Beware the zombie screens!

I don't know if it's because I'm in the industry but it seems I can't go anywhere without seeing some digital signage that's misbehaving.

For example, I often see screens in public venues displaying content that was not meant for them (wrong content, wrong aspect ratio, wrong image orientation, image meant for multiple screens "squished" on a single screen, etc...).  This is almost worse than having screens frozen, locked up or displaying a big error message right in front of the intended audience.

And it gets worse... I once saw a screen showing a back-end player rebooting itself in a continuous loop.  The scene was quite surreal and I don't know how long it took the network operator to figure out there was a problem but I sat there for a good half hour and it didn't get resolved.

This screen was mounted in a prominent location, hanging from the ceiling right behind the sales counter.  The  staff was taking orders from customers with their backs to the screen.  No one working behind the counter seemed to notice what was going on, and frankly I don't know if they could have done anything other than turn off the equipment.  Meanwhile customers had a great view of a Linux boot up screen in all it's glory.  Looping over, and over, and over...  This was now a "zombie screen" and it would remain this way until someone put it out of its misery.

I have seen zombie screens in shopping malls, fast food restaurant chains and other high traffic environments. Places where we are told digital signage is at its best and most effective.

So why does this happen?

• Lack of resources post-network launch.
• Lack of follow up.
• Bad planning.
• Indifference...

It's easy to get everyone all fired up prior to launching a digital signage network.  After all, there is lots to do.  Budgeting, planning, testing, purchasing, deployment...  Deadlines are tight and everyone's focused on getting the job done but what happens after the screens are turned on?  Does everyone go home?

The work's far from finished... in fact you're just getting started!  There is content to be created, schedules to be managed and screens to be monitored.

Continuous monitoring and event tracking is almost as important as having good content because screens that malfunction won't display your content the way it was intended.  This affects your image, your client's image and eventually it impacts your bottom line.

So what should you do?  Well, you can start by enlisting your staff's help.  For example, they can let someone know if there is a malfunction. Set up a 1-800 number or an email address that goes straight to your IT support staff.  Let everyone in your organization know this is important.  Don't just rely on technology to tell you when it's failing.

Put in place a clear and effective troubleshooting policy.  Have spare equipment on hand ready to deploy in case of a breakdown.  Don't rely on suppliers to come running to your help unless you have a support agreement.  Remember to keep your support agreement active by renewing on time.  Don't wait for a problem to come up before you renew as you may be billed for any unplanned work.

Perform periodic content audits to make sure the material being sent to the screens is appropriate.  This will help eliminate the "portrait content in a landscape screen" issue.  If feasible, deploy a few web cams at various sites to get a real-time view of what's actually going on.  If that's not possible, have someone at each location check and report periodically on the status of the screens.  It may be low-tech, but it works!

Don't be indifferent to this problem.  Equipment will fail and people do make mistakes.  It's your job to be on top of things before the problem gets too much attention.

You wouldn't want your zombie screens to be featured on YouTube now, would you?