Know before you buy.

If you’ve made the prudent decision to upgrade your business signage by investing in an electronic message center, you deserve to be commended. Like a strong coffee, digital signage will infuse your place of business with a jolt of energy by offering an instant visibility boost, a 24-hour presence and dynamic messaging capabilities.

Before your shiny, new electronic message center adorns your site and starts delivering timely messages to the prospective customers comprising your passerby audience, however, it’s critical that you do your homework. Locating the right signage solutions partner to spearhead your project can make or break the success you ultimately experience with your digital sign.

By performing the necessary due diligence upfront before hiring a digital signage provider, you can prevent frustration, disappointment and financial woes down the road. The correct partner will not take your major investment in your business lightly. Instead, that company will boast impressive experience and skills resulting in the fabrication and installation of a durable, high-quality electronic message center at a fair rate.

As you conduct research and strive to select your signage solutions partner of choice, here are seven questions to pose:

1. How Long Has the Company Been Around?

Staying power means something in the signage business. While most companies can’t claim nearly 50 years of existence within the business signage industry the way Brady Signs can, any length of tenure offers you insight. Although there can be exceptions, longevity generally indicates that a particular digital signage provider operates with a degree of professionalism and fairness that’s afforded that company longterm sustainability.

2. Where Does the Company Manufacture Digital Signs?

Some digital sign vendors claim their unit is “Made in America” when, in fact, they actually source all their parts from overseas and only assemble within the U.S. This can lead to a significant delay in receiving replacement parts should the signage malfunction. When you purchase digital signage from a company like Watchfire that builds electronic message centers within the U.S., you have much easier access to any parts needed for service, as well as the presence of customer support from a domestically-based call center.

3. How Does the Company Construct Digital Signs?

The construction process and types of materials utilized play major roles in forecasting a sign’s longterm durability. These factors also impact everything from maintenance needs to energy efficiency for a piece of digital signage. For most electronic message centers, having an all-aluminum cabinet for durability and incorporating a silicone gel to protect the LED modules both prove beneficial.

4. Can the Company Offer Examples of its Previous Work?

While attractive design renderings are nice to view, what you’re really seeking are examples of effective electronic message centers your prospective digital signage provider has manufactured and installed previously. Ideally, you should be given a list of past signage customers to contact in order to determine how their electronic message centers have fared and held up over time. If a signage company can’t offer you these types of references, then you should probably take your search elsewhere.

5. What’s the Company’s Warranty Situation?

When a company truly stands behind the digital signage it produces, it does more than simply offer you customer testimonials and references. That company also extends the courtesy of a warranty that’s both longterm and comprehensive. In most cases, a lengthy warranty signifies that a signage company is confident in the quality and expertise associated with the design, fabrication and installation of the electronic message center it has sold you.

6. Is Service Part of the Company’s Forte?

Even the highest-quality digital signage will require maintenance at some point. As such, it’s important to research whether your prospective signage provider includes a dedicated service department that’s responsive and experienced. Having access to a company like Brady Signs that aims to address service requests within three-to-five business days and that boasts a veteran staff with a collective 80 years of expertise will come in handy should you find yourself faced with a malfunctioning electronic message center.

7. Are the Company’s Signs User-Friendly to Operate?

The versatility and dynamic messaging associated with electronic message centers rely on having a system in place whereby messages can be adjusted on the fly. Consequently, your digital signage must be easy to operate in order to truly maximize its value. When your signage provider of choice furnishes custom software that’s user-friendly and designed specifically for use with that company’s electronic message center offering, then you have the right formula in place for achieving success with operating your state-of-the-art signage.

At Brady Signs, we’re a third-generation family business that’s served as a premier provider of business signage solutions throughout the North Central Ohio region and beyond for nearly 50 years.

Want to learn how we can convert your brand into a statement using our eye-catching signage for business? We’re here to talk.