Apple has recently launched its brand new iPad2 which is a touch screen tablet computer. It is designed primarily to feature audio-visual media such as books, films, games, music and the internet.

But what has any of this got to do with a touch screen kiosk?

The term iPad kiosk has been featured on several occasions in the media and fundamentally it is an iPad which is embedded into a self-service kiosk.

A kiosk benefits businesses by increasing efficiencies and enhancing customer experiences and due to the fact that tablets are low-cost and many people are already familiar with using the interface in their everyday lives, some firms are integrating the two in a way to better reach consumers and to make use of advanced technologies.

Some retailers are introducing tablets for use by staff but also employing them for direct-use by a consumer via an iPad-based kiosk application. Examples include the JFK and LaGuardia airports in New York, America in which passengers order food from the airport restaurants via an iPad kiosk as well as play games and check flight information; as well as the Disney store in Florida which has an iPad mounted display that allows kids to browse products organised according to Disney characters.

A touch screen kiosk can also do such things as well as provide videos, printing capabilities, ticket dispensing, way finding, internet, payment, ordering, loyalty and more.

Whatever type of touch screen unit you use, stay ahead of the game and keep up-to-date with technology in order to compete in such competitive markets.

Deploy a kiosk with Protouch; Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen technology.

ENDS

Many airlines globally are deploying touch screen technology to check-in its passengers more efficiently.

A traveller can check themself in, including their baggage, and print out their tickets all without the need of airport staff. Instead, it can all be done via a ticketing kiosk.

And this is exactly what celebrity Lily Allen should have known, before she forked out money to print off important documentation.

The “Smile” singer, who recently announced that she is expecting a baby on her wedding day to partner Sam Cooper, tweeted her upset and wrath online after an altercation with Ryanair.

The 26 year-old was left disgruntled when she was forced to hand over £40 to print off a boarding pass ahead of her flight to Dublin, in Ireland last week.

She furiously sent a message on the social networking site Twitter, saying: “Ryan Air have just charged me 40 quid to print out my boarding pass. Unbelievable.”

“Oh, and now they’ve taken it off of me. 40 pounds for a piece of paper that was mine for approx. 7 mins, wow….”

Many self-service units are deployed at airports so the passenger can print off their documentation beforehand. In some kiosks there are additional fees and extra charges but not to the extent of £40. The technology has been proven to improve customer satisfaction and better queuing times.

Frontier Airlines claims that almost 70% of its passenger check-ins nowadays take place at a kiosk or online. The functions like the printer enable holidaymakers to print off the receipt which is hugely beneficial for those who do not have a printer at home. The touch screen interface also helps customers allocate their own seat selections. Furthermore, the kiosks reduce labour costs and streamline the process for passengers.

In the General Conditions section of the airline website, it states that there is a £40 or 40 euro ‘Airport Boarding Card Re-issue Fee’.

The English recording artist- turned-designer was travelling to Ireland to launch her Lucy In Disguise collection with her sister Sarah Owen.

Save billions of pounds a year and let Protouch help your passengers print tickets off and check-in quicker. Simply click here to find out more…

ass=”alignright” src=”http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1goh_8vrg_fRxcH7rpYuhwn0iJqk7nR1MNI7hygkS6wyEDkxy” alt=”" width=”273″ height=”185″ />When baking a cake, there are certain ingredients to use that make the perfect mixture. With a sprinkle of sugar and a dash of icing you can create a delicious masterpiece, so long as the instructions are followed closely and to each and every step.

Just as with cooking, a kiosk has many ingredients to make it a recipe success but if certain elements and items are added into the mix that are not required, the technology can fall flat.

Too often kiosk technology is manufactured without the customer in mind, so to deploy an efficient and fruitful touch screen that is beneficial to all learn from some of these common mistakes.

The main reasons why kiosk projects fail are because…

- There are not enough kiosks installed so there are long waiting times.

- The units are placed in inconvenient locations that are inaccessible to consumers.

- The kiosk has poor browsing mechanisms that are frustrate and turn people off from using it.

So here are some top motives and obstacles that wind consumers up and irritate them to the extent, that they become not interested in using your technology; and if a kiosk in unused then what is even the point in its deployment.

- A pinch of location

This is an important aspect of installation to ensure it is visible to all. If a customer cannot reach a kiosk or doesn’t even know where it exists, it won’t be used. Locate it in a prime location so people know where it is but also balance the concept so it doesn’t stand out too much and becomes an eye-sore.

- Sprinkle some presentation

Just as decorating the cake is vital, so is a kiosk appearance. Bad first impressions often put consumers off from ever returning so keep the interface software simple and the kiosk looking appealing to attract and engage with its users. Computers can be deemed as boring, time-consuming and often associated with work. Make the kiosk design have a toy-like quality with bright colours so it is less like an ATM machine and people are encouraged to interact with it.

- A dash of multiples

Many installations distributed throughout the store will ensure people are not waiting for long periods of time behind each other queuing. It will also reduce the fact that people have to walk a far distance to use the kiosk. As well as waiting to use a unit though, consumers don’t like waiting for the software. It can be frustrating lingering on the spot waiting for a page to refresh, so all browsing delays should be limited to less than 0.5 second and put multiple products on one page so the user doesn’t have to flick from screen to screen.

- A cup of privacy

In locations like a doctor surgery or healthcare facility, privacy is vital for patients especially in terms of medical records. A larger screen is ideal for customers who are partially sighted however to maintain privacy keep the screen small.

So make sure you have all the ingredients for Touch screen success with Protouch by clicking here.

Source: Whitepaper by RedDotNet

Security is important to everything; whether it is a kiosk, a computer, a jewellery store or a mobile phone.

It is vital to ensure that people are free from danger and threats and that those who need it, are protected. On a national scale, it is integral for country’s to defend its citizens against terrorism and criminal activity such as theft.

One example firm has been signalled out for its poor kiosk security to indicate to others how to look after and care for security efficiently. Its breach of security enabled the staff workforce unauthorised admission to private information.

For five months employees at a hospital in Massachusetts, in America had access to one another’s personal pay stub information via the hospital shared Kiosks.

At UMass Memorial Healthcare, 10 installed units gave employees information regarding their pay stub. But it also then gave subsequent users access to the info of previous users.

The personal information exposed the 13,500 hospital staff to learn of others’ names, bank name, bank transit number and bank account number. Private data that included social security numbers, medical records and patient information was not breached.

As a result of the security infringement, the organisation is offering potentially affected employees reimbursements of one year of free credit monitoring and the costs to institute a security freeze. Only those who accessed HRConnect using one of the Touch screen Kiosk between 7^th October and 11^th March have possibly been affected by the security violation.

A system-wide software change was applied to disable the organisation’s settings and the UMass Memorial kiosks have been returned for use.

Rob Brogna, UMass Memorial spokesman, said they have no reason to believe that any of the personal information on HRConnect has been misused.

He said: “UMass Memorial deeply regrets this incident and is continually evaluating and modifying its practices to enhance the security and privacy of all confidential and sensitive information entrusted to it.”

Stay safe with Protouch’s all in one software package, Gorilla Media. It can fully support your kiosk network and has the ability to securely lock down a machine using its secure browser and watch over an entire estate of kiosks through its network management application.

Its comprehensive suite of services cover hosting to displaying and scheduling content through to monitoring and reporting kiosk status.

Simply visit www.protouch.co.uk today to find out why we are Europe’s number one in Touch screen technology.

Getting the function of a touch screen kiosk right is fundamental to a unit’s success; it is important as it is the reason for a unit’s existence. If you get it wrong, the unit’s purpose is pointless.

The right functions will meet with a consumer’s wants and needs and are therefore integral to keeping the customer content and happy. A customer’s experience is what will make them return or not.

There are many different types of Touch screen kiosk

that have varying functions to suit your business. Whatever you need a kiosk for, the technology is there to deploy in your firm to enhance your staff and consumer experience.

Functions include;

- Ticket dispensing

- Scanning

- Product purchasing

- Product information and location

- Bill Payment

- Customer/patient check-in

Product information and location increases customer loyalty and satisfaction by empowering shoppers to accomplish their goals independently.

It frees employees to provide customers with more targeted and beneficial interactions as opposed to menial transactions and it enables promotion, cross-selling and up-selling.

Bill payment function allows organisations to reach the growing unbanked market, particularly in a challenging economy.

Again it frees employees to focus on serving customers, ensuring their problems are dealt with and they are satisfied instead of the time consuming and expensive task of processing payments.

Therefore this offers a quick and simple option for customers to complete a necessary task; increasing revenue.

Customer/patient check-in kiosks ultimately streamline the process of dealing with customers. In a hospital staff will know exactly where a patient is, who is seeing them, at what time their appointment is and what their problem is.

It is efficient in that one kiosk can do the same tasks as a member of staff, reducing wage costs.

It also allows customers to browse categories and information until served instead of standing in a line getting bored. This thereby exposes them to brand and products, improving advertising revenues and decreasing waiting time.

Install a Kiosk in your business today, with Protouch.

Kiddicare

The functionality of a kiosk is vital when it comes to enhancing customer experience and increasing profits.

By deploying a unit in your business you can reap cost and time saving benefits that will give you a great return on your investment.

What’s more, by integrating several applications into one kiosk, you can find even greater efficiency while also opening up multiple revenue streams that were not being accessed beforehand. In effect multiple applications can save money and provide better services for customers.

For example, many retailers have simple price-scanning kiosks but these can be enhanced with additional functions such as ordering, payment, way-finding, loyalty account maintenance, and gift card purchases.

Of course you don’t want to overdo the number of functions. The kiosk must remain simple and user-friendly so that a consumer is more likely to want to use it.  Grouped functions on a kiosk should complement each other and not confuse the user; generally automated services are there to improve manual processes that already take place.

It’s not just about service either; your hardware costs can also be cut by combining several applications into one kiosk. Obviously having separate machines has more capital expenditure, so instead of deploying multiple kiosks in your business which would cost more for maintenance, installation and repair work, you can reduce the number of units and therefore cut spending in half.

Fundamentally consolidating services and maintenance on to a single device gives greater efficiency and added revenue streams.

So, advantages of multi-functions include;

- Cost savings on manual processes, staff and hardware

- Greater productivity through automated, grouped services

- Time savings for staff that don’t need to carry out processes by hand

- Added revenue streams leading to an increase in profits

So install a multifunction Touch screen kiosk in your business today, with Protouch.

Kiddicare,as pictured above, is our best example – it does product look up, ordering, payment, collection, delivery and cross  and up selling.

A good or bad Touch Screen User Interface can make or break a touch screen kiosk. It is the point of access that allows the interaction between humans and machines and is made up of an operating system and software.

Kiosk software has several roles, a) it locks down the application in order to protect the kiosk from wandering users, b) it can offer remote monitoring to manage multiple kiosks from another location and c) it is the source that guides a user through the kiosk application. The operating system is the tool that runs the kiosk.

It has been reported a successful self service kiosk will attract customers and keep them engaged through its simplicity, functionality and content. Therefore, it is vital that you ensure your User Interface has been developed to maximise usage, popularity, accessibility, interaction and improve customer satisfaction.

So what are the crucial points of a Touch Screen User Interface?

- Make the home page and navigation clean and simple to understand by reducing the number of elements

on the screen such as icons, buttons, photos, etc. Various demographics must be able to use the unit; the elderly, children, disabled etc, without assistance.

- Use a limited number of colours, font types and font sizes in order to keep the screen clean, while retaining brand awareness and consistency. This is important for marketing usage to grab attention and for readability.

- Show content in stages by spreading it across screens and dividing it into steps. Displaying too much information in one space creates confusion and messiness whereas split up screens, topics and categories are easier to use and understand.

- The system and software need to ensure a successful integration between application, hardware and your back office system and arm you with a secure kiosk network delivering tailored content 24/7.

Ultimately, by paying attention to the specific needs of the customer and developing seamless interaction between hardware, software and user, you can safeguard your kiosk and develop a success application.

Check out the kiosk software on offer at Protouch today.

Redbox DVD kiosks

A recent report by analysts at JP Morgan have predicted that kiosk vending systems such as Redbox and Blockbuster Express will fall short over the next few years with the emergence of streaming and video-on-demand (VOD).

Over the last 12 months consumers are catching on to VOD services with major studios, cable and satellite suppliers as well as electrical manufacturers and retailers jumping on the bandwagon in a bid to increase their customer service.

Company giants such as Walmart, Best Buy and Sears, as well as Amazon, Blockbuster and Apple have gone ahead and expanded their VOD services which has seen a positive response from consumers.

Netflix is currently launching its standalone streaming service in Canada this fall with Amazon reported to set their very own subscription based streaming service this Autumn.

“We believe adoption of online video streaming and downloading services will accelerate dramatically in 2011…and be promoted by major retailers,” JP Morgan analysts wrote in the August report. “DVD kiosk revenue opportunity [as a result] will peak in 2011, owing to loss of share of the home entertainment market to the online video services.”

Analyst with Frost & Sullivan, Dan Rayburn, said that Coinstar -owned Redbox is in a vulnerable position due to the increase in digital distribution such as streaming.

“They have no digital offering…they are in a hard spot,” Rayburn told KioskMarketplace.com, suggesting that Redbox will not be able to deliver video directly to the television.

Coinstar, are working to develop a digital distribution service that could potentially involve both kiosks and the Internet. Eric Wold, analyst with Merriman Curhan Ford in New York, downplayed Redbox’s need for digital distribution, suggesting that consumers are happy with multiple rental distribution channels.

“We continue to believe [consumers] are likely to use more than one rental channel,” Wold wrote in a note.

Netflix further expanded their customer reach paying $1 billion over five years to a plethora of studios in return for faster access to their movies and television programmes.

Laurence Berlin, analyst with First Analysis Corp., in Chicago, said that the deployment of Redbox kiosks, teamed with the availability of high definition Blue-ray Disc rentals, enables packaged media rentals a better choice.

“[Digital distribution] will take several years to play out,” Berlin told KioskMarket.com. “I suspect Coinstar has a smart management team that is working on this.”

A little over ten years ago self service check in units began popping up across retail and supermarket stores. Firstly greeted with a sense of suspicion and an arrogance to why the work shouldn’t be done by staff, self check in systems have become a beloved friend to us all and often the first port of call before a manned self check out service.

Paul Denimarck, who handles strategic marketing for the self checkout division at Honeywell Scanning and Mobility, the data connections and wireless communications solutions company has suggested that self service systems can be divided into one of two types; stationary and portable.

“Stationary self checkout platforms are located at the front of the store,” he said. “A customer using a stationary self checkout platform brings their merchandise to the lane, identifies the items they are purchasing with the scanners and tenders payment at the same location.

“Portable self checkout platforms disperse the transaction process at different points – the customer identifies individual items using a bar code scanner at the point of selection, and then the customer takes the items to a separate location to tender payment.”

There are a variety of different types of self service kiosks available and all work for different types of stores.

Modular Kiosk: Most commonly seen in a supermarket store. They are stand alone units most often deployed next to a few more kiosks at a fixed station.

Carousel Kiosk:

Often a lay-aside area for scanned items and a larger bagging area, which is usually situated on a rotating carousel which makes the bagging process easier.

Cashier Optional:

This option allows the retailer to change from a self service option to a manned kiosk instantly.

Countertop/In counter: Ideal for retailers with a single cash counter, such as convenience stores, deli’s and food areas.

Kiosk/Mobile checkout:

This are versatile units that can be placed anywhere in a store. Smaller than self checkout terminals and are ideal for grab and go services and products.