Sharp NEC Display Solutions client installation – Insurance

AOK Niedersachsen

Easing the wait with infotainment displays

Centralised control of signage displays in over 80 waiting rooms supports efficient content management with low operating costs, streaming informative, inspiring and reassuring messages for visitors to AOK Niedersachsen’s service centres.

Almost one in three Germans rely on the strong community of the AOK when it comes to health, health insurance, and long-term care insurance. With a market share of around 39 percent, it is one of the largest statutory health insurers in Germany. The AOK comprises eleven independent regional health insurance funds. Among them is AOK Niedersachsen in Lower Saxony, which is represented at over 100 locations between the North Sea and the Harz.

AOK Niedersachsen attaches great importance to ensuring that guests at its service centres feel comfortable and well looked after. This includes making any necessary waiting times feel acceptable and less frustrating. In the waiting areas, visitors receive useful information via video and AOK Niedersachsen has modernised the displays used for that purpose relying on an efficient solution from Sharp/NEC.

The Challenge

Centralised control at 82 of the 100+ AOK Niedersachsen locations

The aim of the upgrade was to control the displays centrally, flexibly and in a resource-conscious manner for all locations. It should also allow content to be updated online on all displays quickly and simultaneously. Another prerequisite was a high level of security on the network.

“Our task for the AOK Niedersachsen project was to equip 82 locations with a total of just under 90 monitors that can be easily controlled and maintained remotely from a central location”, says Nils Karsten, Business Segment Lead Retail at Sharp/NEC.

“Accordingly, we brought our software partner, Yodeck, on board, who was able to support us with a powerful signage system. The displays used were from the NEC M series with Raspberry Pi plug-in players.”

The Solution

Durable large-format displays with Raspberry Pi

The M series is characterised by a high brightness of 500 candela, 24/7 operation, powerful, expandable functions, and an attractive design. The high haze level with matt surface prevents reflections from windows or other light sources, ensuring an interference-free presentation of content.

“In addition to the high image quality and robustness of the displays, it was particularly important to us that they feature future-proof connectivity options that comply with current industry standards so that they can be seamlessly integrated into our infrastructures,” adds Marcel Bode from the marketing division at AOK Niedersachsen.

“The M series displays are particularly durable and impressed us with their low power consumption, which both reduces operating costs and supports the AOK’s sustainability goals.”

The content management system from Yodeck enables the remote maintenance option for accessing and importing content, and device management for the displays.

“Yodeck never ceases to surprise us with its clear user interface, despite the many options offered by the software. The collaboration was excellent and was able to provide everything required of the signage system, and solve every challenge to the complete satisfaction of everyone involved,” adds Nils Karsten.

The Result

Strong cooperation with a convincing result

“We are thrilled with the result of the collaboration between Sharp/NEC and Yodeck,” says Marcel Bode from AOK Niedersachsen.

“We managed to put the new displays with their modern look into operation within just a few months, so that we can present our corporate messages flexibly and professionally. The displays have been well received by our customers, and they contribute to a pleasant stay at our service centres.”

Thanks to remote maintenance, AOK Niedersachsen saves time and resources during maintenance work, and benefits from flexible, durable, and sustainable digital signage with a low total cost of ownership (TCO).

If the system requirements change, the Raspberry Pis can be upgraded so that there will be no limits to AOK Niedersachsen’s creativity in the future either.