5 Questions to Ask to Find the Best Signage Software

You understand why your business needs to invest in a digital signage software solution. In today’s digital world, you need to find a way to better engage your audience using cost-effective methods.

However, with all of the options available to you, how do you know which solution is the best? What questions should you be asking in order to find the best digital signage software?

Whether you are just beginning your search, or are smack dab in the middle, be sure to ask these 5 questions:

1.) What kind of digital signage content do they offer?

This question will typically be addressed in the beginning phases of your search for a digital signage software. The need for digital signage often stems from an idea to display some sort of content, whether it be a video wall, social media wall, menu board, etc., which probably led you to search Google (and led you to this post.)

However, digital signage software providers tend to offer various types of content for you to choose from. By asking what kind of content is available, you’ll learn whether the provider has the content you’re looking for, what other options for content they offer, and how often they update their content library. This should factor into your decision as if you were choosing between the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, where the content acts as the apps!

Pro Tip: Choose a digital signage software provider that offers a wide-variety of engaging and relevant content. For instance, let’s say you need a digital menu board. In the future, you may want to add another display and show something else. Having multiple content options and software features will prevent you from having to find yet another provider.

2.) Is a digital signage player provided?

You’re going to need a digital signage player in order to show content on your display (See also: What is a digital signage player?). Depending on the digital signage software provider, they may or may not offer a digital signage player that comes preloaded with their software (saving you the hassle). Not only that, but some providers will even offer free players with purchase of their software.

By asking if the digital signage player is provided, you’ll be sure to have found a fit as far as the time and cash commitment required to get up and running. Players can be a large up-front investment, so it’s important to factor this into your decision.

Pro Tip: Purchasing a software and manually installing it onto a player can be a very time-intensive job. We recommend choosing a provider who sells their software pre-loaded onto a player.

3.) What type of support is available to me?

Let’s face it – any software your business adopts will require some sort of technical support. With digital signage, you may have questions about using your content management system, display troubleshooting, or you might just be curious about tips for using your software to the fullest.

Support services for digital signage software can include phone, email, online chat, and online support centers. While phone support can be the most time-intensive, you may want a more hands-on approach. What type of support do you prefer?

Pro Tip: Ideally, your digital signage software shouldn’t create too many issues needing support. However, for quick and easy help, online support centers are a great resource for businesses to get self-help. Check out Enplug’s support center for example.

4.) What does the content management system look like?

Your content management system will ultimately let you choose and schedule the content you want to play on your digital signage network, making it a major factor in choosing a provider.

Ask your provider for a free-trial or demo of their content management system so you can take a test-drive before you buy. How easy is it to grasp? What do the dashboards for content scheduling and network monitoring look like? Ideally, you should look for a middle ground between high-functionality and simple design.

Pro Tip: Your content management dashboard will be the most-used part of your digital signage software. Make sure that your provider’s dashboard is both modern and intuitive. Answer the question “how easy will it be for other managers in my network to learn?”

5.) Do they offer a cloud-based content management dashboard?

Cloud management is becoming more of an expectation for business software in 2018. Not being able to control your digital signage content on-the-go from any computer can be a major deal breaker. For this reason, Enplug’s modern solution is favored by IT professionals (see our listing on ITKit Software).

Ask the provider whether or not their content management system is available on the cloud. Some providers still offer a desktop only version of their software, which also requires you to store your management files on your own hard drive.

Pro Tip: Cloud-based dashboards are easy to get started with only requiring an account and internet access. This is great for businesses looking to easily add multiple users/locations to their content management dashboard accounts.

Interested in learning more about finding the best digital signage software for your business? Get a free demo!

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Enplug digital signage software was co-founded by CEO Nanxi Liu and CTO Tina Denuit-Wojcik in 2012 to enable organizations to use customized real-time streaming content to create engaging external and internal communications.