IKEA kiosk by Protouch.

More and more business are moving into the self service industry to reduce staff costs, expand their revenue and improve their customer service. They may set companies back a little bit of money when it comes to the manufacturing and deployment, but once this has been organised and the budgets have been set, kiosk systems are sure to improve the way your business is run.

To give you an idea of why kiosk deployment is successful, here are a few tips in how to go about deploying the kiosk and what you need to do to ensure that it is successful.

When deploying a kiosk it should cover these seven steps to ensure it is a successful business move.

Engage

The first stage is to grab the customers attention. Use digital signage, kiosk enclosures, banners and staff to help promote the kiosk. Large screens in stores directly grab the customers attention and engage passengers to look to see what services or products they are offering. Make sure the kiosk cover is designed to your branding and stands out in store. Don’t just put it in the corner, make sure it is in a prime postion for everyone to see.

Inform

Consumers will only be interested in information if it is to the point, clear and concise. Reams of writing and no illustration will instantly deter them away from your kiosk. A kiosk is meant to speed things up so make sure that you get to the point so customers can get on with their day and feel happy with the customer service they have received.

Xen X5 kiosk from Protouch for Kiddicare stores.

Interact

Interact with your customer throughout the process. Make sure that they can follow a step by step guide and don’t feel stuck along the way. It is highly important that you make sure the whole process is simple and that your customers feel engaged with the whole process and not left to feel confused by how the system works.

Transact

If your kiosk allows customers to purchase products and services, then a good technique is to provide related services and products that they may be interested in when it comes to purchasing their items. This is a great way of selling without harassing the customer.

Fulfill

The fulfillment of the order needs to quick and precise. Don’t leave the customer hanging around for their receipt. They have made their purchase and wish to leave as soon as possible. Once the transaction is processed don’t make them click through thousands of pages to sign off. The quicker the service is the more likely they are to use it again.

Maintain

Don’t just leave your kiosk to rot away. Make sure you update it regularly and keep it in tip top shape. Add additional products and services and make sure that it is always running smoothly and keep the software updated.

Customers

The customer knows best so make sure that you listen to their feed back about the kiosk and whether you need to make changes to suit their needs and requirements. They are are the end user at the end of the day so you need to make sure it is directed to the type of information and services they want.

We are proud to announce the launch of our brand new German website, www.protouch-kiosks.de.

The new site will promote our top kiosks and touch screen equipment in a bid to expand our already reputable brand across Germany and other European countries.

As the UK’s leading supplier of touch screen and kiosk systems, we are keen to broaden our presence in the industry to show how our services can create a faster, better and more economical way to do business around the globe.

The new German website focuses on our Geode touch screen monitors and award winning Xen kiosk series while replicating the innovative sales tools used on our current English website.

These include interactive videos that demonstrate the key functions, features and benefits of the highly successful Xen kiosks. Plus the kiosk configuration tool created to allow visitors to personally customise and design their own kiosks online to suit their needs.

Once customers know what they’re looking for our in-house design department is also able to create bespoke laminate designs for customers’ kiosks as well as providing a 3D rendered kiosk image to provide the best possible insight on how the kiosk will work.

Thomas Borck, the leading sales figure who is heading the German and European leads from the new site, said, “The launch of the new German Protouch website is very exciting and will be a great support in expanding business across Germany and Europe. Our sales tools and support are invaluable in establishing successful customer relationships and in supporting our reseller network.”

Thomas has worked as an International Sales Manager of Kiosks and Digital Signage Systems for more than 6 years. During this time he has spotted and worked with companies that want to expand their product range with new products in order to fulfil customer requests and offer a more competitive portfolio.

To view our new site visit www.protouch-kiosks.de or alternatively visit our English website on www.protouch.co.uk for all the information you need about installing a kiosk system into your business.

University of Scarborough touch screen kiosk

As young adults take the next step of heading to university, the whole experience can be fun, exciting and sometimes daunting.

The idea of being independent, finding your own way and making new friends can be a tough challenge for first years.

One of the biggest struggles people have during their first time at university is being sensible with their funds. A huge loan comes into their bank account at the beginning of the term and in a month or two it’s already being spent.

Many campuses these days offer their students a university campus card which they can use to store credit on and use in and around the student bar, cafe and shop as well as purchasing equipment and stationary for their studies. These types of campus cards are a great way for students to spread their money and know they have funds to get them their lunch and all their books for their time at university.

However, the development of these top up university cards come with a challenge. It’s midnight, all of the administration offices are closed and a student is working late in the library. They need to print off some documents via their student card but they have no credit left on their student card. What do they do and how do they top up?

The answer to this problem is the deployment of top up kiosks around campus which can allows students to easily add money to their card without having to wait around for the administration office to open.

For example, Washington State University deployed a kiosk to allow students to add money to their flex cards without having to visit the office, calling home or speaking to university employees.

The payment systems allows a simple credit/debit card transaction to reload student accounts.

“The kiosks are there when they need them and are generally problem free,” wrote Ben Aichele of WSU.

The kiosk not only allows students to add money to their cards, they also act as a daily bulletin for students during their busy day.

Advertisements are on rotate via the screen display featuring daily campus events which sometimes go unnoticed around the campus. The kiosk has been deployed in areas where there is high volumes of traffic such as outside the dorm rooms, dining areas and library.

And it’s not just top up kiosks that work well in university campuses too. Way finding kiosks are a great way for visitors to find the department or person they need to see rather than taking a whole host of confusing directions from the receptionist which you never remember anyway.

You can display your campus map via the kiosks so that families and guests visiting the university can easily navigate around the area.

The University of Scarborough deployed Internet-based kiosk which provided access to information such as timetables, events and maps of the campus.

The hi-tech kiosks were deployed around the campus and were well received by students.

“The kiosks around campus have gone down really well with students, so the next step was to roll out that service to mobile devices such as mobile phones and laptops. Every student has a mobile phone these days and they are increasingly using them not just to communicate, but also to organise their lives. The Pocket Campus is a great way to make sure they are accessing the kind of information they need, wherever they are.”

The mobile service complements the existing touch screen kiosk on campus.

Third year student Ben Kay said, “This new technology will make it much easier for me and the other students to access information and keep in touch with what is going on at the University, wherever we are on campus.”

The University of Nottingham deployed a kiosks to provide students with extra music not found through the school’s library services. This allowed music students access to more materials crucial to their education and repertoire.

“I am told that the students much appreciate the availability of the Naxos recording library as an adjunct to the extensive numbers of CDs,” stated Nicholas Sackman of the University of Nottingham.

The computers are locked down to only display the online music library, eliminating the need for supervision or help navigation around the music site.

Both of the universities listed have conformed with the growing need for self service and have adapted to modern trends in technology.

Students are able to interact with other students, get their work done effectively and efficiently without having to wait for office hours to be open.

Let’s face it; shopping with children can be a nightmare! The child doesn’t want to be there, the parent just wants to shop and the whole experience can be a disaster for the child, parent and the store owners.
When it comes to shopping most people like to take their time, browsing through the products to see what they need and not feel too pressured to buy. When they are shopping with their children who clearly don’t want to shop, and make it known, it can be a huge struggle for parents to get all their tasks done, usually leaving early to keep their children happy.

This stressful situation has a knock on effect on you, the shop owner, who loses custom because adults with children are under pressure to put their children first.

And with the school holidays in full swing, many parents’ are having to drag their kids around the shops in order to get their weekly shopping which most of the time doesn’t go down too well with the little ones.

Which brings us nicely onto the features of a self service kiosk. A kiosk system deployed into a store is designed to allow consumers to conduct tasks, view products and services etc in order to make their shopping experience easier, faster and with less hassle.
Many companies around the world have installed kiosk systems to allow users to get daily tasks done a lot quicker and providing a new type of customer service.
However while this type of kiosk is a very efficient and very reliable system, when it comes to children the whole kiosk usage needs to be played in a very different court.
For example, if a parent is off shopping with their child and the child clearly doesn’t want to be there, you often see the adult distracting the child with toys, treats or the promise of a present if they behave themselves throughout the shopping trip.
So why not provide a solution that will effectively help everyone? Installing a children’s kiosk can not only keep a child entertained, but it allows the adult – your customer – to relax while they shop, browse through the products knowing that their child is being kept happy and entertained. And in the long run, this could potentially lead to a sale of your goods because the customer has more time to browse through your products.
To give you an idea of what we mean, here are a few examples of children’s kiosks already deployed in stores, and the effect they have had on the store, customers and their children as a whole.
Peek-a-Book

red riding hood dvdrip

Peek-A-Book

Peek-A-Book is an innovative and creative kiosk that gets children excited about reading. Featuring audio-visual presentations highlighting new to classic books, children are enticed by the kiosk to find out more and further buy or borrow the book to see how the story ends.
At present the kiosk is deployed across five libraries in Pasadena featuring different books that kids will love and enjoy.

Generation Cures Kiosk

Situated at the children’s hospital in Boston, the staff decided to deploy an interactive kiosk system for visitors and patients to play and make their time in the hospital a little more uplifting.

The kiosk engages children through online games, animated stories and patient-directed videos.

For example, the kiosks animated Zebrafish series – named after the small, yet very powerful, transparent fish perfect for studying disease – tells the story of friends who form a rock band. When a band member falls ill the kids begin to see how they can use their music to help their sick friend.

Science Stations

Two, huge vertically mounted screens invite children behind the scenes with three Giant Panda-based stories of Zoo science; veterinary medicine, reproductive science and animal management.

Whatever you need a kiosk system for, make sure you consider your customer and their needs and requirements. Stepping outside the box with a child kiosk can really help your customers in the long run, and potentially bring more sales to your business.

It was always the case that when you visited your local doctor you have to sit and fill out a stack of forms before you get into the doctors office. And if you are only arriving with a few minutes to spare, you doctors appointment would be later than originally booked leaving you late for the rest of your day.

And if you are needing to visit several doctors over the course of one day across different medical areas, then the process could be repeated each time which can make the doctors more of a chore and stressful situation than it already is.

In most cases, the filling out of medical forms is more time consuming than anything else and far exceeds the time spent talking with a doctor or health professional.

It is also a long and drawn out process for the doctor and can prove costly, as once the patient has left the administrative staff have to sit down and log all the information into the computer which can sometimes result in incorrect information being included in the patients file.

Nowadays kiosks are quickly becoming a convenient solution to the problem.

“When people are coming in for an appointment, generally the last thing they want to do is stand in line at the window waiting to announce themselves,” said Robert Giblett, vice president, channel sales, at Aberdeen N.C based Meridian Kiosks, a kiosk solutions provider. “There is a higher level of customer satisfaction if they use a kiosk.”

If you look at the reality of running a doctors surgery and the amount of patients that come in and out every day, you can begin to weigh up how much paperwork there is to file and log in every day. This process can take up staff members time when they could be doing other important things that may often get left on the back burner until their time is freed up.

With a kiosk system, staff time dealing with administration is greatly reduced and the cost of paying extra staff to do the admin work is no longer needed.

However, a kiosk system is just about a cost effective solution.

“Way-finding is a fairly simple application, but a very popular one,” said Jared Rhoads, senior research analyst with Falls Church, Va based CSC, a global provider of technology abled business solutions and services.

“Patients walk into a big medical centre and they have no idea where to go,” Rhoads said. “Using the kiosk, they can type in the name of the person they are to see, and it will print out a map for them.”

Combine patient check-in and wayfinding kiosks and you can reduce costs, waiting time and stress for patients who already find coming to the doctors a struggle anyway.

And to make sure that the patient is who they say they are, they could be required to swipe their driving licence or special hospital ID which can cover security issues too.

For more information about self service kiosksand how they can benefit your business visit Protouch today.

Back in the day, a mobile phone was exactly what it says on the tin. Not everyone had one, and when you did it was rarely used other than to make calls. Many people would leave the phone off for days and turn it on to use it when needed.

Nowadays the mobile phone has become integral to our every day lives. Everyone has one and we would be totally lost without it. Smartphones have taken over the globe offering new features and applications that twenty years ago, many of us would’ve never imagined.

However, with these cool, trendy and fun-filled Smartphones, there comes a price. And that price can often put you in rather difficult situations and stressful moments if you are stuck of a solution.

The problem comes in a small little box known as the phone battery which can be totally drained in one day if the phone is incessantly used to make phone calls, send text messages, connect to the Internet, playing games, taking photographs and films etc.

Despite mobile phone manufacturers desperately trying to improve the battery life of their phones, they still haven’t found a quick fix solution for batteries to handle the large amounts of applications and features that these new Smartphones bring.

Fortunately there is a solution to this problem and it could be coming to a town near you very soon. Yes, a new kiosk is due to be deployed that can offer rapid phone charging for little or no money as well as a great way for business owners to get people through their doors and possibly increase their revenue.

Already a big hit in Asia, the US are looking to deploy the kiosks which will feature a set of connectors for various phone types, a monitor, touch screen options, a payment system as well as connectivity for the processing of transactions, remote management and the download of new content for the monitors.

stream Something Borrowed online

Samsungs introduction to mobile phone charging at airports

Like the ATM, the mobile phone kiosk will provide customers with a unique solution to help ensure the mobile communication of voice and data is not restricted by the death of the battery.

And there are many businesses that can truly benefit from deploying these kiosks systems including, hotels, convention centres, airports, hospitals, bars and clubs.

For example, if you are in an airport and your flight is delayed or cancelled you may find yourself having to sit around in the airport longer than you expected. These scenarios can leave you frustrated especially if your battery is on its last legs and your charger is in your main luggage. With the mobile phone charger kiosk system your prayers are answered and you can get in touch with home to let them know that you will be late so they are not stood waiting for you at the airport.

The new mobile phone kiosk is a fantastic idea and is sure to be a big hit once deployed in shops and stores across the US. Lets just hope it hits the UK very soon.

Paying for bills, cashing in cheques were all at one point time consuming tasks that many people could never find the time to do.

It often meant that many people would have to nip out on their lunch break to stand in a queue at the local post office or their bank to cash in a cheque or pay their bills, leaving them no time for rest and recuperation on their much needed lunch break.

And then on a Saturday the banks tend to close at midday or some are not open at all, which can be a nightmare for people who work 9-5 and have no time to get to do daily necessary tasks.

Nowadays there are a growing number of ways in which people can make payments in and out of their account on a daily basis. Customers can pay via Internet banking, via phone or mail, post office and payment centres as well as payment kiosks designed to make life a whole lot easier.

Payment kiosks enable customers to make payments at a kiosk in their own time when is most convenient for them. These types of kiosks not only give customers a new way to bank but also cuts down the cost of opening payment centres and extra staff to process the bills.

“To use skilled employees to count change may not be the most efficient use of their time,” said Jim Bennett CEO of Tulsa, Oklahoma based US Payment Systems company. “It may appear to be a good service, but most agree dealing with more complex customer service issues is the best application of (those employees) talents.”

From a customer service point of view a bill payment kiosk delivers consistent, valuable service 24 hours a day, 265 days a year. These types of kiosks offer extended business services which many customers need.

Payment systems can also reduce personnel and overhead costs if further deployed in convenience stores which can function as a satellite office but without the overheads.

Reconciliation costs are also greatly reduced as there is no longer a need to manually count deposits and reconcile them to accounts paid.

It can also further reduce the amount of thefts as well as the miscounting of money as fewer hands actually touch the funds.

Bridget Debus, Senior Accountant of Administration for Kansas Gas Service, said, “Payment kiosks offer uses the convenience to conduct business transactions on demand. Payment kiosks are user friendly and convenient.”

And by partnering with other brands such as convenience stores or petrol stations, you are able to establish your brand further than your current company locations.

There is so much that can be gained from deploying self service kiosks as payment systems for your customers that missing out on this new and exciting opportunity limits you and your business and the services you offer to your clients.

The iPad is the latest technology to hit our world and everyone wants a piece of it. The smart and sophisticated new device has been installed with a variety of applications which are applicable to a variety of markets, from food to travel.

And not only that, self service kiosks can no be integrated with the device and many businesses are jumping on the bandwagon.

However there are some sceptics when it comes to the iPad, with people commenting on its durability etc, so we at Protouch thought we would have a look at this mad craze to see if the introduction between the two devices goes down well.

Applications

It is clear why the iPad is appealing to the kiosk industry. Touch screen technology, customisable application software, and a multi touch user interface. The only main difference is that the iPad is portable and delicately designed.

With the iPad craze, kiosk manufacturers are trying to find new ways in how they can integrate this modern technology into their offerings and services.

Brian Ardinger, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Nanonation said that his company has a long history of Apple-related product development and has expanded these efforts to include iOS projects for the iPhone and iPad.

“We recently showcased an application designed for sales associates in a retail enviroment at the KioskCom show in Vegas in April of this year,” Ardinger said.

Furniture company Room and Board, contacted Nanonation to feature an application which would allow users to browse inventory and provide customers with a sign up form to receive special offers.

The first iPad ticket kiosk was rolled out at the Malaysian Kuala Lumpur Airline. The SITA Lab developed the MNkiosk, which allows users to book and purchase flights, search for flight schedules and flight status and check-in, as well as choosing their preferred seat.

And retail giant Gap has also jumped on the iPad bandwagon. Its application software, developed by AKQA, is described as a ‘social shopping experience.’ Users are able to customise their outfits within the Gap brand and ask for advice from sales assistants.

Versatility

Founder of iPad-kiosks.com, Blain Warkentine, is iPad business enthusiast working to get products to market. Warkentine said that service industries need to be more efficient, however the iPad may not always be an answer for them.

A prime example would be the food-service industry which demands a quick and efficient service than the iPad can currently provide if used improperly, however if used correctly it can still deliver some benefits. During rush hour lunches the iPad could be integrated into restaurants with the option to remove the iPad from its kiosk mounting offering a mobile menu for customers. This can virtually eliminate wait times. Then once the rush hour is over, the iPad can be restored back on its stand for customers to use as a kiosk to order meals.

“Every technology platform offers positives and negatives. Traditional kiosk platforms have excelled at issues such as peripheral support, remote management and enterprise integration,” Ardinger said. “The iPad doesn’t pose an immediate threat for some of the kiosks developed specifically for retail environments like the IBM Anyplace Kiosk and others. These solutions have been retail hardened, offer a variety of peripheral support options and have a longer legacy of application development.”

Some people think the iPad is a fun and cool accessory however it just isn’t robust enough for public developments.

“While these kinds of consumer-grade products are powerful and fun devices, right now they simply cannot stand up to the daily wear and tear a kiosk is subjected to,” said Bob Ventresca, vice president of marking for NCR Netkey.

Cost

Expect to be paying between $3,500-$8,000 for the touch screen kiosk, printer enclosure and software. Applications and customised materials cost within the region of $1,000 -$10,000. Extra software from$2,500-$20,000.

“Many retailers have already created apps on the App Store: Walgreen, Target, etc./” Warkentine added. “The investment was made for customers’ devices, but the need for that customer to have the app and the device is no longer required with iPad-kiosks.

“In the end though, it will come down to what experience the retailer wants to create and matching it with the technology that enables them to best develop, deploy and support it.”

Global Axcess Corp, an independent ATM provider with more than 4,500 machines, are branching out into the self-service market with a line of DVD-rental kiosks in 2010.

CEO George McQuain, who has largely been responsible for bringing the once-struggling Global Axcess back to profitability, says they have a unique opportunity to compete against the major DVD-rental brands.

“We believe there is a largely unmet addressable market for DVD kiosks that will not only allow us to penetrate the market but also allow us to displace incumbents,” McQuain said in December. “Our goal is to leverage our ability to deploy, manage, maintain and process transactions from a wider range of self-service kiosks beyond the traditional ATM. We believe our aggressive move into the DVD kiosk market has significant upside revenue growth opportunities for us.”

During 2009, kiosk revenue grew 94%, with the Redbox-dominated channel approaching $1 billion in revenue. Kiosk rentals were more than enough to offset a 3.2% decline in rentals from brick-and-mortar outlets such as Blockbuster and online sectors.

With stiff competition from 2009 sensation Redbox, Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes said yesterday that the future of the Dallas-based DVD rental company hinges on its ability to position the brand across multiple distribution platforms – or it might not be a happy ending for Blockbuster.

“The next 12 to 18 months are going to be very challenging,” Keyes said. “We are building a multichannel platform approach and at the same time we have brand new competitors (namely Redbox and Netflix) certainly taking some of the demand out of the market.”

“The great opportunity for Blockbuster is to adapt to the different use occasions, because that’s what these kiosks represent,” he said.

The CEO said Blockbuster has the option to close additional stores, a strategy he said the media blew out of perspective last year when it focused on the closure of 1,000 stores through this year while failing to mention the addition of 10,000 Blockbuster kiosks.

“The net increase for Blockbuster’s presence in 2010 was actually 9,000 additional points of presence, via kiosks,” Keyes said.