Executive Corner: Samsung Display Leader, Harry Patz on Getting Back to Business

Harry Patz, Senior Vice President and General Manager, B2B Enterprise Display Division

As companies are in midst of developing their strategies for reopening, Harry Patz, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Samsung’s Display Division, offers his perspective in a Q&A on how Samsung is empowering customers across industries to get back to business safely and efficiently.

What is the significance of display solutions in helping companies get back to business?

Our world has changed dramatically since I started with Samsung about a year ago, more so than we could have imagined. Now more than ever, we rely on digital signage to disseminate a wide array of news, information and must-see visuals. As many of us have shifted to working remotely, monitors have become an increasingly essential tool for our home offices, and not just for work — for example, gaming on monitors has increased by 30%.

As companies begin to build out their short- and long-term strategies for the post-pandemic recovery period, the disruptive changes we’ve experienced will likely persist even after the pandemic subsides. As proAV providers, we need to think not only about what these changes mean for our industry, but what they mean for the industries we serve. As such, we’ve developed new display solutions with our partners for every vertical — retail, QSRs, hospitality, healthcare, education, and small to medium businesses — to help them reimagine their operations.

Clearly brick-and-mortar retail has been significantly impacted. Can you talk through a retail use case?

Prior to the pandemic, there was little concern around patrons’ proximity to each other in the aisles or how many shoppers were in a store at one time. This quickly changed with the lockdown. To attract customers back to stores, retailers must ensure patrons have a safe experience by implementing crowd management strategies, no-touch interactions and even remote customer service. In addition, they will need display solutions customized to meet CDC guidelines while still offering the traditional meaningful touchpoints with shoppers. For example, our customers can integrate Samsung’s Pro TV at their retail locations to provide updates on what items are out of stock, new store hours or any new guidelines they’ve implemented at the location.

The Samsung Virtual Experience Back to Business will take place on July 15 & 16, 2020.

Quick serve restaurants (QSRs) appeared to have weathered the storm. What kinds of display innovations are being adopted there?

QSRs now find most of their demand comes from drive-thru patrons, as well as delivery and curb-side pick-up. With this shift, QSRs have proven how easily a menu board can be transformed into a business’ essential messaging device. With the reopening, restaurants must take into consideration their employees’ and customers’ health with temperature measurement and social distancing practices.

We have been working with Kazi Foods Inc., franchise owner of Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants. They are using our remote management capabilities for outdoor signage at their QSRs. Our content and device management solution, MagicINFO, allows the QSRs to update customers with social distancing measures and adjust menus as needed with increased drive-thru demand. This is a great example of how easily a menu board can give customers all essential information and make their drive-thru and curbside pick-up experiences safe and efficient.

With summer vacations being top-of-mind, what are some considerations for hotels to open up safely?

The hospitality industry is increasingly reliant on efficient, digitally delivered products and services and we’re providing our insights and innovations to our hospitality customers to deliver the best in class guest experiences. This year, summer vacations will look very different, especially for hotel stays as they open back up.

To prepare for the reopening, hoteliers must consider the most effective ways to keep their guests safe. Specifically, here are some ways that properties are doing this with Samsung technology. In addition to updating policies for their fitness centers and closing onsite eateries, they will need to implement touchless check-in and room access to prevent how many people their guests and staff encounter. Implementing frictionless entrance and exit will be especially important for daily room cleaning. Digital signage will play a key role in distributing information like check-out times, room cleaning policies and wayfinding as guests navigate the hotel. Guests will expect ways to receive information without the need to interact closely with hotel staff. For instance, properties with outdoor seating and dining areas can use our Samsung: Pro TV Terrace Edition, optimized for outdoor use, to extend their information distribution beyond the lobby and guestrooms.

These examples are just the beginning. We’re continuing to evolve and offer solutions to help those in our industry and others adapt to these changes and thrive for a new era.

To learn more about the back to business solutions, attend Samsung’s free “Samsung V/X: Back to Business” virtual conference on July 15 and 16 by signing up with this link. For those who cannot join, the interactive and customizable experience will be accessible through the end of the year.

For more information on Samsung’s Back to Business solutions and offerings, please visit https://www.samsung.com/us/business/solutions/digital-signage-solutions/back-to-business/.