Almost every environment you walk in to these days has a touch screen kiosk performing some kind of beneficial function or service that is ultimately giving the power back to the customer through self-service.

Whether it’s registering attendance at a doctors surgery, ordering products and scanning items to buy in store or checking in at an airport, the ability to self-serve is increasing customer satisfaction because people are able to manage themselves rather than being managed by staff.

Let’s look at the key factors that touch screens and kiosks provide:

• Speed – Automated touch screen systems speed up processes and in turn provide faster service. This means more time browsing and beating the dreaded queue which we all know can be tiresome, time wasting and fustrating.
• Convenience – Taking control and serving yourself using conveniently placed and intuitive self-service systems gives you the added flexibility that complements your fast paced lifestyle.  And, gives you more time to pick up the kids, nip home to catch Corrie or do more shopping. 
• Information – Where staffs are lacking in knowledge and environments are unable to put their entire product range on show, kiosks come into their own with their ability to store and present a wealth of information.

In general, faster, simpler and hassle free processes that empower the customer and give them a sense of control equals satisfied customers. And in today’s world, in which everything is fast-paced and chaotic, this type of service is matching our everyday needs.

Now let’s see which, what and why?

The following examples give a quick snap shot of which sectors are using what kiosk applications  and, benefits  for the business and customer;

Retail

Applications for retail kiosks include:  “Virtual warehousing,” which allows a store to offer a limitless inventory; in-store cataloguing and ordering; vending and purchasing; customisation, which might include monograms; promotional purposes, which might include monthly specials or featured/new products; employee recruitment, etc.

The benefits of retail kiosks include: lowered per-transaction costs, increased about of impulse sales, extended business hours, expanded purchasing options, quicker transactions that cut down queues etc.

Entertainment

Applications for entertainment kiosks include:  Customer reward/points Information; ticket/cash redemption; event/betting ticket purchase; promotional offers/giveaways; check-in and wayfinding, etc.

The benefits of entertainment kiosks include:  Reduced labour/overhead costs; increased convenience and decreased wait times; increased customer satisfaction/loyalty; accurate monitoring and reduced reporting errors; ability to gather targeted patron information, etc.

Education

Applications for education kiosks include:  Student registration; grade/transcript access; campus way-finding; student meal card dispensing and replenishing; electronic assignment submission; bookstore transactions, including textbooks; volunteer applications, etc.

The benefits of education kiosks include: decreased wait times for registration/purchasing; reduced costs for payroll/overhead; increased employee proficiency; increased branding/visibility; positive experiences/student satisfaction, etc.

Healthcare

Applications for healthcare kiosks include:  Visitor management; self-check-in, including triage; vendor credentialing/management; appointment scheduling; hospital or office complex directories; etc.

The benefits of healthcare kiosks include: reduced administrative/overhead costs, increased employee proficiency, valuable data management capabilities, decreased patient wait times, positive user experiences and patient satisfaction.

For more information on how Touch Screen kiosks can help your business, visit Protouch today.