Why get certified? It’s all about the ROI!
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The Need for Differentiation
Today, we live in a commodity world. Too many products and services appear on the surface to be the same, or at least very similar, to the casual observer; i.e. the customer. This begs the question, “how do we differentiate our products and services, in a crowded market?” The key to differentiation is making oneself stand apart from the crowd. This can take the form of differentiation in the things we sell, or it can take the form of exemplary employees with customer-centricity and focus. Extensive research shows that the most effective path is via motivated and confident employees and creating a positive experience that the client or customer will have reasons to remember. Employees are the face of our companies and become our differentiation and to maximize what they can do requires giving them the personal and professional tools to do the job right. Central to this theme is to embrace industry certifications.
The Benefit of Industry Certifications
In today’s competitive environments, there are numerous benefits to be realized from industry certification programs that go beyond the concept of basic industry recognition. These benefits have been validated for years, and in many industries that touch our lives on a regular basis. Examples of industries that have not only adopted certifications and use them as differentiators: medical and healthcare, legal, architectural, the construction industry, and very close to home, the audio visual and digital signage industries. For all of these industries and more, certifications have become an essential part of job recruitment and hiring, job skills training, job level promotions, and both personal and professional development and advancement. This accepted, it raises the question of exactly what are the benefits of certifications for a company entering or trying to grow their digital signage business?
Digital Signage Certifications
The Digital Signage Federation (DSF), AVIXA (the Audiovisual Industry eXperience Association), and numerous manufacturers, distributors, resellers, and end users have partnered with the Digital Signage Experts Group (DSEG) to bring a comprehensive set of industry certification programs to the digital signage industry. These online and live event certification courses are designed to bring an individual and the company they work for the education they need to address differentiation in a meaningful way, from an understanding of the fundamentals to in-depth training in critical areas of digital signage. These certification programs are impartial, agnostic, and vendor-neutral, administered by an independent industry organization with an advisory board of subject matter experts, bringing a clear educational message and industry recognition for professional development and achievement.
The Benefits of Industry Certifications
Industry certifications provide professional credentials and a means of recognizing accomplishments, and knowledge and skill levels within the industry as well as by the outside world. Certifications establish a path for continuing education and insure that the certification holder is at the forefront of knowledge in their chosen field. Certifications provide a path inside a company for employee professional development and job level advancement. Embracing certifications improves employee morale, while expanding the skills and value of each person, it also aids in retention of the skilled employees vital to an organization’s prosperity. The result of certifications is improved job performance through increased knowledge, and gaining confidence and pride in working to an industry recognized standard of knowledge. Certification organizations like DSEG, provide a venue for members to network with other industry professionals, fostering a sharing of ideas, techniques, and information that not only allows for personal improvement, but improvement of the overall company and the industry as well. Certification providers are a source and facilitators of strategic partnerships between companies and industry organizations, enabling them to form key alliances, bringing new capabilities and sales opportunities. Ultimately, a certification program can result in increased company differentiation from competitors.
These benefits combine to show the market that a person and a company is well trained, skilled, and recognized by the digital signage industry with professional credentials. The professional credentials may be used as a marketing tool in a way to show you and your company as distinct and different, and illustrates your confidence in the industry and dedication to your customers.
