Last week we reported that improving the customer experience ranked highest in a 2016 survey of retailers by DigitalSignageToday.com.
Let’s look at this from the perspective of higher education. When colleges and universities were asked which applications they favored for digital signage, 100% said ‘campus news and announcements,’ with 78% following with ‘emergency notification messaging.’
Students are certainly familiar with getting information from screens, and digital signage is widely being used even outside the classroom to improve the student/staff/visitor experience. Here are some examples.
At entryways and exits, digital signage can provide wayfinding information to help people navigate around campus without confusion. Touchscreen-enabled displays go a step further in personalization by providing interactive functions.
In dormitories, student centers, faculty lounges, lobbies and other common areas digital signage is very effective for displaying news, weather and university happenings in real time. Here you have a bit more time to attract and hold attention and therefore, gain the most exposure.
Digital signage can help increase event participation. Integrate your university’s calendaring system with your digital signage software and promote events campus-wide. Update event information in one location and all networked displays will show the changes automatically.
Much like with quick-service and fast casual restaurants, digital signage is ideal for campus cafeterias to display menus and daily specials, and promote healthy choices with nutritional information. Menus can be updated and swapped easily with free software such as LG’s SuperSign™.
Small displays placed outside of lecture halls, classrooms and meeting rooms can help ensure everyone finds what they’re looking for on time and sees any schedule updates.
Use digital signage to highlight the local community and generate revenue with third-party advertising. Is there a popular café, eatery or theater in town? Offer to promote them for a reasonable fee. A small business will quickly see the value in advertising their goods and services to a campus full of students.
And in case of emergency, digital signage is a powerful strategy for instant alerts and information. Your emergency announcement could immediately appear on all the networked displays across the campus and provide instructions and updates as they become available.