The firm behind the deployment of DVD-rental kiosks has been sued by an advocate group that claims that they discriminate against blind customers.

Redbox has been taken to court by a San Francisco group that is campaigning on behalf of the visually impaired, who allege that the rental touch screen kiosks make it impossible or difficult for visually impaired customers to use the technology.

The activists, “Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired”, say that the advancement of technology is limiting for the visually impaired. One legally blind supporter argues that she enjoys sharing movies with her sighted husband and their son but that she is left feeling embarrassed and helpless when trying to use the units.

Kiosk technology has been installed across industry sectors in airports, retail, and hospitality, but the design needs to consider accessibility for everyone.

Protouch kiosk manufacturers offer guidance on the placement of touch screen technology in order to enable all users use the kiosk. By featuring internet access on the machines, help instructions can also be offered to those few people who find it difficult to use, not just the disabled. Further advice is to provide audio features to help instruct consumers use the technology.

The advocates reported that they sued Redbox in the hope it will encourage other companies to include accessible software.

Here at Protouch, we believe that it is vital that all units tend to a customer’s needs and are designed appropriately to ensure the person can access it with ease and without effort.

Whether someone has difficulties reading and needs a specially designed kiosk that increases their confidence and ability; or a wheelchair user cannot reach the interface display, it is important that the touch screen technology is accessible for all and does not discriminate.

Here at Protouch, we are continually writing about different industries in the UK that are benefiting from touch screen technology.

We have previously mentioned in a blog post about how kiosks are helping the brewery sector where interactive touch screen devices guide consumers through all the different beer options that are available at a bar; but what about drinks in general?

There are examples of kiosk maintained cafés, which similar to Internet cafes, enable consumers to browse the internet at leisure whilst eating. However, these are unmanned and customers can order their drinks at the table via a touch screen unit such as Protouch touch screen PCs.

One doesn’t have to wait to be served by a waitress; decide what you are drinking and input the order yourself with an installed self-service kiosk. Fast food restaurants and cafes are always looking for ways to streamline their business to increase staff efficiency without compromising customer service and touch screen technology does just so.

A computerised system is already deployed in many fast food companies to allow a consumer to order food and drink electronically by themselves but a unit can also be installed next to some computers in a café for the users to order without having to look away from the screen.

The kiosk display is a great platform to advertise on to promote new special offers or incentive schemes and money doesn’t even have to transfer between hands as payment can be taken at the kiosk too with a ticketing dispenser feature that offers a receipt.

With fewer staff needed to take drinks orders, the employees can focus their time and efforts on more important tasks like enhancing customer experience. Nowadays Britons demand fast paced and speedy service, especially if they have a limited dinner break or are in a rush running errands.

Let your business’s customers order their own drinks and deploy some Protouch touch screen software this year.

The New Year has arrived and with it comes optimism for the upcoming year for the self-service industry.

Technology is constantly advancing and sectors undergo trends which can be easily predicted based on the latest gadgets and gizmos.

Here at Protouch kiosk manufacturers, we strive to be up-to-date with the latest industry news.

The KioskMarketplace.com has scoured the industry to talk to experts on what the major trends for 2012 might be and the findings reveal that;

- The retail sector is to embrace the technology the most

- Mobile technology will rise

- The health care industry will cut costs by deploying technology

- Vending machines

RETAIL;

Touch screen kiosks are extremely beneficial for many areas but the retail and consumer good division is particularly helpful. According to the new verdicts, retailers will clinch kiosk solutions and tablets more than ever before and invest in the technology to increase growth.

An in-store kiosk can display information on products that are only available online and by being deployed on the floor; consumers can interact and look through transactions easily and quickly. They are also a great alternative due to low cost maintenance.

MOBILE;

The trend of mobile is already present but this is set to grow in the upcoming year with smartphone technology being the instrument that transcends all platforms for convenience and allows the shopper the greatest experience at home and on the move.

HEALTH CARE;

The UK government has cut a lot of public spending in order to tackle the country’s deficit and in a bid to reduce costs; the health care sector will reap self-service technology.

Only last year did we save around £80,000 at The Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust after it deployed check-in and information kiosks from Protouch.

VENDING MACHINES;

There have been multiple examples of touch screen vending kiosks such as wine dispensing kiosks, ice cream dispensing technology, bread distributing and rail ticketing. Industry experts forecast that more vending kiosks will arise over 2012.

Self-service kiosks can benefit a business’s carbon footprint immensely.

The deployment of a touch screen can have far more benefits as being eco-friendly as opposed to traditional methods.

One example consists of a boy from Arizona who spent two years writing messages of thanks and creating hand-decorated cards to send to US troops. The 11-year-old made more than 180,000 personalised cards for American service members overseas. But imagine how much paper him and your business could save by displaying information and text via a touch screen?

The printed cards are a fantastic gesture of goodwill and support to the hardworking service men and women of U.S but the messages of thank-you can easily be offered with a kiosk. Instead of wasting valuable resources by sending out a monthly newsletter, all the info can be displayed via the welcome kiosk for all staff to read. And because it is displayed electronically, all the data can be kept up-to-date and new.

There are many other ways that kiosks are environmentally friendly. Kiosks can also offer advice to Britons on how to be ‘green’. A unit can display top tips and teach society on how to focus on sustainability and be environmentally conscious. And it can also offer guidance on the unit’s power and energy consumption.

There are also many kiosks on the market that are made out of recycled and renewal materials and ones that recycle products like glass bottles.

So there are many ways in which the technology can be ecological but fundamentally, kiosks help by displaying information via an interface and saving trees by cutting the amount of paper usage.

Contact us today to enquire about Protouch touch screen software and cutting your business carbon footprint.

A deployed touch screen kiosk can help a business throughout the year and it can also reap huge benefits at Christmas time.

The technology can be used to offer information, printing services and way-finding signage and all these features are extremely helpful in the festive season.

Fundamentally, the industry which can profit the most from the technology at this time of year is the retail and hospitality sector.

WAY-FINDING

A kiosk that offers way-finding services is very useful in shopping centres, especially during the mad shopping rush to purchase Christmas presents. Many shoppers may not know where stores are located, so to ease the strain a unit can help by providing a map of the mall.

TICKETING

The ticketing features enable customers to print out vouchers and discounts on offer at retailers or eating establishments. Improve consumer interaction by encouraging them to go online in-store and print out coupons to get fantastic bargains.

INFORMATION

An information kiosk ultimately provides a customer an advanced array of products to buy in-store. If there is a gift idea that a person really wants to buy but it is sold out in-store, the touch screen allows the shopper to still purchase the item and see an extensive collection of other products available to buy.

PHOTOS

And kiosks can also be valuable during the festive period for photographs. Photo kiosks that offer photo gifts including photo books, calendars and holiday cards can be personalised using the touch screen technology.

So if you want to put a picture of the family on all the Christmas cards that go out to relatives, or if you have purchased a pretty picture frame and want to put a nice festive picture inside, the kiosks come in handy.

It may be too late to install the technology in your business for Christmas this year but why not contact us today and discuss deploying some Protouch Touch Screen PCs in-store for the festive season next year.

Xen X5

There are many arguments for and against a touch screen kiosk being installed in an establishment as a virtual receptionist.

Fundamentally, one needs to establish whether or not it is right for the business in the first place because the technology can reap tons of benefits for one industry but be detrimental to another.

Examples where virtual receptionists work well include;

- A deployed kiosk reception in care homes can be very beneficial for the reason that they ease staff of administration duties and therefore give them more time to care for patients.

- In the hospitality sector, an electronic unit is helpful especially in hotels when business people need to check themselves in and out of the accommodation 24/7.

- A kiosk in the sport and leisure industry is valuable so customers can check themselves into fitness classes and sessions without the assistance of a staff member.

Advantages of virtual receptionists

- If the business is growing and you need an extra pair of hands to deal with the workload, ease the strain with a touch screen unit that can take care of all the menial tasks like paperwork, ‘signing in’ and ticketing/payments.

- The growing need of consumers is independence and the technology gives them the power to fulfil tasks without any assistance.

- Long-term it is cost-effective to deploy a unit rather than hire more staff on a full-time basis.

- The interface software and internet connection can display a person’s face for a ‘human touch’. And a proximity sensor can alert the kiosk when a person is approaching so a welcome message could be read.

- By deploying a touch screen, it can be said that you are enhancing the brand and transmitting the notion that your business is up-to-date, ahead of competitors and ‘with it’ with regards to latest technology.

Disadvantages of virtual receptionists

- The traditional concept of a receptionist is a smiling, happy employee sitting at the entrance of a building who greets visitors and clients. But is this really a disadvantage because it is going against the norm?

- The modern look of a standing kiosk may be off putting to some clients if it is the first thing they see to be welcomed. But the majority of business people nowadays are open to advanced technologies.

If you would like to speak to an expert about installing a kiosk as a simulated receptionist in your business, get in touch today and enquire about Protouch touch screen software.

It is vital in any industry sector that everyone is free from danger and threats and kiosks can help by enhancing security. Touch screen monitors can protect valuable information with a secure system which is much safer than leaving paper documents lying around.

But as well as information, kiosks can also benefit people’s security and this is especially in the case of some deployed kiosks in Ecuador in South America.

The 50 installed touch screens across 22 provinces across Ecuador assist in keeping drunken bus drivers off the road by testing their blood-alcohol levels at the start and end of the shifts.

The Ecuadorian government reportedly wanted a way to ensure that bus drivers were sober whilst on the clock and that they were accountable. As a result, they decided breathalyser kiosks were the solution to help make the public safe.

Ricardo Anton, former executive director of the Ecuadorian Transit Authority, told Kioskmarketplace.com: “The problem became pedestrian accidents in which intoxicated bus drivers were actually striking, and in some cases, causing the death of pedestrians along their routes.”

SO HOW DOES IT WORK?

The technology was provided with a collaboration of a Colorado-based manufacturer of breathalysers and a kiosk design manufacturer. The equipment now accurately measures Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) through breath testing and is protected, automated and connected to central administration and databases.

It works by permitting drivers to log into the system by scanning an ID card and upon registering their personal accounts; the screen prompts the user through the test. The results are stored and sent to the central dispatch administrator. The level of alcohol allowed for professional drivers is 0.1 and if a driver does fail the alcohol test the shift is ended immediately. The kiosk also allows managers to generate reporting on driver’s history.

SECURITY & HEALTH

This isn’t the only health monitoring kiosk. There are examples of kiosks that help consumers pick out eyewear and improve employee’s health by checking health signs such as body mass index, hydration level, blood pressure and body fat.

So if you want to boost the security of information in your business, let Protouch help you.

According to a late survey, online shopping sales in America should rise this Christmas period.

Findings by analytics firm comScore reveal that e-commerce sales in the U.S should increase by 15% this festive season as consumers turn to the internet for their Christmas shopping with the enticement of free or low-cost shipping.

ComScore estimate that online sales from November- December in the States will reach $37.6 billion this year, outpacing last year’s growth.

The study of 1,000 shoppers found that 76% of those surveyed said that free shipping was a decisive factor in purchasing products online.

As shoppers all over the world turn to their computers or retail stores in search for some holiday bargains, jump on board the bandwagon and enhance the shopping experience of your customers who come in- store with deployed internet kiosks.

By giving in-store shoppers the option to buy online ranges in-store, they benefit by getting new products sooner and being able to purchase something there and then. And it means that as a business, you don’t have to stock the full range in-store and instead you can just put some items exclusively online.

A kiosk that has access to the internet is further valuable because help instructions can be offered to consumers who find it difficult to use. Rather than needing a human staff member to guide them through the technology, a help guide can show them and also answer any troublesome questions.

What is more, as well as helpful information an internet kiosk can provide information on many other subjects such as facts and figures about the town it is installed in, advice to save the environment, and offer entertainment for hospital bed-sides.

There are numerous surveys on the web that state how essential the internet is for Brits and how without digital services like this, living would be a ‘nightmare’. So cater to modern day needs and install a kiosk that has access to the internet in your business with the help of Protouch.

Image Courtesy of Nara J and reused under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence

Some of the world’s finest architectures are just that because they have been unaltered or amended over time. Many archaic buildings that are thousands of years old remain intact and its preservationists try to ensure that its natural magnificence stays unharmed despite modern machineries.

Due to architecture’s historical significance, some people wish to keep the building conserved with traditional times. But one of India’s most prized architectural sites has decided to reap the benefits of touch screen technology and it has installed a kiosk.

The Big Temple at Thanjavur in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is renowned as one of the grandest temples ever built on the subcontinent. It is a tribute of its patron RajaRaja Chola and remains one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture. And officials have deployed a touch screen kiosk as part of World Heritage Week celebrations.

Big Temple is considered one of the tallest structures in India and last year marked its 1,000^th birthday but the Archaeological Survey of India, (ASI), the department of the Government of India, has erected a self-service kiosk at the first gopuram i.e. the rising tower at the entrance of the temple.

The unit will provide visitors information and details on the history of the Big Temple, its sculptures and paintings. Another kiosk is being put in the interpretation centre inside the temple. All displayed info will be narrated in English, Tamil, Hindi and French.

Touch screen technology can enhance a visitor attraction as well as in-keep with the architectural features. There are many uses and functions to touch screen kiosks and one of them which is the most common and popular choice for deployment, is information providing and storing.

By deploying a kiosk or touch screen monitors, one can provide sightseers with important information that is easy-to-read and more engaging. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the setting is compromised. What is vital is that a kiosk design is chosen that is fairly low-stated and discreet but that is also visible.

Contact Protouch today to see how they can provide you with the touch screen technology to enhance your architecture and visitor attraction.