Digital Signage in the workplace: transforming internal communication
Whether it’s an office, a factory, or a retail environment, the type of workplace makes little difference when it comes to effective communication. Every employee and team member needs a clear sense of their operational environment, and Digital Signage steps in to provide continuous and consistent communication across all teams (or departments). This helps ensure that everyone makes informed decisions, avoiding conflicts, misunderstandings, and redundant information.
Imagine management schedules a company meeting to update everyone on upcoming changes for the new year, notifying employees via email. The meeting day arrives, and everyone is there—except for one team. It turns out the team lead never received the email, possibly due to it being stuck in the outbox or accidentally deleted. We’ll never know for sure, but we do know that a Digital Signage system could prevent such issues in a workplace setting.
So why do many workplaces still rely on emails or printed notices? There’s a lingering perception that Digital Signage is solely for customer-facing advertising (ADV).
But in reality, that’s far from the truth.
Corporate Digital Signage: interactive, engaging, and beneficial
Whether it is a customer or a co-worker, we are always dealing with people, and psychology teaches that the human brain is much more attracted to dynamic rather than static content.
This is why those who work (as well as those who buy) will more easily remember messages and information displayed on a monitor than what they read in a newsletter or a generic e-mail.
Firstly, because communications disseminated using digital signage can be accompanied by videos and images that, if chosen strategically, are impossible to miss.
Secondly, because thanks to the monitors installed throughout the company, the same message is bound to fall under the gaze of the employee several times a day.
If we had to summarise the characteristics of internal communication through Digital Signage we could say that it is:
- Interactive
- Beneficial
- Engaging
Interactive because Digital Signage allows for cross-departmental communication, keeping everyone updated on the status of various teams in real-time. This continuous stream of information enhances transparency and fosters collaboration.
Beneficial because important announcements and updates won’t go unnoticed. Displayed on screens, they become nearly impossible to miss, especially when supported by impactful images and videos.
Engaging because Digital Signage can also be a platform for emotional, team-building content that strengthens corporate culture. In large organizations, it can even bridge the gap between teams that rarely interact, fostering a sense of camaraderie and connection.
Why install Digital Signage in the workplace?
Flexible and versatile, Digital Signage has a much longer life than traditional forms of communication. Why?
Because the only cost one has to bear is that of initial installation and maintenance, but the content can be created independently without the need to call in outside professionals. In contrast, each new flyer has creation, production and printing costs that have to be dealt with and in the long run these become much heavier to bear than a digital signage system would have cost.
But cost is only one of many reasons. Let’s see what the others are.
- Consistent branding between internal and external communication.
- Ability to convey dynamic and engaging content.
- Employees and collaborators always informed about the company situation.
- Increased coverage and fast dissemination of internal communications.
1. Consistent branding between internal and external communication.
Digital signage allows for an important branding action within the company. As opposed to an anonymous newsletter or a cold, impersonal e-mail, in a digital signage monitor it is possible to frame messages and information with all those visual elements that distinguish the corporate image. This gives a sense of consistency and belonging with which employees can recognise themselves and which has a positive impact on their attitude and productivity in the company.
2. Ability to convey dynamic and engaging content.
Digital signage differs from other forms of communication mainly for one reason: it minimises distractions. In the inbox, official communications get lost among updates, spam and advertisements. Flyers end up disappearing under other (and taller) piles of more urgent documents. In the monitor, the message is the protagonist. Yes, there may be environmental distractions, but the date and time of the meeting will always be there. On monitors installed throughout the company. No accidental deletions, no disappearing under kilos of paper. What’s more, dates, times and statistics can become much more attractive than just static text by being transformed into dynamic content such as videos, photos or interactive media.
3. Employees and collaborators always informed about the company situation.
Content transmitted on screens is better remembered and more intriguing.
- 59% of people who view digital signage content want to know more about what they have viewed on screen.
- 55% of users remember the information they read on screen better.
- People after 3 days remember 10-20% of information written or communicated verbally versus 65% of what is presented to them visually.
As a result, statistics, dates, times and deadlines communicated through a digital signage system will remain more imprinted in the memory of employees and co-workers. This means that in the long run they will have a clearer perception of what the company’s situation is all round because they will better remember all the information that their visual memory will have gathered over time.
4. Increased coverage and fast dissemination of internal communications.
Digital signage has better long-term cost-effectiveness, greater adaptability and better coverage. Suffice it to say that it reaches 70% more people than communication via the Internet such as chat or e-mail (43%).
How to transform your workplace with Digital Signage? 5 practical examples
Digital Signage can have a tangible impact in practical ways, too. Here are five examples of how it can improve your workplace:
- Streamlining meeting room bookings.
- Sharing data and statistics through customized dashboards.
- Showcasing corporate social media feeds.
- Boosting collaboration and connection.
- Displaying digital notice boards.
1. Streamlining meeting room bookings
In medium-sized to large companies, installing monitors to check the availability of meeting rooms and make bookings is the right solution to avoid overlaps and misunderstandings when setting meeting days and times. Not only that. It is a great way to streamline communication between the different teams that need to book. Instead of sending emails or messages with the risk that they will be lost, all you have to do is look at the monitor.
2. Sharing data and statistics through customized dashboards
Using monitors to share dashboards with employees with data and statistics can be a great way to make everyone aware of what the company’s performance is. In this way, different teams will be able to implement targeted actions to improve and avoid acting blindly without the certainty of doing the right thing at the right time.
3. Showcasing corporate social media feeds
Numbers, data and graphs are always interesting, but don’t forget to mix statistical and emotional content. Alternating the monthly sales trend with photos of the company dinner is a choice that will surely be appreciated by all.
4. Boosting collaboration and connection
Digital signage displays, if the content strategy is well-thought-out, can become a fantastic meeting point between employees where stories are shared and bonds are created. You can use them to present upcoming events, birthdays and promotions as well as updates on the future of the company. Google Slides allows you to do this quickly and easily.
5. Displaying digital notice boards
A study by McKinsey Global Institute shows that productivity in the workplace increases by 20-25% if there is a positive climate among employees. If in companies with only a few employees it is easier to bond between colleagues because ‘we all know each other’, Digital Signage can help in large companies. How? Through the use of digital notice boards. Sharing articles from the company blog or a short summary from the internal newsletter can be great conversation starters that help create bonds between people.
As you can see, Digital Signage isn’t just for customers; it’s an excellent tool for creating effective, engaging, and memorable corporate communication. This forward-thinking approach will foster a sense of motivation and teamwork across your organization. Of course, just as recycling bins alone don’t make a company eco-friendly, a single monitor doesn’t transform a workplace—but if you’ve read this far, we’re sure that’s not the case for you.