Digital signage company .advancedMethod, in cooperation with Tandberg, is gearing up to demonstrate an interactive kiosk/video conference experience at this year's Infocomm that will allow instant video contact with a subject expert or an interpreter at the touch of a button.

The system has been designed to offer a retailer, mass transit hub, or any other customer-facing facility the ability to have an "instant expert" on hand at any time. It can be used anywhere a retailer or organization needs more of a presence without hiring additional employees.

By touching any of the custom buttons on the Instant Expert/Translation Station, a user can instantly be connected to a pre-determined expert at any location in the world. Buttons can be customised to fit a company or organisation's specific needs.

For example, one can have an instant translation into a foreign language in order to provide a lost traveler with the ability to communicate in his/her native language. When it is not in use the Instant Expert is automatically turned into digital signage using .advancedMethod's express system.

Labour-saving HD signage offering

Instant Expert can also provide businesses running with fewer personnel due to the current economic situation the capability of having one employee in a central location become the go-to expert for many sites, reducing local staffing costs.

By offering retail store customers the ability to communicate via a world-class HD video conference connection with an expert on a company's product, the partners said organisations can now offer their clientele a world of better service alongside a great reduction in staffing.

First seen at Infocomm 2006 as a concept, the system has undergone many improvements and is now ready for market. The solution is made possible by a partnership with Tandberg's video conferencing system, the 1700 MP.