The Future Software Blog
Support Department: Stories - 20th October '09
Having never worked on a ‘Support desk’ before I hadn’t a clue what I was in store for.
I joined the company specifically to answer the phone and guide the caller through any problems they may be encountering
with their hardware and software. Having completed my training I was confident of answering almost any of the upcoming questions
and if not, I knew I had a good network of support behind me.
I was raring to go.
Ring Ring – first call of the day..........
"Support desk, good morning, how may I help you?"
"My screen’s not working."
"Ok, where are you calling from?"
While talking to the customer, to get some background information on the system they had installed, I search for the IP address
of the system so I can log in remotely and see what’s going on.
"No, I cannot connect to your system either. How long has it not been working for?"
"Since we got in this morning" came the reply.
"Have you had any previous problems of this sort?"
"No."
"Ok, can you locate the PC in the Managers Office and see if there are any lights flashing on it?"
Five minutes later.......
"No there are no lights on it."
"Ok, could you possibly check to see if the PC is plugged in and switched on?"
Another five minutes later........
"I’ve plugged it in and turned it on and there are some lights flashing on it. Oh my screen’s working now!!"
Need I say more? Well actually I will say more..................
DigiSHOW is designed to be left plugged in and switched on with the capability to turn screens off and on and
reboot the system at specific set times.
DigiSHOW can recover from sudden unexpected power failures as it is designed to restart itself when the power returns...
...but unfortunately even we cannot get DigiSHOW to run when somebody has pulled out the plug.
Creative Department's views on: Research and Development at Future Software - 12th October '09
It’s been an interesting month here in the creative department.
As a relative newbie to the world of digital signage, it’s very interesting designing for what’s essentially a limitless medium-
with the powerful features in DigiSHOW, I can tile screens almost without limit, and through the judicious use of our ‘n-Sync'
technology and some lateral thinking in terms of content creation, treat them as one large canvas for stills and video
(while maintaining each screen’s native resolution). The possibilities here really are endless, motion graphics passing seamlessly
from one screen to the next, and the next, and the next... images displayed seamlessly across multiple screens, synchronised design
sets for information display that show up simultaneously. At times I feel the software should come with a wizard’s robe and hat, it
feels almost like some kind of trickery, and I’m only just starting to scratch the surface of what’s possible.
As there is a veritable minefield of resolution issues, formats, and factors unique to
digital signage to take into account such as burn-in, refresh rates etc, I find it absolutely invaluable working alongside the technical team.
There’s no substitute for being able to test things on the platform and hardware they will actually be used on, it allows you to really
understand the limitations and capabilities of the systems, and on the rare occasions things don’t work, the tech guys are there to tell
me exactly what I did wrong. I would say they’re here to shoot my wilder, more improbable ideas down in flames, but despite my best efforts,
they keep saying ‘yes we can’ to my requests... I’m sure I’ll get them eventually!
I’m also getting involved in the research & development of some exciting new content creation software!
I can’t divulge too much as of yet, but let’s say it shows definite promise, and as part of the DigiSHOW suite, it really extends our offering
to complete the digital signage solution model of content creation-management-distribution and playback.
It’s been a steep learning curve alright. Provided I don’t get the bends from such a sudden ascent,
I can’t wait to see what else is possible. Watch this space, there’s a LOT of new content on the way for the site. Come back soon to see more,
or give me, Pete Wilson a call on +44 (0)1628 829 811 to see how we can help you to create rich, compelling content tailored to get the best out
of your digital signage solution.
Business Development's views on: Website Update - 5th October '09
We have a new look to the web site...like our product range our website is always being upgraded.
For a while now the website that represents our business has been technically based...
because we are a technical company. That is what we do – create technical solutions for clients that help improve their business in
a wide variety of ways.
We have decided to change the impression that we give and how we are viewed by the outside world.
We have made it clearer to those of us who are not quite so technically minded, but will still benefit from our technically spectacular solutions
– so just take a look.
We have a really impressive list of customers, one any company would be proud of, one that many
companies envy. These types of clients research the market and do not buy products, services and solutions from suppliers that do not know
what they are doing...dare I say technically?
Up to now we have not shouted enough about our client list...but now we are...
“BLIMEY...HAVE YOU SEEN OUR
CLIENT LIST?"