Kris Konrath, Author at Blog by Convergent

Making Your Business Better, Faster: How Displaying Real-Time KPIs Can Help

The annual performance review became gospel in the past few decades. But with a changing workforce – more millennials, who want and value immediate feedback – and a world moving faster all the time, many companies are reconsidering or scrapping that system altogether. As GE’s head of human resources recently said in a Fast Company article, “The world isn’t really on an annual cycle any more for anything.” That includes your business, where your performance is only as good as your latest financial results. What to do to spot trouble and speed up growth in the face of such demands? […]

Strategy and Measurement

Strategy Comes First

Without a well-defined strategy, digital signage won’t have an impact on a store’s success. In fact, it will have a high probability of failure and will likely be de-installed within two years. A bold statement, but one that in our experience is bound to come true. Technology is not a strategy; it’s a means to an end. Without a well-thought-out plan, even great technology gets pretty boring over time. Where would Apple be if it hadn’t moved from the iPod to the iPhone to the Apple Watch? And yes, now even the Apple Watch is becoming boring. Strategy comes first […]

Banking

Real People, Real Stories: Getting and Keeping Millennials as Your Bank’s Customers

Apparently, despite their numbers, sightings of millennials1 in banks these days are akin to catching a glimpse of a rare species of bird. When it comes to banking, this much-studied generation is both similar to and different from the Baby Boomers who precede them. According to a Forbes survey of its 30 Under 30 nominees last year, they are ambitious; owning a home and potentially a business are important to them. Eliminating debt is a priority. And more than half say their biggest financial regret is not saving enough money, something many soon-to-be retired 50- and 60-year-olds can relate to. […]

Enterprise

Good Communication, Great Companies: Engaging Workers with Digital Signs

You’re an executive wondering why no one seems to know or care about what’s going on at your company. We’ll tell you why: The amount of email the average employee receives is inching up to 100 each day, according to technology research firm The Radicati Group. The problem? Most people can only deal with about 50 emails a day from all sources.1 And your corporate messages are at the bottom of the heap, too. Employees are pressed for time (and who isn’t these days?) and typically wade through their inboxes to focus on emails with information they need to do […]

Retail

Why Do Shoppers Still Shop in Store? It’s about the Experience.

In a world where online shopping is fast, easy and convenient, why would anyone still go to a store? The answer is simple. People “love going out, shopping with people and touching stuff. Everybody likes going shopping,” says Mike Moriarty, a partner in the retail practice of consultant A.T. Kearney and an author of the firm’s recent omnichannel commerce study.1 95% of all retail sales are captured by retailers that have a brick-and-mortar presence, the study says. But – and this is a big caveat – only 35% of product purchases actually begin and end in-store. The ways we reach, […]

Banking

Top 3 Bank Digital Signage Must Have

With the rise of one-tap digital banking, financial institutions are rethinking branch banking and integrating digital technology, welcoming human interaction with digital banking inside their establishments.

Banking

Your Bank’s Digital Signage Network: Time For a Reset?

Here are five ways to get the most out of your digital signage solution: Digital signage is now commonplace in bank and credit union branches across North America. But how many of those networks are getting the most out of the marketing opportunity? When you look at the screens in your branches are you satisfied that they’re having a tangible impact on your business? Are they improving customer communication, enhancing the branch or opening more accounts? If not, a digital signage rest may be in order. Don’t worry. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to rip everything out and start […]

Retail

Why Beacons And Digital Signage Are BFFs

If you haven’t heard about beacons… you will soon. What are Beacons? Beacons are tiny radio transmitters that search for nearby Bluetooth capable devices like a smartphone or tablet. These transmitters are able to determine the proximity of a device to the beacon itself and send specific triggers to an app on the device. The type of Bluetooth connection the beacons utilize is called Bluetooth Low Energy or BLE. This is the same wireless connection you may use for your wireless headphones or a wireless speaker. BLE can have a range of 150 feet or more. 4.5 million by 2018. […]

Banking

Employee Communication in Banking

We’ve heard a lot about the branch transformation in the last few years and a lot of focus has been on the physical redesigning of bank branches… but what about the driver of interaction and transactions within bank and credit union branches? Your employees. Employee communication Employee communication is an important and often overlooked aspect of the branch transformation. Employees who understand their role within a business are overall happier in the workplace, work harder, stay with the company longer, have less work-place accidents and generate more revenue. Siemens reports that a business with 100 employees has an average of […]

Enterprise

Conference Room Digital Signage

Awkward Meeting Room Crasher Have you ever taken a call in the office and needed to get away from all the noise? So you dive into the nearest conference room, only to find that there is a meeting going on and you’ve just interrupted your boss’s boss mid-sentence during a presentation. Or… maybe your company hires in contractors, but you don’t have any free office space so they hole up in conference rooms and now your team doesn’t have a collaborative space to meet. We hear about problems like this from our clients all the time; in fact, we’ve had […]