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.

The concept of being environmentally friendly and having a positive impact on the earth is a huge aspect of any business nowadays. And many industry sectors in the UK have placed an emphasis and drive to reducing its carbon footprint and becoming ‘green’.

Trading firms are striving to be eco-friendly alongside retailers, banks and health services but it has been claimed that the self-service sector is lagging behind in going conservational.

However, it is arguable that touch screen technology is already trying to be environmentally friendly. There are many kiosks and digital signage on the market that are made out of recycled and renewal materials and there are numerous manufactured kiosks that specifically help the environment.

Here at Protouch we have written several posts on kiosks aiding the world. Information units have been installed in varying countries across the globe to offer help and advice to consumers on how to help the environment and manage the unit’s power and energy consumption; and there is evidence of solar powered touch screens.

Back in 2010 Pepsi announced an innovate strategy to fight
pollution and encourage recycling through the use of intelligent kiosks; and in 2009 a self-service kiosk was created to recycle old mobile phones.

Kiosks do promote ‘greener’ issues by educating and communicating with the public. Only last weekend when a member of our team came back from a holiday and landed at Manchester Airport in the UK, did they notice some deployed touch screen monitors by the train station to inform travellers on how they can be more sustainable.

All industries can continually progress and do better to be conservational but it does take time and there are stepping stones to cross. The self-service sector, like many others, is determined to do its part to reduce the world’s overall carbon footprint; we’ll all just have to wait and see what it brings.

Image Courtesy of Open Cage and reused under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence.

There are many restaurants across the world that benefit from touch screen technology. The hospitality sector has been reaping the advantages of installing kiosks and touch screen monitors in-store to reduce customer waiting times and enhance the consumer’s eating experience.

The fast food industry, with the exception of takeaway giant McDonalds, hasn’t really adopted kiosk systems; however that is all about to change. So what is the scoop on self-service ice cream kiosks?

A robot-making ice cream server has been created to transform the way retailers sell the frozen dessert. It sounds like something out of a science fiction film but it really is reality and the units have been deployed in varying locations across America.

Robofusion is a self-service kiosk that allows food fanatics to create their own five-layered ice cream treat without human assistance.

The robotic kiosk gives its customers a souvenir cup and fills it to exact specifications, fusing technology and fun to deliver a unique customer experience. The kiosks reportedly require about 45 square feet and come as a corner, flat wall or free standing unit.

According to the Self-Service Future Trends 2011 report, produced by the Digital Screenmedia Association, the restaurant industry will benefit 12.8% from self-service technology in the next five years.

By deploying kiosks in your restaurant or fast-food business, you can cut costs as less employed staff are needed to take orders but a workforce is still required to help customers operate the units.

Protouch can help you harvest the rewards of self-service technology- as Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen technology.

Let’s just hope the ice-cream kiosks don’t freeze over…

Pic Credit: What Would Oakley Do

A survey of more than 16,000 consumers show that self-checkouts rank as the number one technology that enhances overall shopping experience.

The 2011 Consumer Insights Panel study, by Empathica Inc, reveals that the self-service is the favourite technology amongst retail shoppers.

The survey asked consumers in Canada and America which technologies they valued the most in their grocery experience. The findings demonstrate that the top five grocery store technologies that consumers value, from the most important to the least, include;

1.      Self-checkouts

2.      Easy-to-use website

3.      Kiosks offering product information, coupons, recipes, etc.

4.      Electronic offers sent via email or mobile device

5.      Wireless access within store

So it is obvious how much a self-service kiosk can benefit a business and improve customer experience but the research also found that dependent on where we live, influences our technology preferences.

Of the U.S consumer, 65% considered self-checkouts important in comparison to only 54% of Canadian shoppers. This shows that not all retail outlets may have touch screen technologies deployed and therefore this will ultimately affect how valuable we think it is. If there are none already installed, then a consumer will value it as low because they haven’t even experienced the advantages.

The study also revealed differences between sexes. More women surveyed (51%) said they valued grocery store technology in contrast to men (46%). They appreciated the electronic product offers like email and mobile device features and the majority of women (57%) said an easy-to-use website initially influenced the overall customer experience.

The survey further found that 80% of consumers aged between 18-24 years old, said grocery technology was an important factor in shopping experience, so differentiate yourself from other businesses today and cater to consumer’s needs that are evolving from time to time by deploying a touch screen kiosk, with Protouch.

Get in touch to find out more about kiosks and touch screen accessories.

Pic Credit: Inventor Spot

A common technology trend that is expected to come into fruition over the next few years is facial recognition.

The director of Intel’s Retail Marketing and Communications unit, Christopher O’Malley, has argued that facial recognition technology will become extremely population as a tool to provide shoppers with more targeted information in-stores.

It involves the scanning of consumers’ faces to determine the approximate age and gender in which then certain products can be displayed on the kiosk interface dependent on that shopper’s specific profile.

A number of brands have already jumped on the band wagon such as Kraft and Adidas and they have already deployed the software in-stores to improve customer experience. It has already been adopted in countries like Japan and is installed in industry sectors like retail (shops), hospitality (restaurants) and entertainment (theme parks).

The technology can be used on kiosks, walls and digital signage and works for example, by advertising a female consumer in her fifties a range of goods that are suitable for her age and lifestyle. Adidas’s Vice Present of Global Retail Marketing, Chris Aubrey, says that “if a retailer can offer the right products quickly, people are more likely to buy something.”

Accurate demographic and lifestyle information is therefore vital for this technology to work e.g. a female aged between 25-29 years old is more likely to have children at home and so kids products can be suggested. Or a male in his sixties is prone to having more disposable income to buy luxury items like cars or gadgets.

The software has even been developed on social networking site Facebook, in which the tool automatically recognises people in photos put online to tag them in the picture.

Protouch cares about upcoming touch screen trends. As Europe’s leading manufacturer and distributor of touch screen technology, we are excited about future trends for kiosks and we work hard to be at the forefront of relevant industry news.

Pic Credit: The Associated Press

Touch screen kiosks can feature a dispensing option for customers, regardless of the industry of deployment.

A kiosk can dispense tickets for the football sector, receipts for leisure and tourism, coupons in retail, wine in hospitality industry and even prescription drugs to customers who need the service 24 hours a day, without the assistance of a staff member.

This enhances customer power and allows them to carry out tasks independently, so staff time can be used more efficiently improving customer experience rather than doing menial paper work tasks.

And now it seems that as well as dispensing these basic products, kiosks can also dish out baguettes.

A baker in France has deployed a round-the-clock automated baguette dispenser that promises to warm bread any time of the day or night.

The kiosks, which cost $71,000 each, finish baking partially pre-baked baguettes and customers don’t need to spend a lot of ‘dough’ because they dispense the hot loaves for just one Euro.

The baker, Jean-Louis Hect, calls the bread-baking and dispensing touch screen technology “the bakery of tomorrow.”

So far, one kiosk has been installed in Paris which sold 1,600 baguettes in the very first month and nearly 4,500 in July 2011; and another unit has been deployed in another town in France.

So if you want to reap the advantages of touch screen technology as is the bread-baking food sector; install a kiosk in your business today with the help of Protouch. And do not fret- they will be the yeast of your worries…

Pic Credit: McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas

The issue of blind people accessing kiosks in airports is very much a heated and unresolved one.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has tried to sue multiple airports including the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, alleging that the ticket kiosks are not accessible to the visually impaired.

They claimed that the airports violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing equal services to blind passengers.

But the McCarran operators have now said that if anything their blind passengers get preferential treatment.

The operators say the NFB and several blind passengers are “trying play on court sympathy by claiming ticketing kiosks deny them convenience and privacy when they are actually given preferential treatment.”

A deployed kiosk in an airport enables passengers to; check-in, check flight information, print tickets and boarding passes, select seats and upgrade tickets and pay for transaction.

According to the complaint, the kiosks include a visual touch screen that lacks any auxiliary aids such as voice guidance programs. The plaintiffs say they have to wait extended periods of time for assistance from airline employees and must give strangers sensitive private information.

Now the airport’s counter argument is that the kiosks provide sighted air travellers numerous, unique benefits, including convenience, privacy and independence.

They maintain that the “plaintiffs do not dispute that they are provided with curb-to-gate assistance, including … preferential assistance from airline employees in the course of the check-in and ticketing process.”

Install a Touch screen kiosk in your business today to ensure everyone has equal access, with Protouch.

Pic Credit: Just Wicca

Touch screen technology is used to self-scan food at a checkout, check-into a hotel, find a store in a shopping mall, and look at exercise class times at a leisure facility. But now they can also be used to tell the future!

Kiosks are aiding the psychic sector with features that enable a person to have a personal clairvoyant reading via a high definition kiosk interface.

The technology, by the Psychic Friends Network, is said to boost the supernatural industry which includes millions of people and has grown considerably since the 1990s.

Robert Klayman, CEO of News Age Entertainment, which has an exclusive licensing agreement, said: “It is now much more mainstream for a person to consult a psychic. This makes it the perfect time for us to bring this popular brand back.”

Whether one believes in the controversial topic of palm, tarot card reading and spiritual world, touch screen technology can help in that;

- The touch screen enables a person to still have the ‘human touch’ experience but without the need to wait and queue.

- Having a reading face-to-face and talking out loud about the death of a loved one can be too difficult for some people but a kiosk offers the chance to be able to discuss the sensitive subject but without the awkwardness of human interaction.

- The technology can link a person with a psychic from hundreds of miles away, so distance should never be a concern.

- The printer feature allows a person to print out the receipt and reading overview to keep as a souvenir.

- The payment feature means one can pay for the reading via a credit or debit card as opposed to carrying cash around.

- What is more, the kiosk screen can display information on bereavement help or advice.

So, just as kiosks can benefit the hospitality, retail, banking and transport sector; a kiosk can also profit the spiritual medium industry.

Pic Credit: Totally Money

The issue of man vs. machine has been debated about across all industries for some time, since touch screen technology was created.

Since kiosks, ATMs, digital signage and touch screen PCs were deployed into banks, retail stores, and hospitals etc. many have argued that the installation has caused demise in staff employment.

But why does one have to choose a man or machine, cannot society have both?

That is one bank in Australia is trying to overcome by offering customers a mix of traditional human services with a teller as well as ATM services.

Bank customers who still want to use a teller but are tired of queuing up will have a faster option by using a video automatic teller machine. The video ATMs are to offer a ‘human touch’ in that they are still machines but that have an automatic link to a teller via a video screen. A teller will be available 24 hours a day to approve loan applications and accept cheque deposits in an aim to help customers and business people who find it difficult to get to a bank branch during the day.

The banking service already uses ATMs to enable a customer to make cash withdrawals but this new technology means that the customer can have both a technological service as well as a human, in one.

The technology takes into account security and the live teller can reportedly spot if a customer had someone behind them attempting to look at the PIN details. Further aspects are that there is no cash lying around on counters.

The video service allows a customer to hold up a form of ID to the scanner and once the live teller has verified the customer’s details, the loan application or cheque deposit is started. A printer feature enables all documents to be printed out, signed and then scanned back into the machine to be approved.

And if an ATM card has been lost, as long as the person has another form of ID, the teller can view it and approve for cash withdrawals.

Touch screen technology reaps tons of benefits to a business as well as the customer but people will always want some form of human interaction.

So why do we have to choose one or the other? Surely we should take advantage of the brilliant technology of a touch screen kiosk of what we have created and use it in conjunction with each other to make an enjoyable and efficient service for all!

Pic Credit: The Kidderminster Shuttle

Kiosks in Worcestershire, West Midlands have attracted criticism as they allegedly ‘discriminate’ against disabled users.

Wyre Forest District Council (WFDC) has installed some payment kiosks at the Worcestershire Hub and Kidderminster Town Hall in an effort to save the authority £25,000 a year through cutting staff costs.

However, the technology has caused outrage in the community in that a disabled man reportedly feels discriminated against as he cannot use the new machines from his wheelchair.

The kiosks, which cost the council £13,000, were deployed so residents could pay for council tax, housing bills and paying blue badge and other charges without face-to-face contact with a staff personnel.

But according to Mark Lawley, of Disability Action Wyre Forest (DAWF), the machines are not user-friendly and are out of reach for wheelchair users as the messages on the screens are not visible from that height, and there is no privacy as people can see over his head.

Lawley said that the self-service touch screen kiosk fail because they cannot be used any wheelchair users. He added: “I feel discriminated against. It’s not a very positive attitude towards disabled people. They really haven’t thought this through…The council is at risk of legal action if the service cannot be used.”

The Equality Act 2010 is the law which bans unfair treatment and helps achieve equal opportunities in the workplace and in wider society. The act covers nine protected characteristics which are; age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

The Act does explain how reasonable adjustments should be made for disabled persons to avoid the disadvantage.

District council leader, Conservative councillor John Campion, said: “Changes have been made with the customer in mind. We recognise that one size doesn’t fit all and it’s very unfair to say we are discriminating against a certain user group.”

A spokeswoman for WFDC said: “We are aware that there are issues for people with disabilities and we are working to address them by providing alternative ways for people to pay and having customer service advisers on hand to help people who may have specific difficulties.”

Protouch offers 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, and not just the disabled.