One of the projects I’ve been working on lately is creating views, or “signs” as we call them, for our new call center digital signage software product, Content Manager from Four Winds Interactive.  In addition to the custom digital signage design services we offer, Inova also offers various templates customers can use if they want an out-of-the-box solution.  Part of my job over the last few weeks has been to create some of these templates so I thought I’d share some advice on how to create beautiful and effective digital signage views.

Step 1: Know what you’re trying to communicate

I love the quote, “If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?” and it certainly rings true with creating digital signs.  So, if you don’t know what you’re trying to communicate, how will you know if your digital signage is effective?  Before you start creating a digital signage view, it’s important to decide exactly what it is you want people to know.  In a breakroom or lobby area, a live television feed might make sense along with some corporate messaging or a map of the building.  In the call center, metrics are usually of vital importance.  Think about what metrics your agents need to know and then decide if those metrics are best understood through a chart or a gauge or some other tool.

Step 2: Decide what format makes sense

Say you’ve decided your agents need to know the length of the oldest call waiting (OCW), the number of agents available (AA), and the number of calls waiting (CW) for your Sales, Catalog and Tech Support queues.  A grid like the one below probably makes the most sense:

Stick to just a few key concepts on one view.  If you try to show too many things viewers are likely to miss what you’re telling them.  You can always show multiple, rotating views so you cover everything without overwhelming agents with data.  Think of it like a highway billboard: when you’re driving by at 80mph you can only read about seven to ten words in the few seconds you’re within viewing distance; when your agents have a few seconds between calls they need to see and comprehend your most important message quickly and easily.

Step 3: Create a design that works

Once you’ve decided what items you need to communicate (in this example, metrics) and how you need to communicate them (a grid) it’s time to decide how to layout and design your view.  Keep in mind how far away agents are because agents that are 30-40 feet away may have a difficult time reading digital signage (see our new visibility white paper for more info).  If you have agents that will be viewing the sign from a distance be sure to use large font sizes and a legible font (sans serif fonts like Arial work great and are highly readable).  Most importantly, don’t cram too much into one view.  Keep things looking clean and simple to maximize visibility and comprehension.  After adding in a few additional queues and metrics, some gauges, an RSS feed, clock and corporate logo this sign is ready for display:

As always, stay tuned for more tips on creating winning call center digital signage views.

About Camille: Camille is a Marketing Communications Specialist at Inova and graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She loves watching USF football, spending time with friends and family, and walking her dog, Lexi. You can contact Camille at camille@insideinova.com.