FAQs

What does Creative Realities do?

We're a technology firm that specializes in creating wow-inducing environments and customer experiences for corporations in the Retail, Hospitality, and Entertainment industries.

All our work hinges upon helping our clients reach an important business goal. We've used technology to educate, sell, entertain, differentiate, and get the word out about services, products, and companies.

Where are you located?

We're headquartered in Fairfield, New Jersey, with offices in New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina. We have hundreds of affiliate technicians spread throughout America. We also have partners here, and in other countries.

How long have you been in business?

The company started in New Jersey in 1997.

Who do you generally work with?

We work with Fortune 1000 companies, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, as well as leading architects, designers, branders, and marketers. These people and their teams appreciate creativity and understand value creation. Our collaborations have made our clients lots of money and helped them build their brands, their cultures, and their customers' loyalty.

Do you do conceptual work?

Absolutely. The difference between us and some other firms is that everything we conceive can be built.

See, we're entrepreneurs and customer fanatics, and we take very seriously the charge that our work will help you achieve a vital business result. To do that, we look at your goals, your business model, your strategic plans, and the costs to support an experience. We interview you, your customers, and we shop your competitors. Then, and only then, do we brainstorm and come up with your concept.

Do you fabricate and integrate?

We do, but we prefer to be brought in much earlier in the project. We want our clients to use our systems with confidence. We want our work to deliver big-time results for them.

To make all that happen, we think it's essential that we be involved in the design part, as well as the fabrication and integration part. That way, the strategic "whys" of the project work hand-in-hand with the tactical "hows." It's this marriage of strategy and tactics that makes our work effective.

By the way, another important point to our approach: We also train clients on how to use the technology we create and install. And when we say "train," we don't just mean how to turn a switch on and off. Instead, we train them on how to use the technology as a business tool to achieve an advanced result.

Why should I pay for development and design when other companies do it for free?

To design and develop a system that will help you meet a business goal, we have to spend a lot of time understanding your business. Someone who isn't being paid to do that will gloss over it. The process requires defining success criteria, knowing the obstacles, and doing due diligence.

Not only do we help you with the technology engineering, but we help you look at your project strategically. How will you manage it? How will it help you do business better? When you use technology to transform your customer experience, you're making a cultural change. It's not, "How many wires and plugs do you need?" It's, "Does this make sense as a business tool?"

The bottom line is this: When we're brought in, we have to add value, or we don't charge.

Do you do audio?

If you just want music playing throughout a space - you know, an amplifier and a few speakers - we're not the right firm. (We'll be happy to recommend someone who can do that work, though.)

We do audio if you're using it to take your customer experience to the next level.

When you bring us in, we'll want to understand what happens in your facility and how your customers navigate through it. Once we know those things, then we'll work to make the audio integrate seamlessly into your experience.

Do you do lighting?

We do. Again, we first learn about what you want to accomplish in terms of business results. Then we make sure that the lighting is integrated in your experience's overall design, so that everything in your environment works together to make a meaningful impact on your customers.

We also look at your power consumption and total cost of ownership, and we teach you how to operate and maintain the system.

Do you do conference rooms?

We do conference rooms for clients who want to use their room as a sales and presentation tool, not to just play back a PowerPoint! Again, technology is a tool, and how you use it is key.

Do you do residences?

If it's a residence project that we can add value to, then yes.

One client wants his home to rival Bill Gates'. To do that, the client wants us to make his house "smart." He wants lighting that changes automatically, based on the preference of the person who walks into the room. He wants the artwork to do the same thing. If a modern art lover comes into a room, the walls should sprout abstracts. If a Renaissance fan enters, the walls should flash Italian masters' works.

That's the kind of project we love, and which we excel at.

Do you create and manage content?

We can write the text, create the visuals, deal with the technical aspects, and set up a content management program. In other words, we can handle your content from A to Z.

What's more, when we create your content, we make sure that the right message gets to the right audience at the right time. And that's invaluable.

Do you do prototypes and pilots?

We insist on it. The reason? Ideas evolve and, if you know what you're doing, they grow better.

We like to get prototypes up and pilot programs going, so we can use what we learn about the unique situation to ratchet up the experience three or four notches.

By the time the final version of the project will be launched, it's as good as it can possibly be.

Do you do rollouts?

It's a specialty of ours. We're particularly adept at it because many of us at CRI have a theater background. We know how to take a show on the road, and deliver the same remarkable experience from city to city.

We set up program managers who oversee the entire project; project managers, who work on specific aspects; and project coordinators, who work on all the little details (which would have become "big details" if they hadn't been addressed). We ensure that the logistics are handled, that there are contingency plans, and failure is not an option.

We have rolled out hundreds of locations in the US and overseas.

Do you maintain equipment?

We do. We have technicians throughout the country who do preventative maintenance, tune-ups, and repairs. We also have a three-tier call center that handles remote diagnostics and troubleshooting.

Other options: We can help you build an in-house support team, or train your existing team, and then we can provide additional support, if needed.

Will my people will be able to run the equipment?

If you want them to, yes. If you don't want them to, no. During our creation process, we'll talk to you about the possibilities, and then you'll decide how much or how little involvement you want your team to have.

Do you have people on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?

We do. Our clients operate demanding, high-end businesses, and their customer experiences have to be managed and maintained; that means that they look to us for support when they need it, not just when we feel like working!

We have people on-call around the clock. Our call center is staffed with full-time personnel, and we have a very complete after-hours call center system that allows us to keep our costs low and service high.

What branding projects have you done?

We're not branders. We work with branders. They bring us into their projects, so we can use technology to help tell their stories in engaging, immersive ways.

How long does a project take?

Depends on the project. What we do is meet with your key players, so we can understand your goals. We then put together a high-level schedule with milestones. At that point, we can tell you how long the project will take.

How much do your services cost?

Again, it depends on the project. But there's one thing you should know: we're not cheap.

We use technology strategically - as a means of helping our clients achieve critical business goals. We charge, not just for the machinery we install, but for the value and profitability our work provides clients.

Can you work with my current vendors?

If you trust a vendor, there's no reason to switch. We're happy to work with them.

An example: A university had been working with an audio visual company for years, and appreciated their work. Now, though, the school wanted to expand their digital signage and messaging campaign. The problem: their audio visual company hadn't ever done a project like that on a wide scale.

The school bought the hardware from their old, trusted source. Then we were brought in for consulting and installation. We then figured out how to make the campaign work, after which we installed the hardware and created the new media to run on their enterprise deployment.

Do you work overseas?

We've done projects in places such as Canada, Guam, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Singapore.

For overseas projects, here's how we work it: First, we do first-hand research to understand the client's goals, their audience, and the environment. Second, we create a solution. Third, we bring in one of our overseas' partners to act as the implementer. Fourth, our core team manages the project until things are functioning perfectly.

Do you conduct Lunch & Learns?

No way. We conduct Sushi & Learns!

That's right, we want to stand out in the crowd, so when you ask us to do a free Sushi & Learn in your conference room, our team brings along fresh sushi, with a customized roll prepared just for your company.

Of course, sushi is not the only difference in our presentation. Whereas most lunch & learns are dry sales pitches, we try to make ours fast-paced and educational. You'll learn about some intriguing strategies that you can use in your designs and experience, without having to buy a thing from us.

Do you give continuing education credits?

We have a program called "Creating Experiences that People Talk About" that the AIA/CES has approved for continuing education credits. Our program, though, isn't merely a lecture. We come to your company and lead a meaningful conversation. The best kind of learning is done through sharing experiences.

How do you get clients?

All our clients come through referrals from our partners and alliances. We work hard to find the right partners who'll work on the projects we can add value to, and then we make ourselves available to help them succeed.

Our philosophy is that you like to work with people that you trust, that you respect, that you like, and that you have fun with. We are all about these relationships. When our partners call with problems, we provide ideas and solutions. We believe in win-win relationships. We ask that people try working with us just once, and we will chronically over-service our partners. Again, it is all about the experience - and we take that very seriously.

What happens when I call?

You'll speak with a member of our senior staff. To get an understanding of your project, they'll ask you a few questions. Among them:

• What kind of experience are customers currently having without the proposed technology?
• Why the need for a technological solution?
• What's the business reason behind the technology?
• What technology were you planning on using?
• What do you hope to accomplish with it?
• How will you measure the results?
• X years from today, what has to have happened for you to be happy with that progress?

Our staff member will then talk with you about how we might be able to use strategy and technology to help you reach your goals.

If there's a fit between our companies, we'll schedule a meeting in which we bring our team to you, so we can learn more about you, your team, and the project.

At that meeting, we'll brainstorm. Together, we'll come up with ideas about how you can achieve as potent a result as possible. We'll also discuss best practices, resources, logistics, and deadlines.

Following this meeting, you may want to introduce us to other parts of your team or, if you're an architect or a marketer, to your client. We can then have a larger meeting, where we can all get in sync and excited around the solutions.

If you'd like to continue, there are two options:

1. We propose our design services. Our fee will be based on the project's duration and complexity, and includes provisions for your approval.

2. We propose our design/build services. We'd do the project in phases, which would allow us to start the design phase immediately. During this phase, we'll also work with you to develop a budget, which would be put towards the implementation phase. The contract would be finalized when we completed the design.

You pick an option, and the project officially begins.