3 Ways TV Can Benefit Your Business

Offering TV to your customers or employees may seem like a low-priority expense. But when it’s done right, TV can provide immense benefits—helping your business engage, inform and entertain.

For Richard Lee, a Los Angeles attorney and co-founder of law firm Salisian | Lee LLP, having TVs in his conference rooms turned to “business appropriate” channels such as CNN or sometimes even ESPN creates a friendlier atmosphere. “Having the television showing an event or program during the downtime of lunch or afternoon meetings can allow people to feel like the office is more welcoming, that it’s a place where people can let their guard down and get to know one another,” he says.

Here are three key benefits that business TV can provide:

1. Less stressful, more enjoyable waiting

Perhaps the most common use of TV in business is as a distraction, helping customers pass the time while waiting to be served. From doctors’ offices to auto repair shops to hair salons, businesses rely on TVs to entertain or inform clients in lobbies and waiting rooms.

Does it work? A 2015 study in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services found that TV makes customer wait times feel like they pass faster—even when they don’t. “The presence of TV screens reduces consumers’ perceived waiting time and increases waiting satisfaction [more] than the absence of TV screens, even when the objective waiting time is constant,” the researchers wrote.

2. Creating a better vibe, experience

Beyond the benefits of distraction, TV can also provide customers with entertainment or information that improves their overall experience. For many hospitality businesses such as restaurants, bars and hotels, for example, TV is an essential offering. A sports bar, for example, will want multiple TVs to make sure in-demand sports matches can be watched on popular game days.

Health and fitness clubs are another example. Research has shown that exercisers enjoy their workouts more when they watch TV compared to when they don’t—meaning gyms are wise to offer TV to their members.

3. Informing and engaging employees

Placing sets in employee lunchrooms, break rooms or even work areas can provide workers with important information. For instance, when weather threatens to make commutes home tricky, TVs can supply helpful updates on road closings and traffic jams.

It can also help spark small talk. Lee installed a TV behind the reception desk in the waiting area of his law firm to encourage other workers to engage with the receptionist. “Because the receptionist is a bit isolated physically from the rest of the office, it is good to be inclusive of her,” he says.

Finding the right programming

Overall, business TV is most effective when it’s aligned with business goals, says Lewis Goldstein, founder of Blue Wind Marketing agency in Santa Monica, California. A dentist’s office, for example, would want relaxing programming such as nature shows. “This works great, because for some people the dentist can cause anxiety,” Goldstein says. “Nature is shown to be relaxing and appeals to a broad audience.”

Not every show appeals to every customer, of course. Goldstein suggests businesses let customers select the channel. “This is a great gesture because it allows me to choose my own adventure,” he says. “That is a nice touch to the customer experience and can help businesses develop a better connection with their customers.”

The wrong channel may produce less desirable results. For example, playing a channel showing feature-length movies may be inappropriate in a waiting area because customers are unlikely to arrive at the beginning or stay until the end of the show.

All said, when businesses find the right channels or programming, TV can be a valuable and inexpensive way to keep their customers and their employees happier and more engaged.

Spectrum Business TV offers packages with 45-plus high-definition (HD) channels to businesses starting at just $24.99 per month—with no long-term contract. To learn more, contact us at 855-299-9353.