Published on: 2 Sep 18  |  Reading : 2 minutes

Preparing yourself #4: Training and getting started

Prepare yourself to digital signage project: a training to getting started on your digital signage project.

This is the fourth article in a series about the choice of architecture for your digital signage system, if you’re not entirely sure about what that is, or not entirely familiar with the different existing architectures, start with this article: Digital Signage: Preparing yourself well. If you’ve missed the previous article, look up: Preparing yourself #3: Tech support and maintenance

A digital signage system consists of different pieces of equipment that allow you to connect screens to a server from which they can receive the content that has to be broadcasted. To send your content to the server of a system, the broadcaster has to use a management software (or platform), given by the provider who can, depending on the simplicity of use and the amount of offered services, be more or less complex, and may necessitate some form of shorter or longer training.


affichage-dynamique-sigfoxSigfox uses digital signage for its internal communication. 

The training: An often necessary step...

Whatever the chosen model may be, mastering the interface of the content management system of the screens often requires a complete training. This is often done on-site, in the presence of the future users of the solution and in real life, after the installation of the equipment in the company. Certain providers also create user manuals, demonstration video’s or tutorial video’s. These elements sometimes allow to reduce the time necessary for training and speed up the learning process. The training to master the software is often billed as an extra over the cost of the equipment (in the case of on premise and hybrid architectures) and as an extra to the cost of the subscription (in the case of a SaaS architecture). In the case of on premise and hybrid models, a training of the technical and maintenance teams can also be given, and billed extra. Though it is complicated to foresee the needs and conditions of these trainings in advance, it is however possible to check the availability of self-training tools provided by the service provider.

...that can certainly be reduced to a minimum

The broadcaster uses a management software to send their content to the system server. This management software exists in the form of a software that has to be installed on the computers of the users or in the form of a web platform, independent from the chosen model. As a general rule, the software in the form of a web platform looks like a classical website and uses the codes and functioning principles, that are well known by all. In this way, the users of these solutions can find their way around quite easily and the training time can be reduced (also shorter bills).
Moreover, the service providers of SaaS models have a constantly evolving solution. In this way, beyond the first training, some accompaniment is needed for each new function,and a presentation of said function. Tutorial video’s, webinars or online manuals are made available and guide the user during the discovery of the new function. As such, the users can perfect themselves, alone, while progressing through the mastery of the solution, through the advances of said solution, and depending on their own needs. The training times are thus substantially shortened.

In this way, even if the cost of training is often inevitable, some solutions create elements that help the users to train themselves, which contributes considerably to reducing the time and cost of training. And even makes it disappear in some cases.


Read the following article Preparing yourself #5: Connectivity and bandwidth.

 

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Considering that each digital signage solution has its own characteristics, ask for expert advice before equipping yourself.

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