[NA] Digital Signboards and Workplace Wallboards

[AggieMike88]

I have two projects in mind.

If anyone here is in charge of this type of thing at your employment, I want to know as I has questions...

Project 1) Multi-screen Digital Signboard: I want to put up a multi-monitor signboard like the photo). Besides the monitors, hardware and software is recommended to run and manage it.

Project 2) Call Center Wallboard: I am transitioning the sales department into a call center oriented space. Telephony software can both capture the data and have the various displays similar to what's shown in the photo.

What is used for this setup beyond the monitor? Is it as simple as an older desktop or laptop that I can remote control? Or is there something else that is a better, sleeker solution?

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

I have always wanted a one-line, 'running text' (ie stock exchange style -12" high letter, 15 feet wide) display on a wall, near the ceiling, showing the changes in our morning plan, updates to the appointment schedule. I bet a lot of people in our business would pay for that.
Sorry to distract if that is not what you are talking about here Mike

 

[Dennis McKim]

I saw the "Call Center Wallboard" in use at the company where I was working as a Data Analyst (the work of the company was under contract to AT&T). It was in direct support of the call center operations in that building. Sorry I don't know the name of the software that drove it; if I think of it later on I will post it. I do know that one dedicated PC drove the displays; it was not far from my desk.

Edited to add: I think the software was Telegence and I do not think something separate was used to get that data to the wall screens ... but don't count in that as gospel. I did not work much with data on the call center side of the operation.

 

[denverpilot]

Have installed a number of both.

The menu boards are often just cheap PC's running Windows displaying a static graphic full-screen with a script or manual way to flip them for different time of day menus. Someone who knows nice graphic design can make one that looks good and is legible from your typical customer to monitor distance.

The ones at the local Red Robin Express even have the Windows Genuine Disadvantage error message constantly displayed over the full screen menu boards on the second vertical one on the wall! LOL. Apparently they never licensed their copy of Windows for those. Hahaha.

Call center is tougher. Here's why. Your phone system needs to display it or you need someone to custom make a display that pulls the data you want. And I guarantee as soon as you make the thing, they will want different data.

Our current system thankfully both uses a web based form layout thing for dashboards like that and can push the font size up massively so a dashboard can be simply put on the managers desks in small font with tons of data and they can edit what they want to see themselves from a template dashboard, and can also be the huge lettered version for the monitor on the wall. And they can again edit their own data shown.

Do NOT get sucked into changing the wall board displays whenever they want a change. It is a massive and useless time suck.

They will also want reports. We purposefully looked for our software so they could "self serve" in that regard too. If not you'll be driven nuts.

The monitors themselves are nothing fancy. Keep in mind the same distance rules for HDTV sizes generally apply. The further away it must be read, the bigger the monitor and the more $.

Remote Desktop to control them and full screen browsers or apps. Yup. Can mess with presentation modes to keep pop ups away or not, but again best to hand the keys to drive them to the call center managers and supervisors and let them put their own content up.

We see all sorts of stuff on ours. Birthday announcements, charts of who's doing the best. Holiday greetings. And sometimes phone system data. Haha. Leave it up to them.

We notice all the managers leave the much easier to read small font tons of data dashboards up in browsers at their desks. They look at the stats hard. They want the call takers not looking up at the wall monitors all the time because they should be looking at their own, taking calls.

The biggest thing I learned in NOC management is that wall stuff is only there really to impress visitors. Real work gets done on the individuals monitors. Give them plenty of them if they need them. Especially managers. Most run two and three is preferred. Desk space becomes a problem at four without fancy mounting arms and stuff.

 

[denverpilot]

PS. I've toured the main AT&T NOC in NJ. It's impressive. Not a single worker in the floor ever looks up at the massive and amazing wall boards. Anything they're doing is right there on their monitor in front of them. As it must be. Hung out for an hour, never saw anyone look at the four story wall of monitors the entire time.

Just be aware they're marketing fluff. Real work has to be done in front of you and in a call center must have battery or generator or site backup. The "cool wall" in the ones I built, never did. Unnecessary electrical load. Job could be done without them. Completely.

 

[denverpilot]

PPS @AggieMike what kind of phone system? Almost all true "ACD" systems have basic wall board functionality but we found that using a smart but traditional PBX and adding a third party vendor's software for "ACD style reports and status" was waaaaaaaaay cheaper. But it's vendor specific to the phone system (Avaya).

 

[AggieMike88]

Phone System chosen has the templates and functionality built in for gamification and call queue details.

For the digital sign board, I'd likely just use PowerPoint, since I know it, and it already different eye candy effects built in.

 

[Shawn]

We do a lot of digital signs for a lot of our special events...I strap the new Intel-Stick HDMI computers on the back of all the LCD TV's with Powerpoint. I added a USB hub and so I can use use a wireless keyboard and load content via a thumb drive at the same time (only one USB input). Digital signage is about all they are about good for!

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Comput...F8&qid=1473315397&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+stick

 

[denverpilot]

We do a lot of digital signs for a lot of our special events...I strap the new Intel-Stick HDMI computers on the back of all the LCD TV's with Powerpoint. I added a USB hub and so I can use use a wireless keyboard and load content via a thumb drive at the same time (only one USB input). Digital signage is about all they are about good for!

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Comput...F8&qid=1473315397&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+stick

That's a good way to do it or those tiny computers that can mount to the ANSI mounts on the tv wall brackets and monitors that can do the same. And wifi for network connectivity.

That way when the call center manager wants the whole frigging room rearranged you don't need an electrical contractor to move video cables or whatever and drop boxes, like we did way back in the day.

Phone System chosen has the templates and functionality built in for gamification and call queue details.

For the digital sign board, I'd likely just use PowerPoint, since I know it, and it already different eye candy effects built in.

Should work well then. Only one downside with PP, it requires a license. Since sign boards never make revenue, I always try to use completely free software on them if possible. Maybe check your PP works in one of the free PP viewers and not put a full copy of PP on them. Especially if you have a bunch of them.

If you have time to burn @AggieMike, this would be fun...

https://wp.josh.com/2016/05/20/huge-scrolling-arduino-led-sign/

Arduino, led strips, chunk of wood to glue them to, massive LED ticker for about $15 a foot. Hehe. I kinda want to build one.

 

[AggieMike88]

Should work well then. Only one downside with PP, it requires a license. Since sign boards never make revenue, I always try to use completely free software on them if possible. Maybe check your PP works in one of the free PP viewers and not put a full copy of PP on them. Especially if you have a bunch of them.

Only be a single sign large sign board for the showroom.

Plans are to show off messages like new arrivals, parts we want to emphasize, terms of sale (keep your flippin invoice yall!), existence of 1, 2, and 3yr warranties, and such forth.

I'll check out the idea that Shawn posted.

 

[Shawn]

The Intel Stick work pretty well. We have tried a few different solutions over the years even getting into some Web based digital signage programs, but if you just need need cheap and easy without a lot of complex multi screen or remote programming, the Intel Sticks and PPT have been the best solution we found to keep it simple. Almost anyone can manage Powerpoint vs having to learn and program some new proprietary signage software and/or hardware. We do many of our digital signs in vertical mounted orientation as well just to give it a different look. Hard to beat a $129 full computer.

For each TV we have one of the Intel sticks Velcroed to the back of the monitor along with this USB hub and handheld wireless USB keyboard to load and change content locally with access on the side. They are wifi enabled, so you could just as easily set up a wireless network as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005L2NTTQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003M0NURK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you do use the Intel Sticks...they say they can run off the TV's USB connector for power...but we found that to not be the case for a lot of TVs...so they still need to be powered with the A/C wall wart they come with.

 

[denverpilot]

Any updates? Got some cool call center stats up on the wall from the fancy new phone system, Mikey?

 

[AggieMike88]

Any updates? Got some cool call center stats up on the wall from the fancy new phone system, Mikey?

Not yet... still in setup phase....

Today's action is recording all of the attendant and voicemail prompts.

I'll share details and photos once the project is up and running by end of October.

 

[denverpilot]

Not yet... still in setup phase....

Today's action is recording all of the attendant and voicemail prompts.

I'll share details and photos once the project is up and running by end of October.

Sounds about like our project last year. Same timeframe even. Have fun. I was pretty tired about end of October.