The invention of wireless networks allows us to transfer information without cables. However, the same cannot be said about power. It can be a real struggle finding a solution to provide power to a device that is situated in awkward and hard to reach places, plus can lead to messy extension cable-in-extension cable mess, ad infinitum.

Or at least it was, before Power over Ethernet, or PoE, hit the scene. PoE technology makes it possible to power these hard to reach devices, while also supplying them with a network connection. We love PoE, which is why we made our very own PoE Adapter to power and drive network to your Airtame 2s. We think you’ll love it.

But how does PoE actually work? Let’s dig a little deeper.

What is Power over Ethernet?

You can connect devices like your computer to your network through a wire, an Ethernet connection, as opposed to wirelessly via WiFi. PoE is simply a way of supplying power over that Ethernet connection, so using PoE means a single Ethernet cable can supply both electrical power and data.

The concept of supplying a direct current to a wire carrying a signal has been around since the 1900s. Here’s a quick rundown of how PoE emerged from a technology called “phantom power”.

The birth of PoE

Before there was PoE, there was phantom power. In the 1900s, the first electric telephone used phantom power to run an electric current through the same wire that transmitted the signal (i.e. your voice) in order to ring and alert the other person of an incoming call. Phantom power is still used in condenser microphones, like those used in music production, to power the microphones while also carrying the vocal input.

Fast-forward to the 1990s and the common office and classroom were using Voice over IP, or VoIP, phones, which can make calls over the internet. The old electric telephones were long obsolete, but the problem remained of how to power the phones in a smart and safe way. To add fuel to the fire, IT administrators found themselves having to power access points and security cameras that often sit in out-of-sight corners of the room, not always near a power source.

Many were hard at work to create a solution, but in the end, Cisco was the first to create successful PoE although it was proprietary technology, meaning it was only used internally for Cisco’s own needs.

Many of the first solutions involved directly injecting power into an Ethernet cable with no safety measures in the event that you accidentally plugged in a device not meant to receive power. The risks involved were frying your devices, in the best case scenario, and possibly sparking a fire, in the worst case scenario.

Luckily, it didn’t take long for PoE to become standardized for wider use in 2003 by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) which ensured safety regulations. From that time, PoE has evolved into 4 different types, each type more powerful than the last.

Devices that use PoE

PoE was initially created for security cameras and VoIP phones, but nowadays, there is an increasing number of Internet of Things, or IoT, gadgets putting a strain on power supply. In the most simple terms, the IoT consists of a network of devices connected over the internet.

For example, an IoT device can be something like a wireless sound system in a smart home, or even a heart monitor implant with wireless capabilities.

Power over Ethernet plays a big role for many of these devices because it is used for a growing range of devices, such as: security cameras, VoIP telephones, access points, PTZ conferencing cameras, energy efficient flat screens, thin client computers, and wireless screen sharing devices, like Airtame 2. Our PoE adapter is the smoothest, most stable and efficient means of powering your Airtame 2, while also driving network connectivity to it.

Types of Power over Ethernet

There are currently 4 types of standardized PoE: Types 1, 2, 3  and 4. The different types of PoE have to do with the amount of power they can supply to a device. As the power demands have grown over the years, PoE technology has had to adapt to meet the demands.

• Type 1 (IEEE 802.3af) – Maximum power to port: 15.4W
  • Used for VoIP phones and static surveillance cameras
• Type 2 (IEEE 802.3at) – Maximum power to port: 30W
  • Used for devices like high-end surveillance cameras with pan, tilt, and zoom, wireless access points with 6 antennas, LCD display
• Type 3 (IEEE 802.3bt) – Maximum power to port: 60W
  • Used for devices such as video conferencing systems
• Type 4 (IEEE 802.3bt) – maximum power to port: 100W
  • Used for devices such as energy efficient flat screens

The benefits of using Power over Ethernet

There are a few reasons why Power over Ethernet is so convenient and spreading in popularity.

For devices in hard to reach places

The reason PoE technology was developed was to create a more efficient setup for devices that are in hard to reach places.

Previously, you would have to install power outlets nearby or have electrical cables running up to these places, but these solutions can be costly and clunky. Not to mention, the maintenance for electrical infrastructure can be quite expensive as well. Using Ethernet cables is a more flexible solution that won’t break the bank because it removes the need for nearby power outlets.

Cost-effective alternative

Most schools and businesses have network cables installed already, so it makes sense to use a solution like PoE that can utilize your existing infrastructure.

For larger organizations, safety regulations around electrical power mean that changing electrical infrastructure involves a lot of red tape, not to mention the costs of an electrician. With PoE, you don’t need to be an electrician to install the equipment, because most of it is designed to just plug in and use safely.

Tidier setup

The happy side effect of PoE is that it cuts down on bulky cable clutter and makes for a much tidier environment. A clean setup certainly makes your office or classroom look sleeker, but it’s not just about looks. With less cables, it’s also easier to maintain and troubleshoot, since you don’t have to slosh through a pile of cables.

Better network security

In general, if you have to choose between a wireless connection and a wired Ethernet connection, take your network’s security into consideration. A wired network connection is always more secure, since wireless connections are more vulnerable to interception (more on network security here).

So, a plain old Ethernet connection gives you more wireless network security than wireless, but if you go with Power over Ethernet, you get that and power simultaneously.

Limitations of Power over Ethernet

PoE is a technology created mainly for small devices that are not near an electrical outlet. As a result, there are a few limitations to PoE that you might want to consider.

For devices that consume higher amounts of electricity, PoE might not be able to supply enough current to power these devices. Type 4 PoE, for example, supplies less than 1 Amp of current whereas a device like a computer needs 6.7 Amps to run.

Another thing to keep in mind is that PoE power source equipment cannot create a network connection on their own. If you do not have a network infrastructure already in place, you would first need to install the network cables. This is not a major obstacle since most schools and companies do have this infrastructure set up already in order to deal with the average demand for internet connection.

There are really not too many caveats to choosing PoE. It may not be able to power your high energy-consuming laptop, but for your TV screens, access points, and similar devices, it is worth it.

Setting up PoE

PoE is easy to install, since much of the equipment comes ready to go out of the box, so it’s quickly integrated into your network. Its flexibility, lower costs, and cable-clutter reducing advantages make it a no brainer for many schools and businesses.

There are a few different types of power sourcing equipment (PSE) that can add PoE to your network. Here are some of the ways you can set up PoE to power your devices through an Ethernet cable:

PoE injector

If you already have a regular network switch, you don’t need to run out and buy a new PoE switch to replace it. Instead, you can consider a PoE injector, also known as a midspan, for adding PoE capabilities between the network switch and a PoE device.

A PoE injector simply injects power onto an Ethernet cable. It is a plug and play solution, meaning that you can easily add PoE capabilities to your network with very little effort.

PoE switch

A PoE switch is a network switch (unsure what a network switch is? Check out this article covering all the basic network terminology) with PoE built in. You can use a PoE switch to create a hub where you can plug in and power multiple PoE-enabled devices using a single network connection.

The PoE switch typically connects to your router and can be used for a mix of PoE devices and non-PoE compliant devices, since most switches will supply just the network connection if you plug in a non-PoE device. If you would like your non-PoE compliant devices to receive both power and a network connection, you would need to use a PoE splitter (more on this in the section below on PoE splitter).

PoE splitter

If you have a PoE switch or injector to power your devices, but you have non-PoE compliant devices you’d like to power, a PoE splitter is the perfect way to upgrade these devices.

A PoE splitter takes a PoE connection and separates it into two output cables for data and power. These two output cables can then be plugged into your non-PoE compliant as normal. This is an excellent solution if you plan to have a mix of PoE and non-PoE devices on your network.

PoE charger

In the case where you only need to power your device, but do not need a network connection, a PoE charger is the perfect solution. You can connect a PoE charger to your Ethernet cable and it will pull the power from the network connection and supply it to your device.

PoE to USB

There are times when your devices are powered through a USB port. Unfortunately, not many USB devices come equipped for this situation, so you might consider a PoE to USB adapter. If you’re lucky, however, your device has its own compatible accessory.

For example, we created the Airtame PoE Adapter designed specifically for the Airtame 2 in order to supply it with power and Ethernet connection over USB.

The future of Power over Ethernet

Power over Ethernet technology continues to evolve because it is such a flexible solution, which lends itself to more creative uses. One thing is for certain, PoE technology is getting more and more powerful. The latest PoE type, Type 4 (IEEE 802.3bt), came out in September  2018 and can now power some energy-efficient TV screens, which wasn’t possible before.

An interesting use of PoE to keep an eye on is PoE lighting. PoE can be used to power LED lights, which are rapidly growing in popularity due to their energy-saving capacity compared to old fluorescent lights. By connecting LED lights with Ethernet, it is possible to create a smart lighting environment.

Imagine an LED light programmed with an occupancy sensor and connected to your network via PoE. This setup could help you monitor the usage of a room and could even be used by office managers to optimize their workplace.

PoE: A smart choice

We don’t know for certain if PoE will be the main power source for the smart house of the future. However, one thing is certain. PoE technology is reducing the amount of bulk cabling, and perhaps, one day can help eliminate it altogether.

A cleaner, cable-free office or classroom creates a productive workspace for end users and for IT administrators, PoE is a more streamlined, efficient alternative.

Power over Ethernet solves the issue of powering devices that are not near a power supply source. And installing and maintaining PoE equipment is much easier than more complex electrical installations. If you want a convenient and reliable way to power your devices while simultaneously connecting them to your network, then PoE is the only choice.

Want to hear more about how our PoE adapter and Airtame is a match made in networking heaven? Sign up for a demo call

The post Power over Ethernet: Everything you need to know appeared first on Airtame.

There are countless examples like these, and they are all, in some form, digital signage. It’s everywhere, integrated with many different businesses and needs. In fact, the digital signage industry accounted for 19.6 billion USD in 2016. In 2032, it’s expected to reach more than 32 billion USD. It’s a rapidly growing industry with enormous potential.

As we grow more accustomed to a digitalized world, digital signage assumes a more significant role for enterprises. Workforces distributed across multiple locations benefit from a centrally controlled content distribution platform and old communication tools get replaced by new, smarter technology. That’s what digital signage represents – a solution that delivers timely information.

Airtame focuses on getting the most out of screens and projectors through best in class wireless presentation technology. With our platform-agnostic product, users have previously been able to mirror their screens, stream or set up static content. As our mission to unlock the power of professional displays develops, both the product and our focus are naturally moving in the direction of digital signage. With newly set up applications, users can integrate the Airtame Homescreen with dashboard services, beautiful backgrounds or simple tools like a world clock, inspiring imagery from Unsplash, Google Slides, and Trello boards.

In this article, we’re going to explore where digital signage came from, how it has evolved, and what the benefits are. Short on time? Jump to the chapter you need:

1. What is digital signage
2. How it all began
3. The birth of digital signage
4. Digital signage use today
5. Digital signage for schools
6. Digital signage for business
7. What will the future hold?
8. Should you care about digital signage?
9. How Airtame delivers digital signage

What is digital signage?

The term digital signage is very broad. It’s connected to digital screens that can display content and information in any space, but there is much more to it than that.

As a term, it’s often connected with the screens themselves, but the screens or the size of them is not what makes digital signage a game-changer for engaging audiences. It’s a sea of possibilities, not just for retailers but all businesses, big and small.

There are endless ways to explore the power of digital signage and how it makes the daily flow of information more interactive, responsive, and user-friendly.

But before we get to the use cases and many interesting ways digital signage can be deployed, let’s try to fit the term into a box.

More than a flash in the pan

Digital signage means a centrally controlled content distribution platform that can be used to broadcast many different messages. Today, it’s typically some type of screen that displays meaningful content to a specific audience.

It can be found in both public and private domains, and we’re already experiencing it in all kinds of environments. Digital signage is in many instances a replacement or an alternative to analog signage. It’s the small changes we’re not paying attention to, like the poster with the schedule by the bus stop that’s been replaced by a screen, or the digital noticeboard at the airport indicating gate and takeoff info.

A lot of the time, you might not even notice that you’re being targeted through digital signage. It could be a billboard changing based on the search history of a by-passer or ads changing per real-time updates such as the weather.

Even though we don’t always notice it as a marketing tool, digital signage is immensely popular. Because the dynamic content engages an audience better than regular, static messages, the value of deploying it is higher. Up-to-date, relevant content, moving images and changing graphics make sure the message is always on point.

Both cost-efficient and eco-friendly

The setup varies from the most basic and simple to complex and diverse, ranging from one screen to multiple. The different screens may show the same or alternative content, giving the sender an abundance of choices to display the most valuable data.

Let’s go back to the menu kiosks we mentioned in the beginning. It’s a touchscreen that allows the consumer to interact, and in this case, place an order. It’s a great example of how digital signage can guide the customer journey. Oftentimes, the customer journey isn’t a part of the decision when people put up digital screens, which is a big loss.

Many think of digital signage as a means to display information around a venue but no more than that. Besides attracting attention however, digital signage allows you to promote or advertise your product or business, provide in-store entertainment, offer a personalized experience or talk directly to the customer, employee or visitor.

One thing that makes many types of digital signage differ from analog signage is the ability to not only display dynamic content but to be interactive as well. In the instances where interactive displays such as touchscreen are used, digital signage becomes even more user-friendly.

It’s cost-efficient and a step in an eco-friendly direction. Imagine a restaurant that rotates menu items as the seasons change or a promotional campaign for which thousands of copies are needed. After the season or the campaign is over, all that paper material is thrown out because it’s no longer relevant. With digital signage, all it takes is an update in the CMS, and the content displayed is again up-to-date.

Dystopian Orwell or user-centric tech wonder?

Signage has been a part of human communication for as long as we know, and now digital signage is taking the marketing industry, office spaces, and public displays by storm.

We went from primitive pointers to customized content with real-time updates – some even GPS-controlled and tailored to each user. The latter sounds very Minority Report, but it’s not even a future scenario.

The technology is here, and chances are you’ve been exposed to it already. To some, it might sound a bit scary, like a scene out of Orwell’s universe, but rather than an ominous Big Brother breathing down your neck, you should look at it as a useful tool with multiple benefits.

Burger King and McDonald’s have been using digital menus for years, and recently, menu kiosks from which you can order your meals have also become available. Both burger chain conglomerates use a digital signage system to repurpose images and menu items and even combine them with trends, targeted ads, and demographics. At Build-A-Bear, kids can put together their plush animals via an interactive touchscreen tool that serves both an advertisement and selection purpose.

Besides retailers and eateries, digital signage makes a difference for common areas that can otherwise be confusing. In hospitals, banks or just the average office space, digital signage provides a clear and consistent message that can direct and inform staff and visitors.

More than that, digital signage can improve productivity at an office by providing easy access to information. Digital signage deployment within workspaces is an often neglected opportunity to communicate directly with staff but can make internal communication more accessible and effective.

Attention-grabbing content is a game-changer

When administrators need to communicate directly with a large number of staff or students, how can they do so with an immediate effect? Digital signage in schools and office environments can be used to display automated content such as event listing, cafeteria menus, wayfinding or customizable welcome messages.

An overlooked function in both corporate and educational facilities is to utilize digital signage as an emergency alert system. Digital displays can notify employees and students of emergencies like weather conditions, safety hazards or violent situations. Strategically placed displays will help inform what actions they need to take and how to stay safe.

Digital signage is the most efficient and affordable method for getting a message out, whether it’s a meeting room agenda, communication protocols or inspirational visuals.

To understand where we are today, and where we could end up in the future, let’s go back in time and explore the history of signage.

How it all began

Intelligent forms of communication have always been part of humanity and with that, we’ve found ways of instructing others. We’ve needed it to warn of danger, help kindred spirits or signal our strength. Thus, signage is nothing new. Dating all the way back to the Paleolithic Age, around 18,000 BC, cave and rock paintings were used not only to offer directions or information but a ritualistic perspective as well.

Ancient Egyptians would cut stone to indicate religious sites or carve out historical events, and their inscriptions with hieroglyphs are some of the first written accounts we’ve come across.  The word “sign” is derived from the Latin “signum”, which means mark or token. While the Romans were not the first to use signs, they were the first to introduce a road system, and with the road system proper signage as well.

In 1393, King Richard II passed an act stating that all alehouses must post a sign. Thus, pub and inn signs became a popular advertising statement. Supposedly, the first poster ad in English was placed on a London church door in 1472. When trade and commerce picked up some centuries later, and Gutenberg invented the printing press, communication became even more intricate.

The industrial revolution sparked a new technological era

In the mid-1800s, the production of newspapers, flyers, magazines, and catalogs picked up. As often before, communicative means coincided with the evolution of technology, and the same era experienced remarkable inventions such as gas lighting, cars, and electric bulbs. It completely changed the news industry and workspace area because all these new products needed actual advertising. In 1890, the first advertising agency was established.

The Bauhaus Movement, which started at the beginning of the 20th century, pushed signage in the direction of art. Eventually, signage was not only a practical issue but one of aesthetic as well. Design, typography, and color were suddenly an integral part of signage.

As signage evolved, so did technology. In time, they merged. An American car salesman ordered the first ever neon sign in 1929, shortly thereafter making it in high demand. One can only imagine the joy of shop owners as they could finally display specific messages such as “open” or “closed”.

Other industries started taking advantage of advertising opportunities on the sides of buildings and in newspapers. Promotional content and tailored messages could be experienced everywhere, but the content still came from a product-centric state of mind rather than user-centric.

The birth of digital signage

The term “digital signage” first saw light of day in early 1992 in a UK shopping center, where a security guard – not knowing the appropriate term – apparently first referred to a network of video walls as digital signage. In the early days, VHS and DVD content was displayed on old tube televisions we used to have before flatpanels were a thing.

When thinner television models became more affordable in the early 00s, retailers began using them for promotional value – just as they did in the 70s when the VCR hit the market. Flatpanels became a norm in many stores and public spaces, replacing banner ads and paper posters. High-quality ads streaming in-store was an impressive sight, wowing customers and influencing sales.

But the content displayed was still of a more static nature, either a looping ad, still images or simple slideshows.

Dynamic content = better engagement

When computer-based media players became available, it opened up for more dynamic content that could be easily updated and controlled centrally. These media players were originally small computers, born at the same time computers were. They talk to servers, which direct content via the internet.

The display network’s content is managed with software, called Content Management System (CMS). Some only use CMS as a central platform to manage content, whereas others use it to build and create from scratch.

Networking media players to screens took off in the 70s with VCRs (VCRs connected to TVs is not considered digital signage however), and soon thereafter came various digital signage software types.

Yet the software is nothing without the screens on which to display it. As with other types of technology, the evolution of screens has been fast-scaling and incredible. Hardware display screens could be either LCD, LED or even projection, but interactive displays are also on the uprise. As prices went down on flatpanel technology, the impact of the content displayed began to decrease as well. People wanted more storytelling and further innovation to keep them engaged, and that brings us to where we are today.

Digital signage use today

Digital signage is already very user-centered and user-friendly today, opening up for interaction and cross-platform integration.

With screens being an integral part of so many businesses, public spaces, and organizations, it should be something to consider for everyone. It very well could be that someone is not taking full advantage of the options to promote and improve their business because they simply haven’t heard all the benefits. More companies and organizations are allowed to penetrate the market because prices on both hardware and software are plummeting. In short, we are moving away from the typical “Times Square style” digital signage at a rapid pace, and the opportunity for smaller, more cost-effective deployments of digital signage is on the rise.

The sub-segments of digital signage

There are many different uses of digital signage today, and it’s hard to categorize every single one of them. Let’s try with a grand overview of the most common applications anyway:

• Internal information: There is considerable potential in aiding employees, students or visitors on-site. Proper digital signage can convey important news or corporate messages, display real-time health and safety information, meeting room updates or calendar events.
• Public information: If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic and wondering if a different route is more manageable, digital signage could help you out. Traffic information, news items or even directions could help you on your journey.
• Product information: Displaying marketing messaging associated with the product or service can be very helpful to the user. It could be pricing, nutritional value, ingredients, and suggested usage.

• Advertising: Great digital signage advertising can be used to direct the customers’ attention and promote services. With third-party advertising, owners of digital signage boards can give the option to bid for the signage space to promote a product or brand.

• Branding: Tailored brand messaging or illustrative graphics can be used to raise brand awareness.

• Enhancing the customer experience: Whether you’re walking around in a supermarket, airport, museum, zoo, park or any other cultural attraction, digital signage can be used to help aid understanding, provide demonstrations or list perceived wait time.

• Influencing decision-making: Digital signage can be used to increase dwell time at specific items or areas, impulse purchases by displaying marketing messages or persuading customers through discounts or offers.

• Navigation: Dynamic wayfinding through digital signage is upping the game of regular wayfinding. Think interactive roadmaps and footprints that might even be GPS-controlled.

• Digital menus: Being able to change signage easily is very beneficial to many restaurants, eateries or retailers since menu items and products fluctuate throughout the seasons. Digital menu boards would also allow users to reserve a meeting room in an organization or even a table at a restaurant. It could be used to book a resource or for a chance to upsell at the time of purchase.

• Entertainment: This category could fall under several of the others since entertainment can help attract the user’s attention. It could be a native video wall, promotional videos or even mini-games.

Digital signage for schools

Schools often have to rely on smaller budgets and thus don’t have the same opportunities regarding buying expensive, state-of-the-art digital signage solutions. Moreover, screens in education institutions come with different requirements than those of the retail industry or corporate venues. Rather than aesthetics, screens need to be sturdy, easy to navigate and perhaps even a set size.

But that doesn’t mean school environments should skip on digital signage altogether. By adding informative and interactive screens, education institutions can upgrade the learning experience. Digital signage can certainly be tweaked to fit school information and streamline communication.

Instead of relying on complicated email systems and paper notices, digital signage is an opportunity to keep students up to date with events, news or real-time changes. Because corridors and common areas in schools are often crowded areas, it’s the perfect place to display and share information.

School announcement, image and video content, lunch menus and welcome messages. Students today are used to getting important information from digital displays, therefore making digital signage a perfect solution.

Learning environments call for an effortless solution that’s easy to maintain both in regards to software and hardware. Because content shifts so often, it’s a must to find a solution that can be controlled centrally, preferably even remotely, to take off some of the strain on janitors and IT admins.

The perfect match will help schools, colleges and universities relay and publish information that is optimized to the space and the time. While static signage is difficult and costly to update, digital signage can be helpful to the students and at the same time give them a learning environment that isn’t only focused on a still-sitting teacher-centric environment where all information comes from an authority. Digital signage is a way to keep students updated with content that matters to them, in a way that matches their thinking.

Digital signage for business

Members of staff or students are more likely to pay attention to visually-driven content in work areas than text-heavy emails and paper notes. Internal communication can thus be improved by sharing vital information on digital screens, creating better engagement and removing inbox clutter and lost memos. If there’s no other info to share, you can utilize the screens to present beautiful imagery or artwork that might boost employee engagement and positivity.

Internal digital signage is often overlooked but holds the potential to increase productivity at the office or even serve as a lifesaver. In the event of an acute emergency, it can be difficult to alert the entire staff no matter how meticulously outlined the emergency plans are. With digital signage, you can relay essential emergency messages to all members of the faculty. This will allow you to communicate directly with staff, students and visitors in the event of a fire, chemical spill, bad weather or any other safety threat.

Focus on the audience, not the product

Small businesses use digital signage to share sales; quick service restaurants use digital signage to make ordering easier while schools and corporate offices go from closed-off communities to open dialogue.

Besides using screens for sharing important messages internally, digital signage invites the user in and creates a dialogue. Through interactive displays with touchscreen technology, the audience can search for a specific product or service, look up features or design their customer journey that could unlock rewards, games or extra information.

The incentive behind interactive touchscreen technology is huge because the interaction between user and content becomes more memorable and entertaining instead of informative and narrow. To the user, the interaction is now a simulated two-way conversation rather than an overload of information to digest.

Another kind of live interaction comes from social network integration. Real-time Twitter conversations could be displayed to show a political climate or quality of a service, just as selfies or comments could help boost the feeling of dialogue. Social media synced screens can help bring the online brand into the real world and help the consumer feel valued, even courted.

Communicating with the individual user is key to successful signage. We’re already experiencing examples of content tailored to the target group, a specific location or even the weather. Since digital signage content can automatically adjust to match the right updates, it’s ideal for sharing weather updates or other real-time updates.

What will the future hold?

It’s a good question, with an answer we can only speculate. As more and more companies embrace digitalization, the digital signage industry is sure to pick up on new trends. We think these might include:

Increased personalization: Interactivity will get even more individualized. Responsive and automated content could be directed from sensors or data flows that improve the point of contact. Real-time updates will be tailored to real-world conditions and the exact consumer in question. We’re already experiencing examples of this with ads that change according to weather such as umbrella ads when it’s raining and ads for sunglasses or outdoor activities when it’s sunny.

Demographics will be used to tailor the user experience. Through open sources or private devices, personal information such as age, preferences, job position, and income may be used to guide users to their specific taste preferences.

Recognition: Sensors, cameras, and voice recognition can be used to aid the user further. With the right amount of accuracy, users can be greeted by name and offered services that suit their needs.

Since sensors will be able to connect with data flows, AI can tailor the digital signage shown and when it should be shown. If you’re browsing the vegetable section in the supermarket, screens can show you recipes that match the vegetables you’re looking at and deals on similar items.

Digital signage and AI: With more accuracy and data processing comes a better understanding of the users. Smart digital signage could even end up replacing human-to-human interactions altogether. It’s already happening in the restaurant industry, but soon other areas of the service industry could follow suit. Corporate offices, banks, hospitals and many other places would most likely benefit from an increase in intelligent digital signage.

Amazon Go has already introduced a shopping experience with no personnel, lines or checkout. Via advanced technology and a smart app, you will be shown the best product for you, similar products you might like or discounts applied to the suggested items. As you take the items and leave the store, you automatically pay for them via the app.

As we get more and more comfortable with AI solutions that target us, a more personalized experience probably isn’t far off. Facial recognition and content triggered by our preferences is something we might be able to experience very soon.

To infinity and beyond?

Before electronic signage, we would use primitive drawings and wayfinding tricks to help guide ourselves and others. With the industrial revolution, many types of work were replaced by machines, in turn, giving us more free time to use on all the goods produced by technological advancements.

And no great product truly lives without great advertising, so sketches, drawings, and soon photographs too would aid us in choosing the right products. With the boom of the internet and computers, we were suddenly even more interlinked, and we started to understand the power of commercial display and engagement reach.

The pace of development in the digital signage industry is impressive and fast, regarding both hardware and software. Whatever the future holds, it looks bright, exciting, and more inclusive – for businesses and consumers alike.

Should you care about digital signage?

To make it in the digitalized, fast-paced world of today, companies big and small need to check off these two things:

1. Sell more products
2. Increase productivity (in employees and students)

Effective use of digital signage can help achieve both goals by engaging with both employees and customers.

Digital signage doesn’t have to be overly complicated or difficult to manage, and since it’s more affordable and accessible than ever, even smaller organizations with limited staff or resources can take advantage of it too.

With each new development in the field, the bar is raised, producing more stable, secure and versatile solutions. Open-source technology and platform-agnostic solutions mean that more and more businesses are able to set up digital signage efforts.

The audience has been given much more power than the one-way flow of information from before. They’re now encouraged to explore an experience tailored to their specific needs from a device of their choosing. It’s a golden opportunity to communicate directly with them, collect valuable information or provide an even better service.

Bottom line is…

As we’ve outlined in the previous chapters, digital signage solutions come with a wide variety of benefits. Digital signage solutions are:

Cost-efficient: Change and update content at no additional cost.

Informative: Inform your target audience with relevant content. Use it to relay internal messages or to communicate with external parties such as visitors, clients or customers.

Effective: Control your content from a central platform and update it with no more than a few clicks, no matter where your screens are located.

Engaging: Engage your audience via games, videos or interactive content to create a memorable and entertaining experience.

Branding: Digital signage allows you to send a relevant message that aligns company values or branding ideas and use it to add promotional value.

When employees are in sync with the organization’s mission, they become more productive. They waste less time if company information is shared with them directly and if the message is consistent and available.

The answer to this chapter’s question is two-sided but clear. On the one hand, digital signage can help you sell more products by providing an effective and entertaining medium for advertising. On the other hand, digital signage engages the audience by sending relevant, updated information that saves time and minimizes errors. Both sides have one overall benefit that can hardly be overlooked: the increase in your bottom line.

How Airtame delivers digital signage

Airtame is not only a screen sharing device, it’s also a package of innovative solutions for digital signage and artful content that are easy to set up and use. In Airtame Cloud, where you manage and monitor your devices, we offer several applications and ways to turn your screens into digital signage.

One of the simplest forms of digital signage with Airtame is to set a custom background. Show stock images, your company logo or pretty images.

For a more detailed display of information, we suggest setting up a 3rd party dashboard service that shows your KPI metrics, goals or social media engagement. There are many dashboard providers out there, but we’ve compiled a list of the top KPI dashboards that work with Airtame. This signage option was particularly effective for the folks at the shared economy car rental company GoMore as it outlined them to present real-time performance results across their workspace.

Airtame is customizable for every organization, occasion or idea. Besides setting your own background image, you can change the overlay, text and on-screen instructions to best suit your needs. If you own several devices, you can tailor each screen connected to a device to show exactly the kind of content that’s most effective in its environment. Meeting room digital signage is not the same as waiting area digital signage, and you shouldn’t treat them equally.

Our integrated digital signage

We’ve integrated a set of applications, with more to come in the future, so you get the most out of every device in every room. Besides a simple URL or background image, these applications can make everyday team collaborations easier and more seamless. You can also adjust the orientation of your content to match the screen’s and optimize the viewer’s experience. So far, you can set up your Airtame Homescreen with these helpful apps:

Trello: Trello is no stranger to corporate culture. Those who already use Trello know how appealing it is to see plans, projects, and ideas visualized and neatly structured. For those unfamiliar with Trello, it’s a project management tool that keeps track of joint tasks. The Airtame integration means you can set up sprint boards and shared projects. You can choose to show several columns on each screen or spread them across several.

Unsplash: Artful content is known to increase productivity and create a more positive work environment. The online photography haven Unsplash is a wonderland of free, beautiful images. Choose between thousands of photos and pick your favorites to display on Airtame when no one is streaming to it.

World Clock: Many businesses have foreign branches where they speak a different language and go by a different time zone. That makes it difficult to keep up with other teams’ work, but we’ve made it possible to set up to three different clocks to keep track of times in other areas.

Google Slides: Google Slides is the king of online presentations. Several people may work on the same slideshow simultaneously, which makes editing a breeze. Digital signage on Airtame with Google Slides is not just presentations though. You can show updated calendars, lunch menus, agendas and personalized content. When you make changes to the slideshow, your displayed content is automatically updated as well.

Corporate offices, schools, and many other organizations need a simple digital signage tool that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. They want an effective way to share information and engage their audience, and they’re looking for something that’s easy to maintain and update on a daily basis.

We’re constantly working on upgrading the Airtame experience, and with the aforementioned app integrations, users will now be one step closer to communication smarter and more effectively.

The post Digital signage: Everything you need to know appeared first on Airtame.

Regardless of whether we’re sharing information with our local communities or broadcaster our latest video blog across the globe, it’s the computer networks that interconnect our lives, interests, the digital signage we see and the businesses we care about the most.

Yet the idea of a complex global network of interconnected computers often escapes a lot of us. What exactly is a network and what can we expect to see in the future when it comes to networks and how we share information?

In this article, we cover all of the basic information about computer networks that you could want to know.

What is a network?

A network is a group of two or more computer systems or other devices, like Airtame, that are interconnected together for the purpose of exchanging data. The data shared over computer networks allow us to:

• Communicate (email, instant messaging, etc.)
• Share hardware (printers, input devices)
• Share software
• Store information on remote storage devices

Think of it as networks sharing resources. Besides files (documents, images, music files…) or the same printer, networks can even provide a stream of information, like the information we send to the Airtame device with constant video and sound.

Wired vs wireless

There are two types of networks; wired and wireless. They each come with both pros and cons. A wired network connection is the most secure and reliable choice for a stable internet connection. On the other hand, wireless connectivity gives you the freedom to move around and not stay tethered to the cable.

Sharing of files is a lot easier when you’re going wireless. The transfer time may be slower, but at least you don’t have to hook up to the other device with a cable. And when we’re at the point of cables, there’s tidiness of going wireless versus the cabled mess you often find in many work environments.

The setup of a wireless environment is far more hassle-free than a wired one. And as continued advancements make the wireless network technologies gradually more secure and speedy, you don’t have to worry as much about those issues either.

Read more: Facts you didn’t know about WiFi

Network terminology

• LAN: “Local Area Network” is a network that connects local computers, i.e. not the internet.
• WLAN: “Wireless Local Area Network” The same as a LAN but using wireless antennas sending electromagnetic waves.
• Client: A device connected to a network, i.e. “Airtame is a client of the network”.

Main physical components

• Router: A router is a device that forwards data packets along networks, usually to the internet. It’s connected to at least two networks and is located at gateways, the places where two or more networks connect. They act as an Access Point (WiFi) combined with a switch (Ethernet), to guide information to where it needs to be sent.
• Transmission Methods (Cable/Wireless): It’s the method or system used to communicate between systems. This could be ethernet cables, radio waves or fiber optic cable.
• Network Interface Card (NIC): A hardware component on your computer that allows it to be connected to the network. Most NICs are designed for a particular type of network, protocol, and media, although some can serve multiple networks.
• Endpoints: Computer devices, such as Airtame or a printer, that is not part of the essential computer. Examples of devices include network access storage, network-connected printers, network access storage or anything else that requires an IP network over a wireless medium.

Extra components

• Access Point: A device that allows you to connect a device to an IP network over a wireless medium.
• Switch: A device that filters and forwards frames between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer (layer 2) and sometimes the network layer (layer 3) of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnections) Reference Model. At layer 2, the “chunks” of data are called “frames” and are forwarded based on MAC addresses. At layer 3, the chunks of data are called “packets” and they are forwarded by IP addresses.
• Server: A computer on your network that provides a resource. Such resources could be mail, DNS, DHCP, file storage, network authentication, PKI or media. The list of things you can do with a server is limitless. Servers are often dedicated, meaning that they perform no other tasks besides their server tasks.

Component characteristics

• IP Address: An “Internet Protocol” address (IP address) is a numerical label that can be automatically or statically assigned and helps an endpoint communicate with another endpoint on a different network segment.

• MAC Address: A MAC (Media Access Control) address, sometimes referred to as a hardware address or physical address, is a unique, 48-bit address that allows a device to communicate with other devices inside of a single subnet or VLAN. In our case each antenna in the Airtame device.
• Operating System: Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.

Virtual components

• Firewall:  A system designed to manipulate traffic based on security rules. It’s often the most critical component of your infrastructure that protects the network from malicious entities. At times, without proper configuration, the firewall can prevent legitimate devices from accessing the network or connect to the internet.

How does information flow through a network?

When you share something, like an email, that message is comprised of data packets that travel across the network. All files are broken down into data packets (1’s and 0’s), and data packets are created in “Internet Protocol (IP) transmissions” for data that navigate the Web and other types of networks.

Each packet is wrapped in a header and footer, that contains the information of what kind of data is inside, how it fits with other packets, where it came from and where to it is sent.

Different packets from the same message don’t always follow the same path, because that would slow the message down. Once the data packets arrive at the destination, the receiving unit assembles the packets and recreates the message.

Sounds abstract? Here’s an analogy that helps illuminate it. Imagine mailing an entire car to someone by packing each component into its own box and mailing them with a destination address and, in case it can’t make it, a return address.

It’s the same principle that applies to data packets, it’s just a little less cumbersome than mailing a car…

WiFi bands and channels

A wireless local area network (LAN) uses radio waves to connect devices (your laptop or smartphone) to the Internet, to your preferred network and the applications you use. When you connect to a WiFi hotspot, you connect to the wireless network it belongs to – could be an airport lounge or your favorite café.

Because WiFi is an electromagnetic wave, it can have different frequencies (the amount of times the wave repeats, up and down, during a period of time). To avoid interference, two frequencies bands are used. They are 2.4GHz and 5GHz (1GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz = 1,000,000,000 repetitions in 1 second).

“Channels” are the smaller variations of the frequencies that add a few more repetitions to the electromagnetic wave (e.g.  2.4GHz on channel 4 = 2.432.00.000Hz).

2.4GHz Vs. 5GHz

• 2.4 GHz
  • All devices support this standard
  • It reaches further than 5GHz (less range)
  • Suffers more from interference from other WiFi, microwaves and cordless phones (common products)
  • Fewer channels to choose from
• 5GHz
  • A newer standard which is supported on fewer devices than 2.4GHz
  • Shorter range than 2.4GHz
  • Suffers from interference from military and Radar (not common*)
  • Many channels to choose from

*Interesting fact: Ultra-high channels of 5GHz are banned in Europe because they’re frequently used by the military.

**We recommend using 5GHz with Airtame.

Security of networks

Your data is valuable, and having something valuable can make you more susceptible to theft.

In other to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data, conforming to security standards will bolster your security posture and leave your data and your networks safe from malicious entities that exist online.

Depending on what the network is used for, it may need to have some rules applied so that people can’t access other computers, files or the network itself.

Wireless Authentication Security is the security that allows devices and people to prove that they’re supposed to have access to the network.

You can protect your network in a variety of ways, from having user certificates to having a known, pre-shared key (PSK). The methods vary but the main types are:

1. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP): the very old standard. It allows the PSK to be sent over a wireless network in clear-text which makes it easier for an attacker to gain unauthorized access to your network. It’s highly recommended not to use WEP to protect your network
2. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA): versions 1 (WPA) and 2 (WPA2)
   1. Using a “Pre-Shared Key” (PSK) (“Password”)
   2. In enterprise environments, an authentication server will authenticate requests for access by reconciling usernames and passwords or authenticate user and computer certificates.
3. Certificate-Based Authentication: uses a file stored on the client to be granted access to the network. It’s like a person needing a badge to enter a secure space. No badge, no access!

Read more: How to increase your network security

The future of networks

Not that long ago, we needed a dial-up modem to access the Internet. We have a lot more mobility and flexibility nowadays, and who knows what the future will bring in terms of more freedom? Or perhaps restrictions thereof. We take an educated stab in the dark at what’s next for networks.

The Internet

The mother of all networks, the Internet, has also changed a lot in the past, and it’s sure to expand even further in the future. But will it be similar to what we have right now or could it possibly change to something completely different?

Cyber attacks are on the rise, and we can’t be sure that the Internet will withhold against increasingly powerful charges. Our guess is that either the Internet will improve vastly to withstand such attacks, or it will crumble and lead to a massively controlled security situation of Big Brother proportions where no ordinary cybercitizen is safe from scrutiny? We hope it’s the first.

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

Yes, we have a lot more mobility these days. Just think of your smartphone, essentially a small computer with as much power as one. Software Defined Networking, or SDN, is a cloud-based software that manages a network from one central point – and can really help with the desired mobility.

The architecture is more easily manageable and improves network performance, which is ideal for all of the high-bandwidth, dynamic nature of today’s, and perhaps the future’s, applications.

Internet of Things (IoT)

You may have heard the expression “Internet of Things” or IoT before, and no doubt you have come into contact with it.

In short, IoT is the network that links together smartphones, home appliances, vehicles and many other items embedded with software, connectivity, sensors etc. Because they’re linked together, all of these items can connect, collect and exchange data – and be controlled by you.

As more mobile devices, wearables, and other smart devices take over personal communication, managing traffic via fixed routers will not make as much sense as the devices communicating directly with each other and the Internet directly.

Instead of having isolated network automation, systems are bound to get more integrated as more of them enter the market. 

Seeing as the big players on the market are tapping into this trend with smart TVs, fridges, door alarms, lighting systems etc., the development of the interconnected devices will move rapidly.

This is bound to bring up some privacy issues as well. Who owns the communication that flows through your devices? Do you? Or does the company that made the devices? Or someone else? How we can protect our personal privacy is something we foresee to be a big, upcoming issue.

Dos and don’ts of networking

Here are a few things to consider when you’re dealing with networks:

Don’t merge your internal and guest networks

When an organization invests a lot of money in computers and other hardware, they need to protect that investment by protecting the integrity and availability of the networks.

Guests could potentially bring in malicious software (such as ransomware) on their computers that will affect the computers in the whole organization. By not merging the internal and guest networks, you’re taking the biggest and most important step towards protecting what’s in your organization.

Do make sure to stay updated

Stay updated at all times to mitigate any potential security risks that could be lurking around the corner.

Don’t put strange USB drives into your computer

You can’t see what’s on a USB stick just by looking at the casing. It could contain malware that will seriously harm your computer and the rest of the computers around the office if you’re on the company’s internal network.

Just like you would probably think twice about putting something in your mouth that you have no clue what is, you should feed your computer with the unknown either.

Do consult IT and management before making any changes to your network

When we don’t adhere to change management, things can happen and nobody will know about it before it’s too late to fix. You lose time and money when issues can’t be solved quickly, so don’t try to fix everything on your own or sweep it under the rug.

Anything we’ve missed? Need more network help? Reach out to us. We’re here to help!

The post How networks work appeared first on Airtame.

At Airtame, we focus on delivering experiences through strong customer support and customer success. Airtame has experienced tremendous growth since getting started back in 2014, and for this to continue it’s vital to attract competent partners who will expect both support and success from us as we mature further.

But what do these terms mean? In a nutshell, customer support involves helping people to install and use a product in the correct way and solving any issues that come up in the process. And then there’s customer success, which has to do with managing the relationship between a company and the people who use its product and services. Providing customer support is a precursor for delivering customer success, and both should be considered indispensable.

It’s a mistake to use these terms interchangeably, but it’s also incorrect to consider them as independent of each other. Many of the goals of customer support and customer success overlap: achieving customer retention and loyalty, brand differentiation, increased customer lifetime value (CLV), return on investment (ROI), and reduced customer churn. In other words, you should care about these areas of your business.

The purpose of this article is to share about how we’ve learned to incorporate and prioritize both support and success, as well as manage the exchanges between them.

The motivation for writing about this topic is twofold. First, we want to communicate how we handle relationships with leads and customers. Second, we want to offer inspiration for other fledgling B2B companies who are at a crossroads in understanding how to implement support and success to keep advancing in a meaningful way.

Before sharing our journey and how things look at Airtame today, it’s first necessary to understand the differences between support and success.

Making the distinction

Back in the day: The evolution of support and success at Airtame

How we do customer support today

Transitioning from support to success

How we do customer success today

Looking to the future

Making the distinction

The purpose of making the distinction is to be able to grasp how the needed processes, skills and mindsets can vary between customer support and customer success.

Having the right people in place is a good point of departure. When selecting candidates for support, hiring managers would do well to look for someone who is a natural problem solver, a great listener, patient, and tech-savvy. Playing a part in support requires the skills to communicate with and between product developers and end users.

When it comes to success, you’d likely want someone with strong presentation and interpersonal skills, and experience with relationship management. They’d need to comprehend technology from a customer’s point of view, to act as a consultant when advising on the best use case for a prospective client.

It’s important to keep in mind that these characteristics are by no means mutually exclusive. They instead reflect the particular demands of support and success. This can be further understood when looking into the nature of the processes and perspectives that are common to support and success:

It’s once again relevant to note that these dichotomies don’t have to contradict each other. They rather represent two sides to a balanced approach. An example is how our team has guidelines for how quickly we should get back to customers via live chat, and how long it should take to solve an issue.

While markers are in place, there is some wiggle room regarding how much time to spend with a given customer. It’s much better to take an extra few minutes to introduce yourself in the beginning and be 100% sure that all is well by the end of the conversation.

We don’t want to risk sacrificing social etiquette and quality support for the sake of speed.  At the same time, it’s good to have at least an average response time to shoot for.

In the case of Airtame, both support and success are encompassed in the Customer Success team. The choice of name reflects our emphasis on long-lasting partnerships with the businesses and schools that partner with us.  That said, we do not undervalue the vital role that support plays.

We believe that success will never actually be possible if it’s divorced from support. It’s taken us some time to develop our approach and manage the complexities of giving separate attention to both, as well as managing the interactions between them.

Back in the day: The evolution of support and success at Airtame

Airtame started production back in early 2014 upon the success of an exciting Indiegogo campaign that raised over 1,500,000 USD. In the beginning, what was originally called the Customer Support team focused on communicating with backers who had funded us on Indiegogo.

Once Airtame was launched, most support issues concerned shipping delays. The team worked in a reactive mode most of the time, concentrating on solving logistical and technical problems. Work became more effective when Zendesk was introduced, as we could create macros such as saved replies to send in response to FAQs.

The focus was on increased efficiency, but this soon developed to emphasize a more proactive approach. We switched from Zendesk to Intercom, as the later offered a more extensive range of tools, including the possibility to create onboarding flows.

Asking for feedback

The team began reaching out to users to ask them for individual feedback on their experiences, while also getting the message out that there were ways to make Airtame more advantageous by updating its software. This assisted in growing customer retention, as many people dusted their Airtames off once they got wind of the latest progress.

In addition to providing email contact, we got live chat up and running on our website, and started calling customers to get a more personal feel for their use case and pain points. A big step was to input customer information into Pipedrive, which has since served as an excellent tool for keeping track of potential and existing customers and their use cases and preferences.

The team collectively worked on comprehensive documentation to be used for training new hires as well as onboarding new users.

Involving people from different departments, including sales and marketing, resulted in valuable ideas for growth. In fact, it was someone from our sales team who pushed the fact that Airtame was well suited to serve educational institutions as well as businesses (our primary target at the time).

The first-ever follow-up message was developed in collaboration with someone from our marketing team. We wanted to increase the number of onboarded and active users. Product improvements were pivotal to achieving this, but so was expanding the scope of how we interacted with users.

Follow-up and onboarding communications fostered a lot of feedback, which was then fed back into the pipeline when molding how we did support and success, as well as marketing and product development.

Keeping customers satisfied

Although many of our pioneering initiatives were time-consuming, they were necessary to learning what to pursue in the future.

In the beginning, these projects helped to improve support metrics such as customer satisfaction, which came into effect started responding faster and with more concise answers based on streamlining information. We never ceased to abandon support efforts. The impact over time was rather that the team grew in size and maturity, and so they broadened their priorities to cover success metrics.

Regarding success, we started asking people how likely they’d be to recommend us so we could assess our Net Promoter Score (NPS). The data this generated was both quantitative (in the form of a numerical score), as well as qualitative (in the form of explanations that customers would provide for the ratings they chose).

Incorporating this level of insight opened up new possibilities for understanding customer value, as well as how we could improve functionality and onboarding instructions.

At this point in our journey, we had gotten on the right track to a long-term success strategy. A decision that was symbolic of this transition was when we changed the name of the team from Customer Support to Customer Success.

How we do customer support today

Support continues to be a critical part of the Customer Success team’s responsibilities today. Delivering high-quality support contributes to maintaining a unique reputation, as our target audience will opt for those who offer the best experience.

Assisting our customers in using Airtame, and solving any issues they encounter, takes place in both our Copenhagen and New York City offices.

In both locations, we work in an open space office, to make support run smoother. We can easily and quickly assist each other if a question or issue come up that is outside of our expertise. At the same time, there are extra rooms outside of our primary workspace, so that we can sit somewhere quiet to concentrate fully on a given call.

All team members in charge of support strive to ensure that any technical issues that arise will not discourage our customers, but conversely, offer an opportunity for our partners to feel even more comfortable in doing business with us.

• Reacting

  We strive to respond to customers in a timely and precise manner. Depending on the specific need and level of urgency, they have various options for how to get support. As we have people working in both Copenhagen and New York, we’re able to offer phone and chat support for business hours in both regions. If an issue is timely (e.g., someone setting up for an important conference), then they can reach out to us on our live chat, and, if necessary, we can call them to walk them through how to solve a given problem. Being able to react fast in a calm and collected way helps to reassure users and earn their trust.

  Customers can also book a call in advance. We offer welcome calls, set-up calls, technical calls, and Q&A calls. We use Intercom for live chat and email support, Calendly for booking calls, and AirCall for contacting people who’ve scheduled a call.

• Focusing on solving problems

  Problem-solving can range from figuring out why the sound is not coming out of someone’s TV when streaming a video to Airtame, to findings solutions to shipping delays. For troubleshooting technical issues, it’s necessary to be methodical in eliminating possible causes/solutions until you find the right one. Such tasks require a holistic knowledge of the entire company and who’s doing what when, to know which coworker to loop when a situation that can’t be solved individually.

• Focusing on satisfaction

  We track our Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), which is a measure of how well we’re doing. To get the data that indicates the CSAT, we ask customers how satisfied they are at the end of a chat session. They have the option to respond on an emoji scale

• The CSAT is taken into account for the entire team at the end of each week.  We can also take account of our own CSAT, to get a general idea of how happy customers are with the individual service we’re providing. People can leave comments, and we make sure to follow up with both unhappy and happy support cases. Generally speaking, having more hands on deck facilitates shorter response times and better support experience, meaning a higher CSAT. However, within a support context, it’s essential that “what’s everyone’s job doesn’t become nobody’s job” so that someone is always manning the various communication channels.

• Focusing on the short-term

  The long-term is a cumulation of a whole string of decisions and advances made today. It’s vital to look ahead, but not at the expense of neglecting the demands of today. We offer welcome and set up calls as a way to focus on the beginning of the customer journey, ensuring that they have a smooth start. When we ensure a good start with the product, including straightforward installation and setup, that puts us on a good path for a long-term healthy relationship.

  One of the most important short-term goals is to guarantee that the very first streaming experience is great, as this offers the best chance of someone staying engaged over time. To maintain high results at the critical start of the customer journey, we make sure current and new employees are aligned and onboard for calling customers to transmit necessary information.

• Answering questions

  The resources that we use for quickly answering questions include articles from our help center and saved replies. When people reach out to us via email or live chat, we’re able to refer them to relevant articles tailored to their inquiries swiftly. We use saved replies when writing back and forth on Intercom, which is highly efficient when responding to FAQs. These include questions about what devices work with Airtame, what the options are for digital signage, and how Airtame differs from home entertainment products, such as Apple TV.

• Focusing on efficiency

  Our customers are busy and, to appear competent, it’s necessary to assess performance regarding efficiency. Other than satisfaction scores, we also take into account how many customers have reached out to us, and how long it took on average to close each conversation.

  We also look into how many welcome calls, technical calls, Q&A calls, set up calls that we get. On the one hand, more support cases can represent how our community of users is growing. On the other hand, we also need to be critical and consider whether an increase in set-up calls, for example, reflects that fact that we need to improve upon our setup instructions.

• Working Independently

  It’s great to know that your team has your back. At the same time, we also emphasize personal responsibility and growth. When recruits get started, they start helping customers within their first week at Airtame.

  We’ve each found that this is the fastest way to learn about the company and the product. Of course, no one is an island, and we also prioritize supporting and keeping each accountable – by tagging each other in pending conversations, sending reminders, and requesting advice.

• Keeping track of costs

  For purchases made through our website, we offer a 30-day risk-free trial, meaning that customers can return devices and get a full refund (excluding return shipping costs). If we fail to provide exceptional support during the first month that a customer is testing out Airtame, all of the effort made on behalf of our team (and other teams) will have resulted in lost revenue.

  Airtame is not for everyone, and a crucial step to avoiding returns is to be clear when leads reach out over chat and Q&A calls. It cuts down on costs if customers that don’t “fit” our product find out right away, rather than after their Airtame arrives. We keep track of items that are returned or replaced, as well as logistical costs, to keep costs down.

• Sticking to our instinct

  Being rigid can be a good thing when you don’t want to let standards slip. We aim to be soft on people (both customers and coworkers) and tough on problems. This way we’re continuously raising the bar, while simultaneously reducing wasted time and effort.

Transitioning from support to success

Things move from one-on-one support to success as soon as people start collaborating and applying a situation to more than the immediate problem or request. There is a multitude of instances where support converts to success.

For example, if we notice numbers going up a lot for set-up calls, we take into account whether this is to do with selling a significant amount of Airtames within a particular period. We might also consider whether an increase in set up calls is due to unclear instructions within the onboarding email flow. This is done by tracking relevant data on common issues and bugs (a part of support), to collaborating with developers on how to improve the product and user experience (a part of success).

We also receive feedback on each help article, giving users three options to rate whether or not the content answered their question.

These transitions exemplify how assistance and education are meant to feed into nurturing, activation, and upselling further along in customer success initiatives. These will have the more long-term aims such as ensuring optimized email flow tailored to different user profiles and sharing use cases and best practices.

How we do customer success today

Aside from offering ongoing support, the spotlight is now on finding meaningful ways to generate revenue and provide value through customer success management. To achieve this, we engage in a variety of projects and initiatives:

• Staying proactive

  Being proactive often means being the one to start a conversation. A lot of resources go into reaching out to both leads (people who are interested) and users (people who already have Airtame). This is mostly done through email campaigns, as well as through social media.

  We seek out feedback on an ongoing basis, which informs future communications as well as product development. We’re also not shy about asking happy customers to help spread the word with reviews, testimonials, and referrals.

• Focusing on goals

  A key goal of customer success is to concentrate less on fixing bugs and more on improving the overall user experience. This approach requires a lot of skill, as well as plain old trial and error. This thinking applies to product development as well as onboarding customers, employees, and resellers. An overarching goal is to have the right people in place and invest in their training.

• Focusing on customer value

  Value means something different to everyone, and so it’s essential that communication is somewhat personalized.  We send out email flows targeted at different users. An IT administrator will receive information that relates to his role, and a school teacher will have access to the content that’s most relevant to a classroom context.

• Focusing on the long-term

  Having people make the most of Airtame in the long-term requires continuous communication and updates. It’s essential that customers are not “dropped” as soon as a transaction has taken place.

  Getting people to keep using Airtame and keep engaging with us means that onboarding isn’t a one-off exercise. The product has a lot to offer, and new features are continually in the pipeline. Rather than bombarding people with information, we gradually teach people how Airtame can make their everyday lives more comfortable.

• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and retention

  To optimize the customer journey, we need to think long-term. It’s a priority to let people know that we offer a 30-day risk-free trial, so that leads don’t feel pressured into a purchase.

  “Day zero” for a customer might involve signing up for the newsletter. In this case, the next steps would be to encourage them to book a demo call, then make an initial purchase, after which they’d receive a confirmation and delivery information.

  A crucial facet of customer success is not just selling the product, but selling it to the right people.

  We pride ourselves on delivering personalized demos and following up on conversations with compatible leads. We aren’t afraid to tell people that Airtame might not be the ideal solution for the needs, especially for those who are looking for something to use for home entertainment. Our sales pitch is transparent; this is the only way to earn trust in the long-term.

  For those who do buy Airtame, we send out the onboarding email flow. This includes ten messages that communicate:

  1. A warm welcome
  2. How to set up Airtame
  3. How to get started
  4. How to optimize streaming
  5. An introduction to Airtame Cloud
  6. How to set up a Cloud account
  7. How to use the features of the Cloud
  8. How to make the most of digital signage
  9. How to get colleagues and guests using Airtame
  10. A request for feedback

• Being human

  We take as much time as is needed to make a connection. Our customers are delighted to know that a real live person is happy to talk to them via chat or over the phone. Machines and programs are there to make our lives easier, not replace what we do.

  Knowing the name and contact details of a company representative is reassuring to a lot of customers, as we aim to have a level of rapport established after each conversation.

• Taking collective action

  In addition to having regular Customer Success meetings to sync up and brainstorm creative ways to meet the needs of our customers, we also work closely with other teams.

  Everyone who joins also needs to have a grasp on how we do sales, marketing, logistics, and product development. We use Slack to share feedback within and between teams, and also connect with one another using Pipedrive, Google Suite, Intercom, Calendly, Basecamp, and Favro.

  We also encourage sessions where Airtamers from outside Customer Success to get hands-on chat experience while sitting side-by-side with someone on the Customer Success team. The objective is twofold: for everyone to understand the needs and challenges of our customers, and for the Customer Success team to get feedback from colleagues who are interacting with a fresh outlook.

• Following the money

  In addition to the social side of communication, it’s essential not to forget the bottom line. We aim for website repurchase to represent 50% of revenue, and compare percentages between different markets (e.g., repurchase in the U.S. vs. Europe). Being devoted to customer success means bringing in more revenue in the long term.

  In addition to helping make sales, streamlining processes and information sharing reduces the cost of acquiring a customer. This ties in with self-service deflection, when answers and explanations are readily available online. Information and step-by-step guides are documented in our online Help Center.

  Many customers access this when checking out our website and reading up on how to best use Airtame. We can also send links to specific articles when sending an email or responding on chat, which saves an impressive amount of time compared to typing out an answer when a common question or issue comes up.

• Staying flexible

  When it comes to how to create value for the businesses and educational institutions, we can only grow if we’re willing to experiment. Airtame is a living product, and we need to improve technology and communication continually. The day we stop exploring is the day that we become obsolete.

Looking to the future

Going forward, we want to boost both support and success. As the Airtame family grows, we want to improve availability regarding time zone coverage and phone support. We have teams based in Copenhagen and New York who provide support to people all around the globe, but in some cases getting to talk to someone directly requires some serious maneuvering.

We also want to grow our team and competences, especially concerning network expertise, as this is a significant need for customers in large bureaucratic institutions.

We want to increase collaboration with our developers, as this will provide a deeper level of intuition when it comes to troubleshooting technical issues. It’s critical that this is a bilateral exchange, as developers also need to gain insights on the end user experiences that they don’t receive directly.  A part of this is to be able to expand and optimize both internal and external testing of any new features.

Collaboration needs to be done wisely, as the aim is to share knowledge while not interrupting workflow.

A work in progress

In addition to enhancing support, our vision for the future involves a continuous assessment and revamping of how we do customer success. Our efforts will continue to include optimizing email campaigns and finding meaningful ways to follow up with new and ongoing customers. The way we report feedback is also changing, with more interviews and case studies.

Customer support and customer success are more than functions. Without both, we’d be left with a handy piece of technology, and no one would know about it or how to use it. Creating value for people, and getting it out there, has to be at the forefront of our strategy.

Interested in getting to know our Customer Success team better? Give us a call.

The post What’s the difference between Customer Success and Customer Support? appeared first on Airtame.