There are 600+ Digital Signage CMS providers in all shapes and sizes, making the job of AV System Integrators and Digital Signage Resellers quite tricky when choosing a digital signage software partner. To make the shortlisting process easier, evaluate the following seven most important things while selecting a CMS partner.

Partner Portal: Resellers are responsible for first-level support in most cases, and having access to a partner portal will allow monitoring all their clients in one place. Also, via Partner Portal, creating a new trial account for a prospective client or activating an expired account can be done in a few seconds. This eliminates the need to contact the CMS partner for everything, ensuring faster end-user support.

White-labelling: Resellers should always have an option to white-label a CMS solution, especially when the reseller or System Integrator is a well-known company in a particular region. White-labelling also allows resellers to price the product and prevent their partners/end-users from directly reaching out to the original CMS provider.

Mobile-Friendly CMS: Digital Signage platforms are web-based, and not all CMS companies have a Mobile-Friendly CMS. Things have changed, and end users find it delightful to manage display networks using their smartphones. This is especially true for end-users in DOOH and Retail industries. So, ensure you partner with a digital signage software vendor providing a mobile-friendly CMS.

Hardware Agnostic: Before partnering, check out if the CMS provider’s player app is hardware agnostic. Is their player app compatible with windows, android, webOS, SOC displays, etc.? Even if the Signage player app is not 100% hardware agnostic, it’s advisable to ensure the player app is compatible with widely used operating systems like Android, Windows, and Linux.

Quality of Support: Does the CMS provider involve in the sales process of big deals or not? Do they provide customization when needed, and do you have immediate access to them when needed? These are the key things to consider in terms of support. Also, check to what extent the CMS provider is willing to customize or provide the requested integrations to the end user.

Pricing: No one misses the pricing aspect while choosing a signage software partner. However, the critical thing to consider is the overall value provided than just thinking of pricing in absolute numbers. Also, check if resellers are given at least a 40% discount on the CMS retail pricing. This will give resellers enough flexibility on the pricing and ensure decent margins.

Experience of the CMS provider: Evaluate if the Digital Signage Software company has been in business for at least a few years or not and has a decent set of customers with thousands of live screens across countries. This will ensure the product is stable and devoid of any significant bugs. Also, do check the reviews on platforms like Capterra.