REACH

Opmerkingen: We had a huge problem. Find a new Content platform for our 300 screens. Find a platform that could handle scheduling. We had outgrown our in-house solution which was lacking in a multitude of features that we found on Reach. The support has always been 100% friendly and helpful, and Reach is always responsive to our needs.

Pluspunten: Without Question, Reach has the best and most flexible scheduling solution I have seen. We like to present relevant and live information on our screens as a complement to our advertiser's content. What better or more pertinent content than a Schedule. Many of our clients are Arenas, and scheduling is thus an essential requirement. When we were looking to migrate, we thought we could never find a suitable scheduling platform until we found Reach. Of course, we do more than schedule, but that is what I like most.

Minpunten: There is not a lot to dislike. I can see improvements with the online calendar by adding more features, and I know those are on the way.

Opmerkingen: Ultimately, Reach has allowed for quick updates to our client ads. Although most features offered by Reach are not something our company needs, they do however open potential opportunities for us to offer to our clients and utilize in the future. Furthermore, Reach did not have a specific feature that one of their competitors does offer (Watchfire Ignite), but I was able to provide the details of this new feature to a Reach Support Representative and they promised to submit this as a potential feature for the Reach CMS. This may or may not be implemented, but my concern was gladly heard - as such, the Reach customer service has been a very positive experience for myself.

Pluspunten: Features available enable us to compete with most of our competition and surpass others. Which in our case, allows us to offer our clients state-of-the-art service.

Minpunten: Due to this being a web-based system, certain clunky response times for content updates, caching concerns, CSS consistency errors, etc - all account for a demerit in consumer value. Most of which can be addressed with future front-end updates to the Reach software. Largest concern from a front-end development standpoint would be major inconsistencies in responsive view (mobile, tablet). There should be no limitations between devices. Granted, although many of these appear concerning, the web-based route allows for flexible updates on a diverse set of systems, web-based integrations for RSS Feeds/Social Content, and many other valuable features which would hold its weight in limitations if Reach were a standalone application.

Opmerkingen: REACH has far exceeded our expectations. It's seamless to use and highly engaging among our member base. It's worth noting that whenever I or another REACH admin within our organization have a question, the REACH team is fast in their response...all the time. From the inquiry phase to the design and build-out to training and our launch, we've been extremely happy to partner with REACH. For several years before our launch, we wondered how we can create a digital all-inclusive facility schedule, key announcements, and highlight our social media activity in one. Our dream came true when we discovered REACH. Every day, our members thank us for the beautiful design lighting up our facility space informing them of exactly what they want to see and learn. We couldn't be more happier to recommend REACH to any organization interested in providing solutions to their customers, members, or clients.

Pluspunten: REACH software allows us to achieve our internal member marketing initiatives and communication in a highly effective way. Our members thrive on live, real-time information and the Scheduler accomplishes just that. There is no other way we could have accomplished that without the support and functionality of REACH. Additionally, our members are able to view and learn about the most essential announcements and events within our organization on the same screen. TVs are made larger and larger these days, but it's the REACH software on these TVs that illuminate our entire lobby area and walkway areas to that our members are most informed. Last but certainly not least, REACH is fully integrated with our membership software, making operating use seamless and consistent. As both an operating user of REACH and an active participant as a member myself, the REACH TVs are the most attractive and informative element we have within our space.

Minpunten: There is no con about REACH. From its member-facing views to our internal dashboard, REACH is easy to use and highly effective.

Opmerkingen: My overall experience with REACH is great! The customer service is very helpful and answers my questions right away and also follows up after a problem is resolved. The ease of uploading our flyers has saved a lot of time. The REACH program is very user friendly. I have been able to navigate the program without problems.

Pluspunten: I like the ease of uploading our flyer images (already designed) for each of our programs at the Bartlett Park District and not having to recreate the messages. I also like the preview feature on the desktop without having to be in front of the actual screen. Also, I like that I can change the order of our messages under the change order tab. And lastly, adding videos are as easy to upload as images.

Minpunten: I am not sure if this problem is on our end (internet connection- I have contacted our IT staff and they cannot detect a problem), but under Dashboard - the Network health is offline. When viewing the screen in the lobby, my recently uploaded announcements are running correctly. So I am not sure why it would say it was off line? Also, sometimes when uploading a jpg, Reach will skew the jpg. The image won't fit the total space. I can enlarge the image (by pulling out the corners), but I cannot stretch the image horizontal because the proportions are constrained (skewed). This doesn't happen often (maybe twice a month) but when it does I have to snag (program) my jpg and save it again. So I am not sure if something happens to that file when saving it to a jpg or if something happens to the file when it is uploaded to REACH?

Opmerkingen: I've observed firsthand people coming into our facility and getting up-to-the-minute accurate information to help them find their way, be informed about upcoming events, and be entertained and inspired. REACH's support team is great and they are super friendly... Willing to work through anything with you! It's been a pleasure doing business with them and we are excited to keep expanding our network of displays in new and exciting ways in the future.

Pluspunten: I love that they work with you to design a custom template that matches your organizations brand. Then, they offer integrations (we use the eSpace integration for building schedule) and modules (weather, social media, video, graphics) that pull in data from multiple sources onto one screen seamlessly. I've seen other digital signage solutions that offer either split screen solutions or out-of-the-box templates, but those fall short in creating a seamless brand experience. I also love how I can schedule graphics and videos for different days and times across multiple players/screens, and set them to expire and be removed automatically on a certain date.

Minpunten: One downside is they don't really offer weekend support. (I was able to get someone to message me back once, but the problem couldn't be resolved until Monday). We are a church and if something goes down on Sunday, we are out of luck. Most of the issues we were having were related to our players being on WiFi, which has as much to do with us as it does with them. Since we've hardwired all our players, we've been pretty much incident free. Their lower-end PC's, which they ship by default, leave much to be desired. Consider upgrading a level or two for enhanced performance and reliability. I wish the dashboard was mobile friendly. It is doable to scroll around and edit a few things on a smartphone, but it's less than ideal. In today's mobile world, I need to be able to make simple edits and check on player status' on the go quickly. Overall, it's backend dashboard is stuck in the past... but it does what it needs to do!