Why Your Business Should Use Digital Wayfinding

Digital technology has become an integrated part of our everyday lives as we raise a generation of digital natives ready to interact with businesses on whole new levels.

Most businesses have adopted digital technology into a number of aspects of their customer service, from contactless pay through to digital displays and interactive kiosks. They are finding new and innovative ways to make their customer’s journey as seamless as possible, lowering their business costs while increasing their customer conversions. Wayfinding signage is helping with this.

Traditional signage is becoming a thing of the past that now creates a lot more confusion than actual wayfinding. More and more customers want to interact in a way that speaks to them, which is where the digital world is stepping up and taking over. Here are some of the ways that a digital wayfinding system can enhance your customer experience and help your business succeed.

What Is Wayfinding Signage?

Whether you operate a large office space with multiple meeting rooms and hallways to navigate, or a simple clothes store, separated into different clothing types, you want to help your customers and clients find their way around easily and seamlessly.

We all know that a positive customer experience makes all the difference when it comes to making sales. They need to be able to find exactly what they’re looking for, without any hassle. Whether your client is on the hunt for a meeting room, consultation offices, or to find a comfy pair of jeans, wayfinding signage is designed to get them there.

Traditionally, you might find room numbers listed by the elevators, or drop-down signs hanging above the correct clothes sections. These days, customers need more. They expect more. From wall-mounted digital displays to free-standing touchscreen kiosks or QR codes that link to digital maps on the smartphone, wayfinding design is changing for the better, and your business needs to keep up.

How Wayfinding Signage Is Used In Businesses

Wayfinding signage can be adopted by a large number of businesses, from your local grocery store, through to event wayfinding signage. Almost any and every business can benefit from this technology, however for some, it’s integral to how they operate and will make a huge difference to customer satisfaction.

Here’s industries where wayfinding signage is essential to their customer experience:

• Education: digital tools can help students and visitors navigate large campuses and find their bearings from class to class. 
• Healthcare: digital tools can help patients navigate around different consultation rooms, or find specific areas within a hospital environment.
• Airports: digital signage is pivotal to helping travellers navigate their way to the correct flight.
• Retailers: digital tools have the potential to help customers find what they are looking for faster, leading to higher customer satisfaction and increased sales rates.

5 Reasons Your Business Should Use Digital Wayfinding

1. Meet Customer Expectations

We have all grown with digital technology and now accept it as a part of our everyday lives. People expect to use technology each and every day, which is why digital wayfinding is so essential. It meets the expectations your customers already have and interacts with them in a manner they are accustomed to.

When was the last time you picked up a phone book? Or a map book? Times have certainly changed, and as a business, you need to be changing with them. Most people use Google Maps daily to get them from A to B, and digital wayfinding is simply an extension of this. Something your customers are already familiar with and feel comfortable using.

2. Increase Sales

If customers can’t find what they’re looking for, they’re going to leave.

Likewise, if they have a poor experience navigating your building, resulting in them being late for their appointment, yet still charged the whole time, they are going to share it with others. This will have a negative flow-on effect for your business.

If a client is unable to navigate their way to a meeting room easily and seamlessly, they are going to already have a negative first impression of the company.

These are all scenarios you don’t want to face.

On the other hand, if customers and clients are able to find what they are looking for with ease, it will increase sales and lead to a positive business engagement, which they will then share with others. This form of word of mouth is invaluable.

3. Flexibility

One of the best things about digital wayfinding signage is that it can be updated in real time.

If you want to change the store around and swap jeans with shirts, you can do it easily enough, without having to worry about updating all the store signage in the process. You can do this with the touch of a button.

If a meeting is running late, or a consultation is behind schedule, you have the ability to let your customers know, so they can factor this in.

If a class changes rooms, or a gym class moves, you can also update the digital wayfinding signage, so students and gym goers can find where they need to be.

This level of flexibility will have a flow-on effect to your customers, providing them with a positive interaction with your business. The ease of updating messages in real-time allows you to communicate with your customers much more effectively than ever before.

4. Environmentally friendly

No more printing out maps to hand out when people visit the hospital. No more printing out posters to stick on a wall that need to be updated frequently.

No more wasting paper and resources.

In today’s day and age, committing to eco-friendly business practices is important. It’s important to your customers, which makes it important to your business.

While the upfront costs might be higher with digital signs, the ongoing costs more than make up for this in time.

5. Less Stress

Digital wayfinding results in less stress for all. Clients and customers can easily navigate to where they need to in your business. We all know how it feels to find yourself lost. Whether you’re late for a meeting, or trying to find something, it can be frustrating at the very least. Wayfinding makes it much easier for customers and clients to find where they need to be without the hassle or worry.

At the same time, updating printed posts and signs when things in your office or building change is no easy task. You end up with crossed out rooms and sticky notes on top during that in-between period while you get everything sorted. Not only is this highly unprofessional, but makes it even harder for people to navigate. 

Digital signage can be updated with the click of a button, saving you both time and money (and a lot of extra hassle).

Get A Demo Today

If you’re ready to navigate the world of wayfinding signage and put your business on the map, Enplug is here to help. Get in touch today and we can set up a demo to show you exactly how your business can benefit from this new and exciting technology. Trust us, it’s easier than you think!