The UPS Store is one of the most successful small business franchises in the world. Its roots are from the parent company UPS (United Postal Service), one of the most recognizable brands in the world and an industry leader in global freight. The UPS Store provides customers with a multitude of services including printing products, mailbox services, packing and moving supplies, small business support and their traditional, multi-option shipping services.
Problem
The UPS Store and its leadership recognized early on the effect that Digital Signage could have on their customers and employees. The problem with the legacy system they were using was that it was not able to handle the growing needs of the UPS Store business model. The UPS Store team was looking for an easy-to-use solution so store owners with limited time could effectively get their system up and running and use it for localized promotions. This is in addition to the ability for centralized access where the national marketing team could push out dynamic content to help with common branding across all the stores. Last, The UPS Store wanted to minimize upfront investment yet capitalize on new technology being offered by L Squared.
Solution and Results
The UPS Store selected the L Squared Hub as their location-based communication solution. After reviewing multiple software options, the Company preferred the L Squared solution for reliability, security, ease of use and performance. Specifically, the decision related to delivering necessary functionality, innovative developments and a cost-friendly program that works for everyone. L Squared Digital Signage has a long track record of exceptional customer service. This was an important aspect in decision making, as The UPS Store places a priority on maintaining and supporting franchisee growth and development.
The proposed solution by L Squared was a complete overhaul of the software being used while keeping the existing infrastructure and Wi-Fi connections supported by the cloud infrastructure hosted by L Squared. The media players being used in most of the stores were legacy hardware which needed to be upgraded and replaced, while keeping the existing TVs where possible. L Squared Digital Signage’s low-cost media players were used to replace existing ones. The L Squared Hub software was pre-installed on all the media players. The UPS Store simply shipped the units to the stores as they completed their online payment using the L Squared payment portal.
The payment portal creates a subscription for individual stores, as well as creating an online contract between the store and L Squared. When the store receives the media player, they simply replace the existing unit and inform The UPS Store of the ID that shows up on the screen. That media player is then added to The UPS Store network which automatically pushes out the desired media content, store hours, news, etc… to the screen.
The result is an effortless solution that provides The UPS Store and its Franchisees with cost effective, reliable, and dynamic location based communication platform. The payment portal and online contract management made the billing and customer management easy and painless for franchise business owners. The total amount of time to retrofit one store is literally minutes from start to finish. For more information on our Digital Signage Program, please email sales@lsquared.com and the promo code “franchise”.
