Internal communication with digital signage: The practical guide

How to reach employees in the office, in production, and at multiple locations with relevant information on displays.

Email, intranet, Microsoft Teams, employee apps, or face-to-face conversations: companies today have numerous channels available for internal communication. However, not all of them reach every employee equally.

Especially in production, logistics, retail branches, or shift work, many employees work without a fixed PC workstation or regular access to traditional office channels.

Digital signage adds a visible channel to internal communication, right in the work environment. Information appears on displays exactly where employees work, start their shifts, or take their breaks.

In this guide, we show you the role digital signage plays in employee communication, which content is suitable, how to reach employees without PCs and across different locations, and how existing systems like SharePoint or Power BI can be integrated.

‍

1. What role does digital signage play in internal communication?

Digital signage complements existing communication channels by making information visible on displays directly within the work environment.

Unlike emails, intranet posts, or employee apps, employees do not have to actively open the information. Content can be displayed, for example, at employee entrances, in production halls, break rooms, canteens, or office areas.

Digital signage does not automatically replace email, intranet, Microsoft Teams, or personal communication. Instead, it creates an additional channel for information that needs to be communicated in a timely, relevant, and highly visible manner.

This is suitable, for example, for company news, last-minute changes, safety alerts, shift information, or important dates.
‍

2. Which employees can be reached with digital signage?

Digital signage can be used in a wide variety of work environments: from offices and retail branches to service areas, production facilities, and logistics centers.

This channel is particularly relevant for so-called deskless workers – including employees without a fixed desk or dedicated PC workstation.

This includes, for example, employees in:

• Production and manufacturing
• Warehousing and logistics
• Branches and retail outlets
• Service areas
• Shift-based operations
• Companies with multiple plants or locations

While office staff are often reachable via email, Teams, or the intranet, employees in operational roles sometimes have limited or irregular access to these channels.

Displays create additional touchpoints here, bringing information to where the target audience already spends their time.

→ Learn more about digital signage in the industry
‍

3. How can you reach non-desk employees with digital signage?

Employees without their own PC can be reached via displays at relevant touchpoints in their work environment.

This applies, for example, to staff who do not have a fixed computer, have limited access to email or the intranet, do not have a company smartphone, or work in rotating shifts.

Instead of expecting employees to actively open a platform, information can be made visible on displays at employee entrances, in production areas, or in break rooms.

These can be used to communicate shift information, safety alerts, organizational changes, or company news, among other things.

→ Internal communication in production: How to reach employees without a PC
‍

4. What content is suitable for internal communication on displays?

In general, information that is updated regularly, requires high visibility, or is relevant to specific employee groups and locations is ideal.

Company News
Company news can be centrally managed and distributed across all locations.

Shift Schedules and Information
Current shifts, changes, or organizational updates are visible exactly where employees need them.

HR Information
Benefits, internal offers, job openings, or HR updates can be scheduled on a regular basis.

New Hires and Anniversaries
Personalized content adds variety and helps foster internal company culture.

Safety and Emergency Information
Relevant alerts can be displayed specifically in the affected work areas.

Dates and Events
Training sessions, staff meetings, company events, or other internal appointments stay top of mind.

Production Information
Current updates and information from production can be displayed directly in the respective work area.

Key Metrics and Dashboards
Relevant data, such as Power BI dashboards, can be made visible to teams.

Location-Specific Information
Individual plants, branches, or offices receive exactly the information that is relevant on-site.

Internal Campaigns and Organizational Changes
Awareness campaigns, new processes, or contact information can be communicated visibly over an extended period.

The key is not to cram as much information as possible onto a display. Content, target audience, timing, and display location should all align.
‍

5. Where should displays for internal communications be placed?

The right display location depends on which employees you want to reach, what information is relevant to them, and the context in which they encounter the display. Therefore, a display at the employee entrance serves a different purpose than a screen located directly on the production floor or in an office.

Employee Entrance – for staff across all departments
This is a great place to reach employees at the start or end of their workday. It is ideal for company news, important organizational updates, current shift information, or urgent announcements.

Production Floor – for production and shift workers
Displays placed directly in the work environment are particularly effective for reaching employees who do not have a dedicated desk. The focus here should be on work-related information such as safety guidelines, production updates, process changes, or relevant KPIs.

Break Room – for employees during their downtime
In break rooms, there is more time for content that isn't immediately essential to the workflow. Company news, HR topics, benefits, internal initiatives, events, or team updates are particularly well-suited for this setting.

Cafeteria – for diverse employee groups
Cafeterias are frequently used by staff from various departments. This makes them ideal for company-wide news, events, internal campaigns, or general information intended for a broad audience.

Warehouse and Logistics – for operational staff
Employees here often lack constant access to traditional office communication channels. Displays can therefore make shift information, safety protocols, process changes, or operational KPIs visible directly within the work environment.

Office and Hallways – for office-based staff
In this setting, digital signage complements existing channels like email, the intranet, or Teams. Rather than simply repeating the same information, displays can highlight particularly relevant news, appointments, current KPIs, or company-wide topics.

Reception – for employees and visitors
Displays in reception areas often address multiple target groups simultaneously. In addition to internal company or site information, they can be used to display greetings, event details, or visitor information, for example.

The crucial question is therefore not just: Where can we install a screen?
But rather: Which target group do we want to reach at this location, and with what information? For every location, the combination of location × target group × content should be considered: Who sees the display at this spot – and what information is relevant to that person right there?
‍

6. Digital notice board or info display – what is suitable for what?

A digital notice board focuses primarily on internal employee communication. Instead of printing out information and posting it manually, company news, shift schedules, HR topics, appointments, or safety instructions can be provided and updated digitally.

→ More about the digital notice board

An info display is more versatile. In addition to employee information, it can display key performance indicators, visitor information, room occupancy, or other dynamic content.

→ More about info displays

In practice, the lines are blurred. The deciding factor is which target group you want to reach and what information is needed on the respective display.
‍

7. How can existing systems be used for employee communication?

Information for employee displays does not need to be managed manually or separately. Instead of creating new content for every communication channel, existing systems and data sources can be integrated into your digital signage strategy.

SharePoint for internal content

Are company news, HR information, or internal announcements already managed in SharePoint? Then this content can also be used for display communication.

For example, current company news from SharePoint can automatically appear on displays in the employee entrance or break room, without the need to manually re-enter information into the digital signage system.

Power BI for metrics and dashboards

Metrics, reports, and dashboards from Power BI can be made visible exactly where teams need them during their workday.

For example, production metrics on a display in the manufacturing area or current KPIs on office displays can be shown. If the underlying data changes, the display updates automatically to stay current.

Microsoft Teams and existing information processes

Existing Microsoft environments can also be integrated into employee communication. This means companies do not need to create an entirely new information process for digital signage.

If information is already being provided within the Microsoft environment, existing processes and content can be repurposed for display communication. Digital signage thus becomes an additional output channel within your existing communication structure.

Additional data and content sources

Beyond Microsoft applications, other existing sources can be used for display communication depending on the use case, for example:

• OneDrive and Exchange
• Websites and internal portals
• Calendars and appointments
• RSS feeds
• Social media content
• Weather data
• Databases and custom APIs

connectSignage currently offers over 500 interfaces and integration options, allowing a wide variety of data and content sources to be incorporated into your digital signage communication. For example, social media content, appointments, key performance indicators, or information from internal systems can be displayed automatically without the need to recreate every piece of content specifically for the digital signage channel.

This allows existing information to be reused, processes to be automated, and the effort required for ongoing content maintenance to be reduced.

→ Learn more about the technical integration of SharePoint and PowerBI
‍

8. How does internal communication work across multiple locations?

When dealing with multiple plants, branches, or offices, two requirements usually collide: central corporate communication and local information.

Centrally managed content can include, for example:

• Company news
• Internal campaigns
• Central HR information
• Company-wide announcements

Local content, on the other hand, can include shift schedules, appointments, contact persons, or site-specific safety and organizational notices.

A central digital signage platform allows you to connect both levels. Company-wide content can be provided centrally, while local managers can handle supplementary information for their specific locations.

Roles and permissions allow you to define who is authorized to create, publish, or manage content for specific locations.

This ensures that not all displays automatically show the same content, but rather the information that is relevant to the specific location and target audience.
‍

9. How do you plan digital signage for internal communication?

Successful employee communication starts with the target audience, not the display.

For planning purposes, several points should be considered in sequence:

Define the target audience
Which employees do you want to reach? For example, production staff, office workers, shift teams, or employees at a specific location.

Determine the information
What content is relevant to this target audience? This could include company news, shift information, safety instructions, HR topics, or key performance indicators.

Define the communication goal
What is the intended outcome of the information? Should it inform, draw attention to a change, increase safety, or, for example, strengthen identification with the company?

Check data sources
Where is the required information already stored? If it is maintained in systems like SharePoint, Power BI, a calendar, or another internal tool, existing data sources can be integrated.

Select display locations
Where will the information best reach the target audience? The employees' daily routine determines whether, for example, the staff entrance, the production floor, the break room, or an office area is the most suitable location.

Plan updates
How frequently does the information change, and how do updates reach the display? Depending on the content and data source, maintenance can be manual, centrally managed, or automated.

Define responsibilities
Who creates, reviews, and publishes content? Clear roles and permissions are especially helpful when multiple departments or locations are involved.

Monitor success
Finally, you should verify that the chosen content, locations, and processes are working effectively. This also includes ensuring that the displays and players in use are reliably accessible.

A practical example

A manufacturing company wants to provide shift workers with more reliable updates on current shift information and last-minute changes. Since many of these employees do not have a dedicated desk or computer, email or the intranet are not sufficient as standalone communication channels.

The shift information is already available digitally in an existing system. Instead of manually preparing it again for the displays, the data can be used as a source for digital signage communication.

A display at the employee entrance is particularly well-suited in this case, as employees pass by there at the start of their shift. The relevant information can be managed centrally and – depending on the available data source – updated automatically.

This turns the individual planning steps into a concrete concept: The target audience determines the content, the content determines the appropriate data source, and the daily work routine determines the right display location.

Before getting started, you should therefore clarify a few questions:

• Who do we want to reach?
• What information does this target audience need?
• What do we want to achieve with our communication?
• Where is this information already available?
• Where will it be noticed?
• How often is the content updated?
• Who creates, reviews, and publishes it?
• How do we ensure that displays and content are available?

This turns a single screen into a reliable internal communication channel.

10. Case study RAILONE: Internal communication in production

How digital signage can be used in practice for internal communication is demonstrated by RAILONE.

With connectSignage, a central platform was introduced to manage information across all locations. In the plants, digital notice boards replace analog postings, while welcome screens are used in the reception area. Content can be updated centrally and flexibly.

The challenge:
Employees in production areas work without a fixed PC workstation or regular access to traditional office channels. At the same time, up-to-date information must be reliably available at various locations.

The solution:
With connectSignage, RAILONE relies on a central platform that allows content to be managed and flexibly updated across all locations. Digital notice boards replace the previous analog postings.

In everyday work:
The digital notice boards bring relevant information directly into the plants and thus into the employees' working environment. In addition, Welcome screens are used in reception areas . This allows different communication areas to be covered via a single central solution.

→ RAILONE: Modern internal communication

11. Which software is suitable for internal employee communication via screens?

For internal employee communication via screens, digital signage software is ideal, as it allows you to centrally manage content, schedule it by time and location, integrate existing data sources, and monitor displays.

The right software depends on the number of displays and locations, your existing IT infrastructure, the required integrations, and internal responsibilities.

Internal communication with connectSignage

With connectSignage, you can manage content for various displays and locations from a single central platform. Features for content control, automation, and monitoring help you deliver information effectively while keeping ongoing maintenance to a minimum.

Centralized content control
Company news, HR information, safety notices, or internal campaigns can be managed centrally and distributed to selected displays. This ensures consistent communication across different departments and locations and reduces the effort of having to maintain content on individual displays separately.

Time and location scheduling
Not every piece of information is relevant to all employees at the same time. Content can therefore be targeted by location, display, and time . For example, shift information can be displayed to coincide with shift changes, while location-specific notices are only shown on the screens at the relevant branch.

Roles and permissions
When multiple departments or locations are involved, different people are often responsible for communication. These responsibilities can be mapped using roles and permissions. Central content can be managed company-wide, while local teams manage their own information, without gaining access to areas they are not responsible for.

Integrations and automated content
Existing data sources such as SharePoint, Teams, Exchange, or Power BI can be integrated. This means information does not need to be recreated or managed twice for digital signage. If content changes in the original data source, it can be automatically updated on the displays – saving time and reducing manual maintenance.

Player administration and monitoring
The more displays and locations you use, the more important a technical overview becomes. Centralized player administration and monitoring allow you to track which players are online and whether there are any issues. This allows technical problems to be identified faster, so those responsible don't have to check every display location individually.

Cloud or on-premises
Depending on your IT strategy and requirements, connectSignage can be operated as a cloud or on-premises solution. This allows companies to choose the deployment model that fits their existing IT infrastructure, internal policies, and preferred administration model.

This creates a central communication structure that ensures relevant information reaches the right employees reliably, promptly, and in a targeted manner.
‍

Conclusion: Making internal communication visible where employees work

Effective internal communication only works if information actually reaches the right employees. Digital signage creates an additional communication channel directly in the work environment – whether in the office, in production, in logistics, or across various locations.

The key is not just the use of displays. The target audience, content, display location, and existing data sources must all work together. By integrating existing systems like SharePoint or Power BI and combining central with local content, employee communication can be organized efficiently and kept up to date.

Digital signage does not replace existing channels like email, intranets, or employee apps; instead, it complements them where information needs more visibility or where traditional office channels have limited reach.

Would you like to find out how digital signage can be used for your internal communication?

→ Learn more about internal communication with connectSignage
‍

Frequently Asked Questions about Internal Communication with Digital Signage

1. What is digital signage for internal communication?

Digital signage for internal communication refers to the targeted display of employee information on digital screens. This can include company news, shift schedules, HR information, safety alerts, or key performance indicators.

2. How can digital signage improve internal communication?

Digital signage complements existing communication channels by providing a visible touchpoint in the work environment. Information can be updated centrally and distributed based on location, target group, or time.

3. How do you reach employees without a PC?

Employees without a fixed desk can be reached via displays in high-traffic areas such as employee entrances, production areas, break rooms, or cafeterias.

4. How does internal communication work in production?

Displays in production areas can show shift information, safety instructions, company news, or production data. This creates an additional communication channel for employees who do not have regular access to traditional office channels.

5. What content is suitable for employee communication on displays?

Suitable content includes company news, shift schedules, HR information, safety alerts, appointments, production data, key performance indicators, internal campaigns, and location-specific notices.

6. How can company news be displayed on screens?

Company news can be created centrally via a digital signage CMS or imported from existing data sources and then published to selected displays and locations.

7. How can shift schedules be displayed digitally?

Shift schedules can be displayed on screens in relevant areas such as employee entrances or production zones. If the information is already available digitally, it can also be integrated automatically depending on the system and data source.

8. Where should displays for internal communication be placed?

Displays should be placed where the target audience will see them regularly. Suitable locations include employee entrances, production areas, break rooms, cafeterias, warehouse and logistics areas, and office hallways.

9. How do you inform employees at multiple locations?

With a central digital signage platform, company-wide content can be distributed across multiple locations while simultaneously supplementing it with local information.

10. Can SharePoint be used for internal communication on displays?

Yes. SharePoint content can be used for digital signage via a corresponding integration and displayed on screens. connectSignage supports SharePoint as a data source.

11. Can Power BI be displayed on employee screens?

Yes. Power BI dashboards and key metrics can be displayed on digital signage screens via a corresponding integration. Power BI is one of the data sources supported by connectSignage.

12. Does digital signage replace email, intranets, or employee apps?

No. Digital signage complements existing communication channels. This additional channel is particularly useful for high-visibility information and for employees who do not regularly use email, intranets, or other digital office channels.