Electronic Signs

This post originally appeared on Paul Barton's "

1. Strategic communications help a business achieve its objectives. That is their purpose.
2. Effective communications are those that produce measurable results and they can be a competitive differentiator.
   
3. There are costs associated with communicating, but there can be costs associated with not communicating as well. Internal communications seek cost-effective and creative solutions to solve complex communications challenges.
4. Employees are drowning in information, but starving for understanding. Our job is to make the important interesting.
5. Credibility is the foundation upon which effective communication is built. Unless it is believed, a message has no worth.
6. Face-to-face communication is the most desirable form of communication because it is immediate, personal and interactive. Most employees say their immediate supervisor is their preferred and most credible source of information about the business.
7. Communication is, by definition, a two-way process. Feedback mechanisms must be part of every employee communication.
8. Communication is a management responsibility. Internal Communications supports leaders by serving as consultants, facilitators and resource partners.
9. As in any effective strategy, form should follow function. The medium is the message.
10. Employees should learn of important events affecting them and their company from an internal source rather than an external source. Well-informed employees can serve as informal ambassadors of the company.
11. The more important the information is personally to the receiver, the fewer exposures are needed to make an impression. Make your communications relevant.
12. True effectiveness in communication is the ability to influence and change behavior. Changing behaviors is a long, slow process and therefore measurement of effective communications must be taken over time.
13. The case for change should be found in the marketplace. For change to occur, employees must move through these stages: awareness, understanding, acceptance and commitment. You cannot skip a step. Formal communications (particularly written communications) are most effective in promoting awareness and understanding. Informal communications (leader behaviors, unwritten rules, management decisions, openness, risk-taking tolerance, etc.) are necessary to reach full commitment.
14. External sources are defacto employee communications and therefore external messaging should be aligned with internal strategies. Likewise, employees are informal ambassadors of an organization and therefore internal messaging should be aligned with external strategies. Every internal communication should be written as if it will be read by the news media.
15. Rumors are created to fill communications voids. Fill those voids with valid information. A phrase like “Unfortunately, we have more questions than answers right now but we’re aware of the problem, we’re working on it and we’ll keep you updated with any news” goes a long ways to keep the rumor mill from grinding out of control.
16. Well-defined communication processes and procedures are the foundation for creativity. Key message libraries, templates, crisis plans, etc. free up time for creativity and continuous improvement.
17. The overall tone of employee communications directly reflects the relationship an organization has with its employees. The best tone for strategic communications is the Voice of the Brand, which is primarily what the company is but also what the company is striving to be.
18. With better information, better business decisions can be made. Employees need to understand the “what” and the “why” to be fully engaged.
19. Well-informed employees are more satisfied, more creative, more productive and more committed.
    
20. A common trait among successful companies is open and honest communications with all their key audiences, especially their employees.

1. Think of outcome, not output

   Focus on business outcomes, not simply on producing communication collateral. Use communication as a means to an end, not an end in itself. There’s a big difference between saying “who’s got some stories for this month’s team brief?” and asking “what’s the most important challenge for our organization this month? How can we use the team-briefing time to address it?” Resolve to ask your internal customers what their most pressing business goal is for 2012. Next, ask what employees need to know, feel and do differently to help meet that goal. Then, work out what you as a communicator can do to help increase people’s knowledge or understanding, influence their opinions and motivate them to take action.
   
   The big takeaway here is asking what employees need to know. Typically a lot of companies will determine this for employee instead of hearing from employees. 
   
   
2. Be a better business person
   Find out more about your industry, your organization’s plan for the coming year and the opportunities and challenges that may lie ahead. Get to know the most important performance measures and make sure you’re up to date on the results. Increase your business knowledge and you’ll enhance your credibility too.
   
   Simple things like understanding a balance sheet, income statement, productivity reports, etc. can help improve your street cred with your bosses. 
   
   
3. Choose tactics that’ll actually work

   Think about the last time you changed your opinion about something. Or a recent occasion when you were motivated to take action. Were you prompted by reading a web article? Or were you influenced perhaps by conversations with trusted friends or colleagues? Perhaps you heard a personal story that made you think? Next time you choose the tactics for a communication plan, don’t just fall into your usual habits. Think about what you can do that has some chance of impacting attitudes or behaviors.
   
   This is what I call the "how about" conversations. Stop doing the status quo and determine what will work best. Or better yet, create your own solution. 
   
   
4. Get to know employees better
   This year, resolve to spend less time at your desk and more time out there understanding what employees care about, who and what they listen to and trust, what’s getting in the way of them doing their jobs and how you can help. Ask their advice when you’re choosing communication tactics. Test out approaches before you put them into action. And get to know when a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t good enough.
   
   See #1. 
   
   
5. Speak like real people
   Please let this year be the one where we stop spouting meaningless corporate jargon. Talking about “streamlining operational propositions” or “moving forward with world class efficiencies” will only serve to drive a bigger gap between leaders and employees. Be the person who asks the stupid questions about what things really mean. And be aware when you really are becoming a spin doctor, in danger of fudging the facts and trying to put a positive slant on events, when the right thing would be to tell it as it is.
   
   We all know better than to speak in corporate lingo, but we still get sucked in. This year, don't get sucked in. Avoid using the word "paradigm." 
   
   
6. Measure something that matters
   So employees like your newsletter and you know what the hit rates were on your last intranet article. What difference does it make? Go back to the business goal you were trying to achieve. What actions were you trying to influence people to take to move the organization nearer to the goal? In what way were you inviting them to reconsider their attitudes? Where were you aiming to increase their knowledge? Find out whether you succeeded and how much of a difference you made. Measure activities that actually have an impact on business results.
   
   This is one of those "easier said than done" situations. Measuring internal communications is important but also very tricky. Work closely with your managers and leadership to define "what matters." Get their buy-in. 
   
   
7. Ask what you can do differently to increase your influence
   Next time you find yourself complaining your leader isn’t listening to you or won’t do what you want, don’t focus on that list of 10 things you wish they’d do differently. Ask yourself what you’re doing that’s contributing to the situation. Find at least one thing you could do differently to improve it. Start by looking at things from their perspective. If you were them, why would you be behaving this way? What would be leading you to think as you do? And what could that person in the internal communication team do to help make things easier?
   
   Having executive support is important. If you don't have it, go get it. The right leader can be a trail blazer for you.
   
   
8. Make this year count

   Probably the biggest thing I’ve learnt over the years is that there’s a difference between “being busy” and using communication to achieve a result and actually getting a result for your organization and the people in it. If your leaders question whether you’re adding value, to be honest, there’s probably a reason for it. Make this the year you can say you made a positive difference.
   
   Now's the time to start over with a clean slate. If you want to do things differently, no better time to start than now. 

I’m extremely proud to post that Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing team have taken the championship title in this year’s national “World of Outlaws” sprint car racing circuit.  This is a great achievement in and of itself – but what makes it “outstanding” is that the team has won back-to-back championship titles! A hearty, and highly deserved “congratulations” goes out to the entire team and car #14 driver Jason Meyers from the MediaTile team. MediaTile is a proud sponsor of California native Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing Team. 

So what’s behind the win? Obviously, a huge amount of talent, passion, energy, focus, effort, commitment and most importantly TEAMWORK! It is this same passion, dedication and teamwork that drives MediaTile to develop and deliver innovative, and award winning interactive digital signage solutions like our HumanKiosk. 

Without a strong and committed team, and our extended team of eco-system partners that include leading carriers, integrators, hardware suppliers, and service companies, we would not be able to provide our customers with award-winning products and services. We congratulate Jason Meyers and the Elite Racing team for their back-to-back championships, and for once again reminding us all what it really takes to win – absolute commitment and teamwork!

Mike Foster, CMO, Co-Founder of MediaTile, 
and the entire MediaTile Team

It’s another exciting day for MediaTile and our MediaCast Video Presence system that powers HumanKiosk solutions. Today we’ve been included in another ‘ideation center,’ as one of the key components of a new generation of interactive digital signage solution for banks, credit unions and other financial institutions. I’ve had the pleasure of working directly with both DBSI, and our joint partner F-2-F Live to include our HumanKiosk solution in what’s been dubbed the Future FI interactive display system.

DBSI has put a tremendous amount of effort into their ideation center for financial institutions. To give banking and credit union customers, for example, the ability to experience a wide range of the latest FI products and services to improve their businesses. FI customers, by appointment only, can visit the ideation center to personally experience the advanced products and services showcased in order to improve their business efficiency, the customer experience, and differentiate themselves from the pack. The DBSI center is a special showcase centerpiece for the FI market, unlike anything I’ve seen. 

We’re extremely honored to participate in this center with our HumanKiosk solution – the fusion of interactive digital signage and remote customer service agents available for live, face-to-face engagement. Today, it’s all about getting personal with customers and we’re very happy to be part of it all.

About the HumanKiosk Solution: Powered by MediaCast Video Presence, the HumanKiosk revolutionizes marketing and customer service in point-of-sale and point-of-service environments. With the HumanKiosk businesses can humanize their brand interaction, improve the customer experience, and deliver messages with absolute control and precision.  Watch our video here.

About DBSI:“For over fourteen years, DBSI Incorporated, headquartered in Chandler, Arizona has created profitable, problem solving, experience enhancing with lower cost-to-create and operate retail bank and credit union branches.” 

About Face to Face live, Inc.: “Here at Face to Face Live, Inc.™, we're developing a reputation for having the most trusted, affordable, and dependable unified communication solutions on the planet.”

For any retail brand that struggles to maximize their sales reach due to a limited store footprint or for an organization that wishes their outstanding customer service team could be literally face-to-face with customers instead of being distanced by a telephone, the HumanKiosk™, powered by
MediaCast^® Video Presence, is a 4G enabled interactive digital signage solution that revolutionizes user engagement and brand-to-consumer relationships. 

The HumanKiosk delivers a live, 2-way video session between a consumer and a remote expert agent over a cellular-connected, cloud-controlled touch screen digital signage system that can also run pre-scheduled interactive digital promotions to attract users. Now you can add a human element and experts on demand where and when it matters most taking customer engagement to a higher level.

The technology solves problems that traditionally required placing trained personnel in store. For customers, it allows them to pose questions directly to the product expert and have their questions answered immediately and correctly. 

For brands and other authorities, their benefit is three fold:

1. It puts them in direct contact with the buyer, eliminating inaccuracies in information transfer, and helps build brand trust.
2. It keeps retail sales associates continually up to date on products and services.
3. It gives brands the flexibility, and lower cost benefits, of not having to staff every store location with a highly trained product expert.

The HumanKiosk boasts all the benefits of MediaTile’s award wining digital signage solutions which can be deployed anywhere and only require power, but Video Presence now can intelligently route customer’s video calls based on the information entered on the touchscreen end-point and ensure the video experts who answers video call is the most qualified based upon predetermined qualifications set by the retail brand.

With HumanKiosk, brands in retail experience the following business value and advantages:

•  A new level of customer engagement while delivering product and service expertise across more locations, faster
• 5x market reach at 1/5 the cost of traditional staffing
• Direct face-to-face conversations with highly qualified experts, based on on-screen selection criteria such as product selection or language choice
• On-demand experts can now act as human middleware to facilitate complex business transactions or support, eliminating expensive systems integration
• Integrate with text-based and QR-code marketing activities and programs to extend the brand to consumer relationship beyond the initial interaction
• Unique and delightful experience generating extensive customer recall making them more likely to buy and more brand loyal

1. Objective
2. Reach
3. Relevance
4. Engagement
5. Call to Action

1. It's never been cheaper or quicker to create video. (agreed)
2. Nobody reads anymore. (not entirely true but I get the point)
3. The trend is for short, bite-sized chunks of information. (agreed)

Today's guest post is provided by MediaTile's Vice President for MediaTile Sales, Heather Whalen.




MediaTile is the Premier Digital Signage M2M Partner for Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Wireless and MediaTile have joined forces to showcase our solutions at Emerging Technology Briefings across the United States. Atlantic City is one of several locations designated in 2011 to attract and engage potential customers with our digital mobile solutions.

Customers attending this event include the Tropicana - Atlantic City Casino/Resort, and Print Art Inc., a commercial printer servicing hospitality, retail and healthcare customers throughout the greater New Jersey area.

National Purchasing Partners (NPP) -another MediaTile Partner- will also be attending the event to showcase our product and service offerings to their own members. Verizon Mobile M2M partners at the event include IPVision and Blackberry .

At today's Emerging Technology Briefings, Jack Sera (of Verizon Wireless Enterprise Data Solutions for the Retail & Hospitality markets) spoke about creating a customer connected world. One of the examples he gave was this: customers debarking from a plane flight can immediately reserve a hotel room, purchase gifts (using QR codes) and make dinner reservations, anytime, anywhere, with the latest mobile wireless technology.

We look forward to providing you with updates as the tour continues!

(Today's guest entry comes from Mike Foster,
CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile)

More “big news” today from MediaTile – make that “small news.”   This morning we announced a new, smaller form factor of our HumanKiosk. The new system is a 19” configuration that provides a more personal, and intimate experience.  But best of all, it can be deployed in far more locations than the larger, floor-standing versions. 

We’ll be demoing the new system, which our engineers internally refer to as “mini-me,” in booth #712 at this week’s CETW (Consumer Engagement Technology World) show in San Francisco on April 27 and 28.  Stop by and get a personal demo of this digital signage technology if you’re headed there.

As with our 32” and 42” HumanKiosk systems, the 19” system is powered by 4G networks and the cloud-based MediaCast Video Presence system. From recent discussions we’ve had with our 4G technology partners, it appears we have the only commercially available, cloud-based video call routing and content management system. 

More simply put, we have the ability to deliver a fully integrated interactive digital signage solution with live, 2-way video support. Why is this important? Well, for brands and retailers, they can now make their products experts available in real-time “through the cloud,” to answer detailed questions that consumers have, and in any language. Now that’s “big stuff.”

To learn more, check out our HumanKiosk video.  

(Today's guest entry comes from Mike Foster,
CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

Today is another big day for MediaTile, MarketStar and VerizonWireless. From the NAB 2011 show floor in Las Vegas in the VerizonWireless booth, we announced that HumanKiosk and MediaCast Video Presence pilot programs are now available for brands, retailers and other companies who need the unique and revolutionary services that this solution offers. 

Our HumanKiosk solution, powered by MediaCast Video Presence and 4G LTE, and staffed by MarketStar OnCall Experts™ enables brands to live test this breakthrough cloud-based customer service solution with their own products and services in their retail venues.  

Dave Treadway, CEO of MarketStar, the recognized leader in field, voice and digital sales and marketing, had this to say: 

“With OnCall Experts™ personally available at the touch of a button from anywhere, we now have the ability to provide experts in more locations, on demand, significantly lowering the cost of each customer interaction.  The HumanKiosk is an extension to our current offerings as it enables us to cover our clients’ secondary and remote markets with an equivalent level of personal service and expert knowledge with the addition of multi-language support.”