The service packages and business examples below describe work a partner may choose to offer. They are not official Zoney service plans, income forecasts or promises of installation, design, financing or hardware replacement. Verify commercial terms and deployment fit before making a customer commitment. Customer-count examples are planning scenarios, not tested capacity limits.
Managed service providers have built their businesses around a simple idea: businesses need technology, but most businesses do not want to manage every piece of that technology themselves.
That model applies to digital signage.
Your company may already manage the customer's computers, networks, cloud services, security systems, phones or other technology. Digital signage can become another service within that relationship.
Zoney provides the digital signage platform behind the service, allowing MSPs and technology providers to add signage without building and maintaining their own software.
Digital Signage Fits the Managed-Service Model
An MSP does not need to become an AV company to sell digital signage.
The service could include software, account setup and support. A more developed service might include media players, remote device management, content assistance and training. A fully managed package could include hardware, installation, content management and ongoing support.
MSPs routinely combine products and services from multiple vendors into one customer solution. Digital signage can work the same way.
For the educational MSP guide, plan the managed-service offering.
Your Existing Customers Are the Starting Point
Review your accounts.
Which customers operate physical locations, reception areas, waiting rooms, customer-facing displays, multiple offices, break rooms or employee common areas?
An MSP serving medical practices could provide waiting-room displays. One serving restaurants could support menu boards. A provider working with retailers could provide promotional signage across stores.
The customer already trusts your company with technology.
Start by Looking at the Screens Customers Already Have
Many businesses already have televisions mounted in reception areas, restaurants, gyms, showrooms and offices.
Those screens represent a straightforward digital signage conversation. An existing display can potentially become a centrally managed business communication tool.
Use Zoney as the Platform Behind Your Managed Service
Zoney supplies the technology layer. Your company builds the managed service around it.
This allows you to concentrate on sales, onboarding, account management, remote support, networking, hardware deployment, help desk services, billing and customer relationships.
Using an established platform allows the MSP to add the service without creating a software development division.
For the general platform overview, review Zoney's partner positioning.
Centralized Management Becomes More Valuable as You Grow
MSPs already understand centralized administration.
A provider may begin with one customer running four screens and later support dozens of customers across hundreds of locations.
Zoney provides centralized capabilities for businesses managing multiple customer environments.
Give Each Customer the Right Level of Access
One customer may want complete control over content. Another may want the MSP to handle most changes.
Zoney's enterprise granular user capabilities allow access to be structured around these requirements.
A professional managed service needs more than one shared username and password.
Hardware-Agnostic Technology Gives MSPs Options
Zoney's hardware-agnostic approach gives providers options across environments including Android, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi, WebOS, Tizen, Apple TV and Amazon Digital Signage Stick. Confirm the exact device model, operating-system version and playback requirements; a supported technology family is not a promise of universal compatibility.
An MSP can create preferred hardware standards while maintaining alternatives for projects with different requirements.
Treat the Media Player Like a Managed Endpoint
The media player is a network-connected device operating inside the customer's technology environment.
Questions about network connection, access, support, failure, replacement and organization across locations are familiar IT questions.
Thinking about signage this way makes the service more familiar to an MSP.
Security Should Be Part of the Offering
Zoney enterprise capabilities include granular user controls and security tokens. The platform also uses AWS-hosted cloud infrastructure.
Digital signage can be approached as another professionally managed connected system.
Package Digital Signage Like Your Other Services
A Signage Software package can include Zoney-powered signage, customer account, screen management and basic support.
Managed Signage can add media player management, account administration, remote support, user management and limited content assistance.
Fully Managed Signage can add hardware, installation coordination, remote management, technical support and ongoing content services.
Add Digital Signage to Existing Agreements
An MSP already managing a restaurant group's network and support could coordinate a digital menu deployment and add the ongoing service to its monthly agreement.
Increasing revenue per existing customer can be just as valuable as adding new customers.
Create Additional Revenue Beyond Software
MSPs can generate revenue from hardware, deployment, support, content management, creative services, multi-location rollouts and training.
The business opportunity is larger than simply reselling a software license.
You Do Not Need an Internal Creative Department
Many customers already have content. Their marketing department, agency or franchise organization may provide assets.
The MSP can manage technology while another party manages creative work.
You Do Not Need an Internal Installation Team Either
An MSP can partner with an AV integrator or low-voltage installer.
The installer handles physical work. The MSP handles the technology relationship and ongoing management.
Build a Repeatable Deployment Standard
Define approved display types, preferred media players, network requirements, mounting standards, account configuration, naming conventions, user setup, testing and support.
Document it and train the team.
Use Your Help Desk as an Advantage
An MSP often already has support infrastructure.
Customers know how to contact the company. Tickets have a workflow. Support staff understand the customer's network.
Adding signage to that structure can be easier than creating a separate support system.
As the installed base grows, standardize customer support and account work.
Grow From One Screen to Multiple Locations
A customer may start with a lobby display and later add departments or locations.
Zoney's multi-customer and multi-location management capabilities support this expansion. Zoney enterprise dynamic monthly billing is prorated based on when credits are added or removed during the billing period. This account billing is separate from the services and charges you bill to your customers.
Track the Business Like an MSP
Track active signage customers, active screens, screens per customer, monthly recurring signage revenue, average signage revenue per customer, support tickets, hardware revenue, installation revenue, content-service revenue, customer expansion and retention.
These numbers tell you whether signage is becoming a scalable service.
Start With a Small Group of Existing Customers
Choose several accounts where the application is obvious.
Build a demonstration based on their environment and have a business conversation rather than a software conversation.
What Zoney Provides
Zoney supplies the digital signage platform your company can build into its service portfolio.
That includes multi-customer and multi-location use and hardware-flexible positioning. Granular users/access, security tokens and dynamic monthly billing are enterprise capabilities.
Zoney operates using AWS-hosted cloud infrastructure and supports multiple hardware environments.
What the MSP Provides
Your company decides what surrounds the platform: customer relationship, sales, hardware, network configuration, deployment, installation coordination, onboarding, help desk, account management, content assistance, training and recurring support.
Add Another Service Without Building Another Platform
MSPs grow by solving more technology problems for their customers.
Your customers may already own the screens. They may already need the content. They already have networks. And they already have a relationship with your company.
Zoney provides the technology. Your company provides the relationship and service around it.
Discuss Your Customer Requirements
Start a free trial to evaluate the platform, or contact the Zoney team to discuss your proposed customer deployment.