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Rise Vision Digital Signage Supports Rasmussen Mechanical Services Achieving Zero Recordable Injuries

Written by Jennifer Jennings | 8/1/24 9:30 AM

Rasmussen Mechanical Services, a leading mechanical contractor, is renowned for its comprehensive service departments and a team of highly skilled technicians. With a commitment to delivering exceptional results, Rasmussen Mechanical Services has always prioritized excellence. To support their mission, they recognized the need to enhance internal communication around safety and cultivate a positive workplace culture. 

Let’s explore how they achieved these goals using Rise Vision’s digital signage software, transforming their internal communication strategy and significantly improving their organizational culture.

Digital Signage Champion, Ryan Waldron

Ryan Waldron, the marketing manager at Rasmussen Mechanical Services, played a pivotal role in implementing the digital signage solution. His insights and experience with Rise Vision provided valuable context for understanding the company's journey toward enhanced communication and a more connected workplace culture.

Dealing with a “Nightmare” Communication Solution

Rasmussen Mechanical Services faced challenges in communicating important information to their widely dispersed workforce. With seven locations across four states—ranging from their headquarters in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to smaller branches in Denver, Colorado—keeping everyone informed was a daunting task. Ryan Waldron explained,

“We were trying to communicate messages internally to our different teams, and the way that we ultimately decided to go about doing that was to use [digital signage].”

The company had previously attempted to use Google Slides displayed through internet browsers on smart TVs. However, this method proved to be unreliable, requiring frequent refreshes and restarts. “It was a nightmare. Some of the browsers would just fail pretty regularly,” Ryan recalled.

This inefficiency highlighted the need for a more robust and dependable solution.

Discovering an Easier Way to Communicate

In search of a more effective solution, Rasmussen Mechanical Services discovered Rise Vision digital signage. Their initial attempts with Google Slides and smart TVs were cumbersome and inefficient, prompting them to explore alternatives. Rise Vision’s compatibility with most types of hardware, including inexpensive stick PCs, provided a cost-effective and reliable solution that seamlessly integrated with their existing hardware. 

Rasmussen Reaches 67% More Employees with Rise Vision Digital Signage

Rasmussen Mechanical Services’ use case is unique due to the nature of their workforce and the specific challenges they faced. The majority of their employees are technicians or “deskless workers”, who often do not regularly check email or other digital communication tools. This made it essential to find a solution that could reach these workers effectively and consistently.

Digital signage is a key component of Rasmussen Mechanical Services' multifaceted communication strategy, complementing text messages and emails to ensure comprehensive coverage.

Since text messages achieve only a 60% open rate, digital signage bridges this communication gap by delivering critical updates and messages in high-traffic areas where employees are likely to see them. This approach ensures that 100% of the team stays informed about important announcements, safety protocols, and company news. By integrating Rise Vision with other communication methods, Rasmussen Mechanical Services creates a robust internal communication system that keeps every employee in the loop, regardless of their engagement with other communication channels.

How Rasmussen is Using Digital Signage to Improve Internal Communication

Rise Vision’s digital signage solution provided Rasmussen Mechanical Services with a centralized platform for internal communication. By installing TVs in common areas such as break rooms and lunch areas across their seven locations, they ensured that all employees could easily access important information. This setup not only improved communication, especially around safety KPIs, but also helped create a more inclusive and informed workplace culture.

Sharing Safety KPIs

Safety is a top priority for Rasmussen Mechanical Services. They use Rise Vision’s digital signage to share safety information with their technicians. This includes announcements about monthly safety meetings, near-miss reports, and details of any recordable injuries. 

Ryan highlighted the importance of this approach:

“We use [digital signage] for publicizing what happened, like what caused the injury, so that everybody in the company can be aware of that and then not make that same mistake going forward.”

The digital signage system also complements their safety app, which allows technicians to complete job safety analyses (JSAs) and site audits. By reinforcing safety messages through multiple channels, Rasmussen Mechanical Services has seen significant improvements in their safety record. “This year so far, we’ve had zero recordable injuries,” Waldron proudly reported, attributing this success to their comprehensive safety strategy supported by digital signage.

Fostering a Positive Workplace Culture with Digital Signage

In addition to safety information, Rise Vision’s digital signage plays a crucial role in fostering a positive workplace culture at Rasmussen Mechanical Services. The company uses the screens to celebrate work anniversaries, birthdays, and employee shout-outs, ensuring that achievements and milestones are recognized across the organization. 

Waldron emphasized the impact of this initiative: 

“Our chief operating officer has commented multiple times on how including anniversaries and publicizing the shout-outs is having a pretty dramatic effect on people across the organization.”

By continuously displaying these positive messages, the digital signage helps build a sense of community and appreciation among employees. This was particularly important given the feedback from their recent culture audit, which indicated a desire for better communication and more recognition. The digital signage system provided an effective solution to these concerns, creating a more engaged and motivated workforce.

What Can Readers Learn from This?

Sharing photos of company get togethers and events is another strategy Rasmussen uses to foster a positive workplace culture.

Rasmussen Mechanical Services’ experience with Rise Vision offers valuable insights for other companies facing similar communication challenges, particularly those with a dispersed and deskless workforce. Key takeaways from their case include:

  • Cost-Effective Solutions: Utilizing affordable hardware can significantly reduce the cost of implementing a digital signage system.
  • Centralized Control: A centralized platform for managing content ensures consistency and reliability, reducing the need for frequent maintenance and troubleshooting. Ryan remarked about Rise Vision’s centralized management of displays: 

    “It just doesn't work when you have seven locations and seven different people in charge of [keeping the displays updated]. So [Rise Vision] gives it all central control, which allows me to visually see whether or not the unit is active. And so, from that standpoint, it's awesome.”

  • Enhanced Safety Communication: Integrating digital signage with existing safety protocols and tools can improve overall safety awareness and compliance.
  • Positive Workplace Culture: Regularly sharing positive messages and recognizing employee achievements can foster a more connected and motivated workforce. Research suggests that employees are 2.7x more likely to be engaged when they will be recognized for their efforts.
  • Versatile Applications: Digital signage can be used for various purposes, from safety reminders to cultural initiatives, making it a versatile tool for improving internal communication.

Rasmussen Mechanical Services Enhanced Internal Communication and Culture with Digital Signage

Rasmussen Mechanical Services’ successful implementation of Rise Vision’s digital signage solution demonstrates the transformative potential of effective internal communication tools. By addressing their unique challenges and leveraging digital signage to enhance safety communication and workplace culture, they have created a more informed, engaged, and connected workforce. 

Interested in how your organization can use Rise Vision? Book a free demo today