always able to meet the highest demand for its web applications at any time. In other words, we migrated to Azure to offer a robust and flexible infrastructure that will be available at all times.

Because Azure is simple and safe, ITESMEDIA moved its servers to this CLOUD. Our company wanted our data as well as our customer’s data to be safe (in terms of backup and confidentiality). While other CLOUDS are more at risk with regards to data piracy, Azure is the only one to have adopted the new ISO 27018 international standard.

If you have to deal with a digital display situation during a trip or if your computers and monitors are broken, you can always find your data. We wanted to provide our customers an easy way to work from anywhere at any time. In this way, Azure is useful if your business runs in different countries or cities.

We are here to help! Rest assured that we are always there to answer your questions about this change.

Toll-free : 1 866 553-5462 Ext.: 251

By email : Click here

Business innovation using digital signage (Part 2)

Now that you know some different ways to improve your company’s internal communications (see part 1 of the article), let’s focus on ways to improve communications with your customers. This article offers you 3 different ways to do it, using digital display.

Communicating Performance Indicators

Communicating your performance indicators is important for both your employees and your customers, but for different reasons. As we saw in the article about the importance of communicating your performance indicators to your employees, you can also keep your customers informed about important data. The goal is to expose customers to statistics that could apply in their respective companies.

We took the example of shipment numbers, but you could also display a table of quality control data or keep track of a project’s development. You can also disclose your statistics about the number of workplace accidents to your clients. Show that your facilities are safe and that you care about the safety of your employees.

Providing Educational Content

In your waiting area, use your screens to promote your business. Use this space to tell the story of the company, expose its values, present its builders, etc. Also offer games with choice of answer on your screens in order to make your clients’ wait more enjoyable. They will learn more about your company and will recognize themselves in some of the answers.

Video capsules can also be used to broadcast news or information. If your company participates in charitable activities, sponsors an event or unveils its new infrastructure, for example, you need to let everybody know! Your customers want to see your achievements. They want to see that your company is involved in its environment.

Introduce Your Employees to the Customers

Your clients always like to know who is dealing with their file, who works for them. On your screens, you can talk about some employees. Explain what they actually do in your company, what projects they are working on, their actions and their implication. A video capsule of these employees can also be displayed so that they tell their own story.

Try to introduce each of your employees and alternate the broadcast. You will have diversified content that your customer base is not likely to see twice. This method helps to humanize the work that is done and to highlight the work of your employees. It is a winning combination for both your clients and your employees as it shows your appreciation for the work done.

With these two articles on the different methods to innovate in your communications (internal and with your customers), you can see that the methods are similar for both types. However, even if the form is similar, the content must be different. The most important is to tailor your message to the target audience; customers or employees. Data and information is not seen the same way by everyone. The goal is to capture everyone’s attention and produce quality content that they will remember.

Business innovation using digital signage (Part 1)

This article is the first in a series of two about business innovation using digital display. Communication is a key element for any company that wants to stand out from the rest. Yet most of them still use old methods and don’t want to take advantage of the new technologies now available to communicate with their employees. This article gives you 5 different ways to improve communication within your company using digital display.

1. Communicating performance indicators

As we saw in our last article, communicating performance indicators is important. In addition to all the benefits mentioned, it should not be forgotten that communicating performance indicators shows a great deal of transparency towards employees. More and more companies are seeing improvements in employee commitment and productivity as a result of sharing certain information about the company. An employee who feels involved in the business will perform much better in the long run.

2. Preventing accidents

You can also use your screens for prevention purposes. Provide employees with a variety of tips to help them work effectively without getting injured. Here is an entire article talks about this subject. You also want to provide numbers and statistics to your employees so that they feel more concerned. Being aware of accidents and “near-misses” that happened in the past will most likely encourage employees to be more careful in their way of working. Don’t forget that the costs related to an accident at work are very high, more than $ 38,000 per accident according to the IRSST. That is one more reason to innovate in our ways of preventing them.

3. Display information in real time

Dynamic digital display also innovates by its speed. You can now broadcast messages in real time to your employees. You can use your screens to disseminate information that needs to be communicated quickly, such as water damage in one of your factories or an event coming up. These messages will be communicated dynamically, using the screen, and are most likely to have an impact than a sheet on the wall or a document distributed to each department.

In the same vein, I advise you to read this article: 5 good reasons to use dynamic digital signage in a factory.

4. Switching from paper to digital

Now, let’s talk about the transition from paper to digital. Today, everything can be done using digital. In addition of doing your part for the environment by reducing your company’s paper consumption, you increase your chances of getting your message across. A paper communication takes a while to spread (printing and distribution delays) and is static. You will not reach a maximum number of people because they will read the message only once before discarding the paper and no longer being exposed to what you had to communicate.

Using your screens, you can expose your audience more than once, unlike paper. You can customize your message. Make it attractive, captivating, and flashy so that your employees can notice it. A screen is much more dynamic than a sheet of paper; it allows you to add color, videos, photos, animations, etc. Use your screens to their full potential to maximize the efficiency of your message!

5. Providing educational content

Your screens can also provide educational content related to your business sector. You can adapt and display your message in different forms: questions and answers, quizzes, video capsules, fun facts, etc. This type of communication exposes your employees to ongoing training, in a much more interesting way than the usual formations. Workers will be more focused and receptive to the displayed messages if they feel they are learning something quickly. You know employees are interested to the content if they are constantly taking a look at the screens.

The best way to communicate in your company is by adapting to new trends. Communicating with your employees is paramount to the good health of your company. Digital display is an essential tool to reduce your paper consumption and reach all of your employees very easily. With your screens, your only limits are your imagination and your creativity!

Read the second part of this article by following this link

The 5 digital signage best practices

Knowing your objectives

Above all, you must know why you want to use dynamic digital display in the company. It is by determining clear objectives that you can use the network at its full potential. It will also be easier to evaluate results if precise goals are set. It is by addressing certain needs to be met that you will see the benefits of using this strategy.

Communication is an essential element in any kind of company and can be facilitated through dynamic digital display. You can share information with employees easily, without any loss of time. Businesses want their service to be faster and interactive. More and more restaurants, for example, are adding interactive menus or digital billboards to enhance customer experience. In other environments, companies are using this tool to further motivate their employees by keeping them involved in the development of the business.

Having a good content strategy

Once the objectives are targeted, the focus shifts to content strategy. There are tons of ways to display information on the screens. You have to choose a specific template that will effectively disseminate the digital content. In fact, the size of each diffusion zone needs to be defined. A few aspects can be seen on the monitors: the main message to communicate in words or images, news that would scroll at the bottom of the screen, the weather display, the frequency at which information is shown, etc. For example, in a factory where workers are predominantly male, sports news at the bottom of the screens would be a good option. On the other hand, a major newspaper’s offices would more likely spread last minute headlines on different monitors. In the example below, educational content and important messages appear in the main area, the news and weather are shown in the secondary area.

These elements have to be adjusted according to the type of environment and customer. This way, you make sure to capture people’s attention while conveying messages. It is all about knowing the environment and adapting the information displayed to customers, employees or passers-by.

Choosing and placing the equipment strategically

Now that the content strategy is in place, you must address some important technical aspects. Screen location is a key element for attracting maximum attention to the information displayed. Specifically, it is more logical to place the screens in a waiting room or in a rest area than in a busy hallway, for example. Of course, content must be clearly visible and easy to understand. You need to go with meaningful words or short video clips rather than long explanations that may discourage viewers.

Other technicalities should be considered, such as screen size and quantity. Do you want to place small screens knowing that the persons concerned are far from the content, for example? It goes without saying that the size of the content must be adapted depending on the proximity level between the screens and the viewers. If the equipment is outdoors, the brightness should be adjusted accordingly so that the information remains clearly visible despite daylight. These are all small details, but they are essential for a proper usage of dynamic digital display.

Finding the right dynamic digital display software

All kinds of software are available on the market. The features vary from one to another, some provide several customizable templates, and others are better at automatizing content, for instance. Therefore, according to your needs, software selection is crucial. If you want to be able to frequently modify the information displayed, it would be logical to choose multiplatform software that allows you to make adjustments easily with a cell phone or any other device connected to the network.

Also, some software can connect to business database and automatically display real time content. If you want to make a more commercial usage of dynamic digital display, where the content does not change very often, you will look for other qualities. Indeed, you should turn to easy to use software that provides an attractive visual content with high-quality display. Another interesting aspect to consider is the availability of technical assistance, which can guide you in the operation of the software. Again, objectives have to be clear in order to make wise choices, depending on your needs. To help you throughout the decision process, have a look at our two part article: Free or paid digital display software?

Broadcasting meaningful and dynamic content

Once objectives, equipment and software have all been chosen, it is important not to overlook the main content to be broadcasted. The information displayed should mean something to people targeted by the message. For example, as far as prevention is concerned, displaying revealing video footage is a great way to influence the environment.

It is essential that the content remains the center piece on the screens. In other words, it would be a shame to spend too much time on the layout and forget what message you really wish to spread.

Do not forget that no matter the screens size, their location or the choice of software, content is the most important aspect for reaching effective communication within the company.

How to prevent work-related accidents with digital dynamic display?

Too often, we hear reports about work-related accidents in the media. However, the government has intensified efforts in the past, just think of its advertising campaign with Claude Legault. Despite all this, many companies don’t do enough to prevent accidents in the workplace. With all means available to prevent these tragic events, it is unfortunate to note that still far too many people come home injured at the end of the day, or even worse, simply never come back.

Work-related accidents statistics[1] :

Last year in Quebec, no less than 224 workers were injured every day, almost 82 000 workers have been victims of an accident at work during the year and 69 of them died. In addition, 127 workers died from occupational diseases. It is easy to believe that many of them could have been saved with more effective prevention in the company.

First we will see how to use digital dynamic display within the company, then, how to ensure that the content has an impact on employees, and finally, how to make this tool even more efficient, thanks to the display of production data in real time.

A great way to do prevention among your employees

CNESST (standards, equity, health and safety at work commission) never says it enough; prevention is the key to prevent most accidents. But what is the best way to disseminate information related to prevention? The use of digital dynamic display screens is a very attractive solution to meet this need. You can show information related to the importance of safety at work to employees using productivity data in the enterprise, messages that you want to transmit instantly in the work environment, and much more.

With a strategic arrangement of screens, employees will be exposed to the broadcast content and it will be much easier to do prevention with a picture, a video or an educational capsule. The digital display gives a quick and easy way to communicate within the company. It is also much more attractive than some sign on the wall.

How to ensure that the monitors don’t fall into oblivion?

To ensure that the content presented on the screens is viewed and understood by employees, several aspects must be considered. You must obviously choose information that directly concerns the workplace, but you have to look further to optimize the use of digital dynamic display. In this sense, you need to wonder if weather has to appear on the screen, or if you would like the news to scroll at the bottom of it. Perhaps it will be by presenting sports news that you will attract employees looks on the monitors. Of course, the arrangement of all the visible content on the screens must be done very well for it to be pleasant to watch.

By knowing your employees, you will be able to capture their attention to increase the frequency with which they peak at the information you want them to know. On the other hand, you have to make sure that the main message occupies the largest place on the monitors. In short, by choosing a revealing primary content and embellishing it with additional information, you have a tool in digital dynamic display that will make its place quickly in the daily routine of your employees. So make sure to have a good content strategy before launching your digital display project.

Improve your employees’ commitment with the display of real-time data

Another way to keep the attention of employees is by broadcasting production data in real time (number of shipped orders, completion percentage of monthly targets, accurate statistics, etc.). In addition to keeping their motivation level high, it increases their commitment to their work. Whatever the business, one cannot overlook the importance of motivation. Digital dynamic display offers the possibility to place the employee at the center of his achievements and make his work more meaningful. Indeed, you can ensure to give concreteness to the tasks performed. Take the example of a factory specializing in manufacturing auto parts. In this case, it’s much more interesting for an employee to be able, in real time, to know how many parts have been designed in the last week or even in the current day. If, however, he does his job without knowing what happens with the final product, he may feel less involved in the success of the company.

Consult our complete article on how to increase employe commitment with dynamic digital signage

With the real-time display, you show transparency with the employees by presenting information that is judged relevant. Moreover, you gain a lot of time with this approach, considering that the data is known to the minute. Therefore, there is no need to call people to a meeting, for example, to inform them of things that can be disseminated instantly in the work environment. It is a technology which truly allows better communication with employees and helps in the prevention of work-related accidents by educating and placing the staff at the center of the company’s activities.

Nowadays, people are on the lookout for different technologies and can be easily stimulated by a well-designed digital content. Of course, we won’t eliminate all workplace accidents through prevention done with the digital dynamic display. Nonetheless, it is certainly an effective way to take a big step forward in the change of mentality that we want to see within companies.

[1] http://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/salle-de-presse/Documents/Jour-de-deuil-2016.pdf

How can digital signage increase the income of your real estate office?

Today, it is increasingly difficult to capture the attention of people and yet the advertising always has a high cost. A real estate broker has no choice, he must make a minimum of advertising if he wants to sell. A new tool is currently changing the game for brokers: dynamic digital display. It allows them to attract new buyers and help visitors in their research. Dynamic digital display can actually help real estate office at driving up revenues.

Increasing your income

When a prospective buyer is in your office, it is the perfect opportunity to showcase your properties on screens. You make sure to have his attention on your product. Indeed, the chances of concluding a transaction are much higher this way, with the client constantly looking at properties that he might like. You may lose his interest and he will surely start looking elsewhere if the product isn’t shown directly to him.

There is no loss of time in selecting the content and media on which you are going to advertise. It is a simple and effective solution that brings real results. We are no longer talking about placing advertisements in documents distributed to homes that people hardly ever open. Rather, it is a strategy in line with today’s reality.

Customizing the screen in an intuitive way

The screen is divided into several zones. Generally, the time and temperature are at the bottom of the screen. Then we find the name of your real estate agency in the upper left corner, which is very important to remind future buyers of who you are. Moreover, in the bottom of your screen, you can sell advertising space, providing some income. So if your information is arranged effectively, you have great chances to catch the eye of passers-by, who may become customers.

Finding advertisers

Some providers are helping you throughout the process, either to find advertisers or to create the content appearing on the screens. When speaking of advertisers, your provider may suggest some people to contact, give you a price list so that you have an idea of how much the space his worth, etc. So you can effectively manage the content found on your screens and make it interesting for both you and buyers.

Placing a screen in a showcase

If your screen is in a showcase, it is better to make the property the center of attention and add some general information. This is the best way to give visibility to your property and if people are interested, they will take a closer look or even come into your office for more details.

Touchscreen or not inside the office

You can put two properties one next to the other with the broker’s name, photograph and contact information to join. There’s also important information to add and obviously the images of the properties which need to be there. You can afford to display both at once because your clients are close to them. There is also the option to scroll through a list of homes on the screen. The advantage with a touchscreen is to make it an interactive experience for the customer. He can click on a property that arouses interest, or otherwise, skip to the next.

In addition, you can control the frequency at which a property is displayed on the screen to highlight the ones you really want to promote.

In short, the digital display is a very important asset in order to make low cost interactive advertising and is very effective in attracting people’s attention.

What are you waiting for? Start using a simple way to increase your visibility really fast.