Why TouchSource’s All-Inclusive Solutions Save You More in the Long Run

In the competitive world of commercial real estate, budget constraints often lead property owners to opt for the lowest bid when selecting digital signage solutions. However, these seemingly cost-effective choices can result in unforeseen expenses, equipment failures and maintenance challenges.

People buy digital signage infrequently, so it’s hard to know what to look for. We get asked questions about off-the-shelf products from China and do-it-yourself solutions vs our USA-built products regularly. So, here’s a guide to pitfalls of low-end signage and details to look for as you stare and compare.

Do you really have time for this?

The Illusion of Savings with Low-Cost Vendors

It’s a familiar trap. A vendor promises sleek signage at a crazy low price. But fast forward a few months and property managers find themselves juggling broken displays, confusing software, content challenges and surprise invoices. What once looked like a cost-saving decision becomes a time-consuming liability.

Here are the most common—and costly—pitfalls of cheap digital signage:

• Surprise Charges & Add-Ons: Low-cost providers often leave out essential services from their quotes—like design customization, content changes, installation, or training. What looks like a “deal” quickly balloons with added fees just to get your signage live.
• Consumer-Grade Equipment: Many budget systems rely on hardware that wasn’t built for commercial use. Screens fail. Power supplies overheat. Off-the-shelf media players can crash or freeze under the demand of 24/7 operation.
• Poor Content Management Tools: DIY solutions and cut-rate providers may offer software that’s clunky, outdated, or lacks enterprise-level features like scheduling, multi-location management, or automated updates. That leaves busy property teams doing manual work—or worse, letting outdated content stay up because it’s too hard to change.
• DIY Complexity: When you buy and build your own systems, be prepared to navigate a lot of technical choices. From the type, size, resolution, and other hardware specifications to cabling, power, electrical, weight bearing brackets, and more—it’s all on you to navigate purchase, install and  upkeep.
  

  Do you have experience with these tech specs?

• Limited or No Support: When things go wrong (and they do), cheaper vendors often offer only email-based support or offshore call centers with long wait times. That’s not good enough when a tenant or visitor is staring at a blank screen.
• Hard-to-Maintain Graphics and Design: Without professional digital design services, property teams have to build their own content with tools made for graphic designers. Any change to content requires rework. Many underestimate the size of font required for ADA readability. Self-created content is often the wrong size for the screen resolution and takes practice to get right. And hand-built graphics aren’t ideal for directory listings and building notices that change often. The result? Graphics that look off-brand, cluttered, illegible or confusing to viewers.
• No Path to ROI: Most low-cost solutions don’t include leasing experience virtual tours or programmatic advertising options that defray the costs of digital display services. That’s a missed opportunity to capture leads, lease spaces faster and reduce costs.

The hidden cost isn’t just dollars—it’s the time, stress, and reputational damage that follows when signage doesn’t work as promised. In an industry where budgets are set a year in advance, surprise costs can be embarrassing to property teams and reduce confidence in how vendors are selected.

Apples to Oranges: Comparing TouchSource’s Comprehensive Solution to DIY Options

When you choose TouchSource, you’re buying so much more than a TV screen or a thumb drive to load content. Looking at digital signage as a hardware purchase leads you down the wrong road. What’s important is how signage enables you to achieve business goals:

• landing new tenants and keeping current ones happy
• delivering a better, stress free visitor experience
• engaging the building community on events, programs and amenities
• creating a brand and communicating marketing message
• saving time, money and hassle

With TouchSource, you’re getting a full-service digital signage partner focused on your success. We consult with you on your business goals, and design the solution that scratches the itch.TouchSource makes digital signage networks easy—helping you future-proof your property, wow your tenants, and keep everything running smoothly.

• Professional Design that Shines: With a seasoned creative team behind every display, your signage will do more than just inform—it will make every visit memorable. We create beautiful experiences that welcome, guide, and impress visitors every time they walk through your doors. Busy property teams can focus on tenant and building management instead of wrangling with their digital signage CMS to get content to look right on a screen.

• User-Friendly Software: Our Spark PX™ platform delivers instant updates across properties in seconds, not days. Manage content across a portfolio from one easy dashboard—no IT team required. Our software natively supports ADA user experience requirements in every design. And, we have features that support different industries and needs—which we’ll explore as part of your digital consultation. Our platform is built with enterprise security protocols. We’re on the General Services Administration schedule—a tough bar to pass—because we’re built in the U.S. and pass tough standards of scrutiny.

These days, many claim the same ease of use. But buyer beware. When you see language like “customize effortlessly with our Designer Tool” or “500+ templates available for your use”. It’s marketing-speak for do-it-yourself digital graphics design. You’ll have to use an unfamiliar graphical design interface to custom build your on-screen content.

Property managers are very talented, but they have better things to do with their time. At least, that’s our point of view. That’s why we deliver your design to you, make it easy to refresh content in seconds, and let the software do the work.

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  A few details that our programming and techs provide for a truly simple signage experience.

  Engineered Enclosures: Our experienced product experts engineer our enclosures for aesthetics, durability, ADA compliance and tamper-resistance. From the grade of metal that we use to the material weight of the total solution—we design and rigorously test our units to perform 24/7 in real-world indoor and outdoor conditions. This reliability reduces downtime, minimizes maintenance headaches, and extends the life of your investment.

For example, we have outdoor units everywhere from near-desert environments like Tucson, Arizona to outdoor malls from Boston to Florida and California to Maryland. From extreme heat to extreme cold—we’re experienced and design our customized enclosures to withstand the elements. Our designs factor in the need for WIFI and cellular data. By contrast, we’ve seen other vendors create AI images of conceptual kiosks and claim expertise. We’ve got over 40 years of real-world experience, and it shows in the durability, sturdiness and experienced support services that we offer.

• Transparent Pricing: Every proposal includes the full scope—design, tech, updates—with no surprise fees or hidden upcharges. With one partner, zero stress, you know exactly what you’re getting.

We’ve seen some vendors fail to quote taxes and, in small fine print, say it’ll be on your invoice. Others have a zero-tolerance policy for late payments and tag on fees of as much as $275 when you are a day late in paying your invoice. Many surprise customers with an annual support package that activates in Year 2. If you don’t pay it, they shut off your access to your content.

To those vendors, you’re a transaction. To us, you’re a business partner. Respect and honest business practices are critical to us. It’s about mutual trust. That’s why we’ve been in business for 40 years.

These days, many claim the same ease of use. But buyer beware. When you see language like “customize effortlessly with our Designer Tool” or “500+ templates available for your use”. It’s marketing-speak for do-it-yourself digital graphics design. You’ll have to use an unfamiliar graphical design interface to custom build your on-screen content.

Property managers are very talented, but they have better things to do with their time. At least, that’s our point of view. That’s why we deliver your design to you, make it easy to refresh content in seconds, and let the software do the work.

• Turnkey Installation: We coordinate everything from planning and quality testing in our production workshop to post-installation support, reducing the burden on your facilities and IT teams.

If you’re not used to working with signage, the devil is in the details. Walls have to be able to support the weight of these units. Power and cabling need to be within a specific range of the unit. They need to be installed at a certain height for ADA compliance provided that your software/content is ADA compliant. Placement at the right location in your area is key so that visitors see and use the device. There’s more. We help you with that.

• Leads and Advertising Subsidies: Need to promote your leasing spaces or tenants? Want to reduce operational costs for signage? We offer product features, monetization models and content advice that range from reducing costs to revenue sharing for large property companies.

In short, we don’t just sell signage—we deliver peace of mind. We handle everything—design, tech, updates—so your team doesn’t have to.

Real-World Impacts

Lots of vendors slap logos on their websites and claim they serve the industry’s best companies. We take it a step farther–just visit our customer testimonials or our customer case studies page. Clients with difficult business challenges choose us. Read on….

Circle Centre Mall (JLL Retail)
Facing non-functional kiosks and outdated software, Circle Centre Mall partnered with TouchSource to revamp their digital directory infrastructure. TouchSource deployed dual-sided digital kiosks featuring 3D animated wayfinding and dynamic promotional content. This upgrade not only enhanced the shopping experience but also provided a platform for targeted marketing campaigns, driving increased foot traffic and tenant engagement.

CareMount Medical
As New York State’s premier multi-specialty medical group, CareMount Medical (now UHC) sought to modernize their patient experience. They installed 33 digital directories across key campuses, enabling quick and easy remote updates. These directories provided timely messaging on locations and services, aligning with CareMount’s innovative service delivery and enhancing patient navigation throughout their facilities.

Anchor Health Properties
Upon acquiring a new medical office building, Anchor Health Properties discovered that patients frequently got lost and interrupted tenants to seek directions. To address this, they partnered with TouchSource to implement digital signage solutions. The digital directories provided clear wayfinding information, helping patients navigate the building more easily and reducing disturbances to tenants. The result was an enhanced patient experience and improved tenant satisfaction.

See for yourself.

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