It's 2022, and you wake up with a low-grade fever and a runny nose. Time to take a trip to your local doctor's office or Urgent Care.

Once you get there, you need to check in using one of the stand-alone kiosks, before your name enters the system. As you take a seat, you notice your name and check-in time on the waitlist monitor and a second monitor showing various bits of information.

In a matter of seconds, you seamlessly interacted with three pieces of digital signage.

We know you're probably tired of hearing this, but the pandemic changed everything—including our reliance on digital signage. And this rapid shift has also evolved the way in which we use these technologies today, making them more important than ever before.  

With so many different types of digital displays, how can we ensure they are being put to use in a way that provides better experiences? The key lies in understanding which internal and external KPIs to track.

‍Interaction Directly Influences the KPIs You Should Track

We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but the days of static digital content are numbered. And while some of you might make a solid argument in its favor, the writing's on the wall—no pun intended.

Interactive digital signage is a powerful tool for brands to interact and engage with their customers in new ways. And you're seeing it pop up everywhere—across every industry. 

Since the uses for this dynamic content are limitless, it's an integral part of our future as we race toward building that perfect customer experience.

But how are we measuring the success of our digital signage? The answer depends entirely on the level of customer interaction.

Let's go back to that Urgent Care. 

There are three separate types of digital signage in the waiting room alone. There's the self-check-in kiosk, the real-time waitlist monitor, and another monitor that filters through a static slideshow of office information and best practices. 

Two of those three digital displays are designed to actively engage the customer during their experience, which means that measuring KPIs for them will differ from measuring for static slideshows.

For example, the self-check-in kiosk needs to have a fast dwell time. If patients have to come in and wait in a long line to check in, then they'll end up interrupting the reception staff, who is busy checking individuals out, thereby disrupting the whole process.

On the contrary, the static slideshow should have a longer dwell time because you want the customers to see the messages multiple times and be able to recall the information. Additionally, you'll want to track other KPIs to measure the effectiveness of that display. 

It all boils down to what the intent or purpose of the individual content. The definition of a successful KPI will vary depending on how the customer is meant to interact with the digital content.

Avoid KPIs that Are Useless 

With loads of KPIs to choose from, how do you choose the ones that will really gauge the success of your different digital signage?

Many businesses use the S.M.A.R.T. ( Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) method to choose their KPIs. Some of the most common KPIs digital signage experts use are: 

• ROI
• Screen Traffic
• Impressions / Engagement
• Average Dwell Time
• Opportunity to see (OTS)
• Conversion Rate
• Recall Rate
• Click-Through Rate
• Session Count

But just because these are the most common ones, doesn't mean they are the right metric for every scenario.

For example, do you really need to measure the conversion rate of that self-check-in kiosk? What about the session count of the static display? Or the screen traffic of the real-time waitlist? 

While it's possible to measure these metrics for each display, the results would be useless. You already know that everyone who completes the check-in process is converting to a patient—that's why they're there in the first place.

The best way to identify the right KPIs for your display is to make sure that the KPIs are relevant and meaningful for measuring whatever goal you have in mind for the display. 

For example, the goal of the self-check-in kiosk is to have patients fill out the information and enter it into the system in a timely manner. You want to measure the average dwell time and the session count. 

If these processes take too long, you'll want to find ways to streamline this process. Perhaps you could add drop-down menus and auto-fills that allow users to make selections instead of typing out every section of the check-in form. Or maybe you need to add another kiosk.

The bottom line is that you want to make sure your KPIs are actionable and allow you to enhance customer experience.

Customer-Facing Metrics Build Trust in Your Brand

While KPIs are primarily used for internal teams, there are times when they are displayed directly to customers. But why would you want to give this intimate information to your customers?

Believe it or not, these metrics actually provide a sense of comfort and help build trust in your brand. 

For example, the real-time waitlist display allows patients to see the check-in times, appointment times (if applicable), and how long other patients are waiting. This lets them gauge how long they can expect to wait before being seen.

Let's face it. The waiting room is the last place you want to be when you feel sick. So when you see these simple metrics displayed, it's a silent reassurance that the staff is working efficiently and you'll be back home soon enough. 

On the other hand, if there are complications that are causing longer wait times, then patients will have direct access to that information which could cause some problems for your staff. So be cautious about which KPIs to share with your customers. 

While the KPIs you share with customers will depend on your business and goals, some other popular customer-facing KPIs include:

• Net promoter scores (NPS) 
• Customer effect scores (CES) 
• Average response time
• Website performance metrics (click-through rate, bounce rates, cost-per-click, etc.)
• Social metrics (social shares, reviews, etc.)

Internal-Facing KPIs Unify Teams

Like customer-facing displays, digital signage is increasingly being used as a tool to unite teams and improve communication within businesses. 

This allows everyone in the company to see how the business is performing and what areas need improvement. It also gives employees a sense of ownership over the business and its success, creating a more positive work environment.

The most common KPIs to display in for internal teams include: 

• Product stickiness
• Customer effect scores (CES) 
• Cross-sell / Upsell rates
• Time to Value
• Most common issue

In order to make sure these metrics have maximum impact, make sure the KPIs you choose are relevant to everyone in the company, are updated regularly, and are displayed in clear and concise language so everyone understands them.

The Biggest Problem With Monitoring KPIs Across Intricate Systems

It's easy to build stand-alone displays that feature static information or even some dynamic content and track the KPIs for that digital content. But building a complex network of digital displays that communicate with one another is a whole other ball game.

Let's take one last look at that Urgent Care system. 

The whole system starts with that self-check-in kiosk. Once the patient enters their information, it simultaneously connects with two different systems: the real-time waitlist display and the main administrative CRM system. 

KPIs like dwell time and response times are recorded and displayed for both internal teams and patients. Once the patient moves back to a room to be seen by the doctor, the systems instantly update, remove the name from one display, and new KPIs are recorded in the admin system. 

In order for these systems to effectively communicate with each other, they need to have a software solution, like Wallboard, that allows them to do so. 

Wallboard's digital signage solution lets you create and manage intricate systems with ease. All of your digital signage content is housed in a cloud-based CMS that you can access and update from anywhere, making KPI tracking a breeze.

Find out just how easy it is to connect your systems, drive engagement, and get data-driven insights. Schedule a demo.