If you’re a business owner, marketing professional, or someone in charge of visitor experience; and you don’t know what’s on your TV in your waiting areas, you may want to keep reading. This article will highlight some of the things that are appearing on your waiting room TV without you realizing it.

Why knowing what’s on your TV is Important.

Some people say “what you don’t know can’t hurt you,” but in reality, the exact opposite is true. In the case of your waiting room TV, not knowing what’s playing can come back to haunt you. It’s like leaving your garage door open for the day; you have no idea how many unwelcome squirrels, birds, and mice may have found their way inside. You might think you have the TV tuned to something safe, or family-friendly; but with cable, DirecTV or a medical service provider, you don’t know unless you’re there in person. Unless you’re in control of what’s on your TV, there’s really no telling what your visitors might be exposed to.

When Using Cable or DirecTV…

The News, Food Network, and channels like E! are the go-to standard for waiting room television. What is the purpose of choosing these channels? It’s usually just needing something to put on the TV. TVs are in waiting rooms because they’re a familiar distraction. They can reduce stress, and help pass the time; people put TVs in waiting rooms because they care about the comfort of their visitors. That is their intent, at least.

The news is often depressing, violent, and graphic. People in waiting areas don’t want to see how many people died in a shooting. They don’t want to see endless political commentary, graphic images of injured or fearful human beings, or a news story about something bad that happened close by. Nothing says “I’ll think twice about coming here next time” than a string of recent crimes in the area.

Channels like the Food Network, HGTV, and E! are tame by comparison, but no less important to keep in mind. Visitors have called these networks boring and frustrating. People have never been more sensitive to the smallest things than they are today; they’ve also never been more able to express those fleeting feelings of frustration over social media and online reviews. Something they saw on your TV, which has nothing to do with your business, could be the reason they go online and rant about their “bad experience”. As a result, you’ll lose potential customers who decide to go somewhere based on reviews.

It’s impossible to please 100% of the people 100% of the time, especially with services like cable or DirecTV. However waiting room TV software exists that gives you control over what’s on your TV; allowing you to cater to the interests of many, as opposed to few.

When Using Medical TV…

In the case of hospitals, clinics, or medical offices, sometimes what’s on the TV isn’t cable, but rather a looping medical display. These programs are detailed, informative, yet very often graphic, anxiety driving or depressing to waiting patients. Cross-sections of the human body, graphic imagery of a clogged artery, or a bold adventure down a 3D-rendered infected colon are not what visitors want to see. This is the sort of content that visitors are watching on your TV if you subscribe to medical waiting room television.

It’s gross, it’s unsettling, and if you’re lucky it’s not looping every 5 minutes. If this is going on in your waiting room, take a moment to sit in the chairs as if you were a patient. Watch the TV, and really consider if this sort of programming is actually improving visitor experience.

It’s Relevant TV, on your TV

“The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few.”

-Spock

The trick to successful waiting room TV programming is content; content that you control, which appeals to as many people as possible. A good TV display doesn’t loop. It should feature interesting videos that are family-friendly, and should be something you can trust to set it and forget it.

It’s Relevant TV is just that. It’s a custom TV network; one that you control. You pick which categories you think your visitors will enjoy, and IRTV does the rest; providing you with non-looping, family-friendly content that is short-form, meaning that chances are high that someone will see a program that interests them during the time they spend waiting.

It’s Relevant puts visitors in a good mood, that helps lead to a good experience, which turns into repeat business. We no longer live in an age where standard TV channels are the only thing that can go on a TV.

Do more for your business by doing more with your TV.