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Kiosk technology has helped many industry sectors improve customer service and better staff efficiency and it seems now that the affairs of the state is getting involved too.
Citizens in Mumbai, India will soon be able to vote for their government and do their part for politics via an e-kiosk.
The population can cast their vote through the e-smart kiosk after the state election commission considered the possibility of setting up touch screens at various spots across the city to encourage more people to vote. People who are physically challenged, pregnant or are patients will find it easier to register themselves and cast their votes for next year’s civic elections.
This is a fantastic use of touch screen technology to inspire more citizens to stand up and be counted in politics. In 2009 in India the voter turnout figures was just 58.19% and the general election figures in the UK in 2010 was just 65.1%. Kiosks such as this which provide easier ways for citizens to get involved are predicted to be a sure-fire way to boost the numbers who vote.
With many voting times for elections during the day, in which most people are at work, units such as these which can be deployed across a town are perfect to ease the difficulties that come with finding time to vote.
The State Election Commissioner, Neela Satyanarayan, agreed saying: “It’s true that we end up losing a majority of voters such as pregnant women, patients, senior citizens, physically challenged, among others as they can’t personally visit the polling booth and exercise their franchise. This e-voting will enable such voters to exercise their franchise without any hassle.”
The company that manufactured the electronic voting machines (EVMs) is the Electronic Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL).
The machines work by featuring a printer which prints out the voting strip which is then collected in a sealed box below the printer for security reasons. A hologram sticker will be on each unit to make them safe and secure. The facilities will be demonstrated to political parties, government and the election commission of India, media and the general public before implementation.
Satyanarayan added: “In 2012 civic elections, we will use holograms on voting machines. Their numbers will be recorded on our servers. If any attempt to tamper or shift the machine is made, we will come to know about it almost immediately.”
What do you think about e-voting via kiosks? Does it create more risks for fraud and security or will it boost voter turnouts? Let us here at Protouch know your thoughts!
American President Barack Obama has been recorded slating kiosks and ATMs saying how they have contributed to the nation’s unemployment figures.
The U.S President sat down in a Today show interview with Ann Curry and took a swipe at touch screen technology, saying one of the reasons he though employment numbers have been slow to rebound was because of self-service automation, specifically kiosks and ATMs.
Obama said: “There are some structural issues with our economy where a lot of businesses have learned to become much more efficient with a lot fewer workers. You see it when you go to a bank and you use an ATM, you don’t go to a bank teller, or you go to the airport and you’re using a kiosk instead of checking in at the gate. All these things have created changes in the economy, and what we have to do … is identifying where the jobs for the future are going to be.”
MAN OR MACHINE?
It is arguable that touch screen technology has replaced human labour but it is only because it provides an extensive amount of benefits to both the business and the employee. Sophisticated ATMs are proven to dramatically reduce cash handling costs at bank branches, freeing up valuable staff time for more critical tasks. And kiosks have been proven to win the nation’s trust and likeability more so than man, which reflects the growing trend in technology and modern needs.
Consumers prefer to interact with a touch screen unit rather than a human being and everyone knows that customer service in the form of human interaction is dying out but employees will always still be needed to man the machines should a customer need help in using it, or there be a technical fault.
GOOD OR BAD?
Some, for example the President Barack Obama, say kiosks are a bad thing others argue it is a simple progression in customer assistance. In such a tech-savvy world people are more willing than ever to use the technology and would rather do so than talk to a human. Is this a dilution of social development? Maybe so but the point is touch screen units reap tons of advantages as opposed to employing several members of staff.
The technology speeds up processes in all industry sectors and the future of it is exciting and widely speculated…who really knows what it will hold! Check out a touch screen kiosk today!
Businesses as well as retail, education and other industry sectors have been reaping the benefits of kiosks and touch screen technology for years.
Printing pictures from touch screen kiosks is nothing new but now social media is being used to target consumers, to follow the trends of a digital era.
Customers can print off photos directly from their Facebook account by using Socially Connected KODAK Picture Kiosks.
The kiosks have been deployed throughout Target stores alongside the new Kodak launched Social Photo Album Creator app for Facebook, the first Facebook application of its kind to come from a major imaging brand.
It gives users the ability to create a collaborative photo album with friends on Facebook.
FACEBOOK APPLICATION
Rolando Martinez, Eastman Kodak Company ‘s Retail Systems Solutions Americas business manager, said: “Today, pictures on Facebook are only fleeting glimpses of an event, but now with our new app consumers can tell their stories collaboratively, which leverages the real strength of Facebook.
“The new platform aligns with how consumers share photos socially and takes photo sharing from ‘my photos’ to ‘Our photos.’ The new app is perfect for shared life events such as weddings, parties or reunions.”
HOW IT WORKS
The consumer creates an album from their current Facebook photos, invites friends and family to collaborate and add their pictures to the album and can then visit a Kodak picture kiosk to connect and print from their Facebook account at the Kiosk.
So what is next for kiosks
; printing from micro-blogging site Twitter or printing pictures from social media site MySpace?
We have already talked about how touch screen technology can benefit your business and which industries are blossoming due to its advantages but how are payment kiosks helping the government’s prison sector?
Kiosks in prisons are not a new thing, with computer technology existing in there to keep the inmates connected with the world and benefit from keeping up-to-date with new information.
They are heavy-duty kiosks with a toughened glass screen to cope with all the hustle and bustle of every-day life in prison; offering information on prison job vacancies, health and wellbeing, legality and available courses.
But what about payment kiosks?
Over in America, in as many as 30 states, the jails have installed payment kiosk, credit card machines and signed agreements with phone centres to process bail payments.
The third parties charge seven per cent of the total bail to defendants and some of the contractors are giving back a small fee to the government.
Advantages of the payment kiosks in the prisons include;
- Helps reduce jail crowding because less time is spent behind bars
- Allows people to free themselves faster without burdening family relatives
Opposition to the touch screen technology, mainly bail agents and bounty hunters, argue against the change to the justice system reporting their distress at the third-party companies operating lawfully without licences and their decline in business.
One concern bail agents have raised is that defendants who post bail electronically by plastic may be less accountable with no one taking responsibility for the criminals.
The Pinellas County Sheriff, of Florida, has set the maximum bail inmates can post using credit cards at $750.
Supposedly eight to ten people a week are using the kiosks to bail themselves out.
So could it be the future of UK prisons that they too will install the payment kiosks into the British justice system? We do not have the same system as to paying for bail, but could the payment kiosks be used for a different function?
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has sued United Airlines on the claim that their airport kiosks, which use touchscreen technology, cannot be used by blind passengers.
It seems the nation’s oldest organisation of blind people and three blind individuals in California, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
The pressure group alleges that the airline is violating the California Disabled Persons Act and the Unruh Civil Rights Act because the services it provides through its’ kiosks are not available to the blind.
The self -service kiosks in which they are arguing about presently provide flight information and allow passengers to check in for flights, print tickets and boarding passes.
The NFB maintain that audio interface, a keyboard or interactive screen reader technology could easily be added to the touchscreens as many other airlines have done.
Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “The airline industry has an unfortunate history of discriminating against blind passengers, and now United Airlines is repeating that history by deploying inaccessible technology that we cannot use.”
The Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to provide special services for passengers who aren’t physically capable of using kiosks, such as assistance from staff in using the kiosk or allowing the passenger to come to the front of the line at check-in.
In a rebuttal statement, the airline said: “United Airlines is committed to providing quality service to all of our customers and to remaining in full compliance with the Air Carrier Access Act. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
Mike May, CEO of the Sendero Group, a manufacturer of technology for the blind, has supposedly said “it is easy” for United to make its kiosks accessible. He said: ”There is simply no excuse for the long wait and inconvenience that other blind United passengers and I continue to experience at airports.”
We recently reported how Italian banks have installed ATMs that are accessible for the blind and visually impaired in Rome.
Touchscreen technology in the business industry is ever-growing and the supply and need for them is expanding.
Protouch are Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen equipment.
From Left: Hayley Meenan-Wilkin, Head of Web Operations, Tesco.com Centre: Mike Woods, Sales Director, Protouch Right: Darrel Boxall, Managing Director, XN Leisure
We have won the Retail Systems Award for the third consecutive year.
We previously scooped awards in both 2008 and 2009 for best use of technology and EPoS innovation of the year, and this year we were awarded best use of technology in the hospitality and leisure sector.
Tom Quarry, Managing Director of Protouch is delighted by the achievement. He said: “We are very proud to have won a kiosk technology award three years in a row. This is fantastic recognition of our capability across the self service industry”.
We received the award in partnership with XN Leisure and Aberdeen Sports Village Leisure Centre for their ‘Virtual Receptionist’ kiosk solution during the awards ceremony held at Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane on 28 October 2010.
“The award went to a project that is helping a company to control costs, increase profitability and efficiency while at the same time increasing the standard and quality of service,” announced the Retail Systems judges.
The 2010 judging panel included: Luke Phillips, Head of Information Systems, Kurt Geiger; Sharon Peters, Programme Manager at Retail Systems, Marks & Spencer; Hayley Meenan-Wilkin, Head of Web Operations, Tesco.com; and Scott Thompson, Editor for Retail Systems.
Now into its fifth year, the Awards look to recognise excellence and innovation in the field of information technology within the UK retail sector.
The ‘Virtual Receptionist’ automated the whole booking, ticketing and payment process for Aberdeen Sports Village and is now used by 80 per cent of its members.
It has leveraged Aberdeen Sports Village resources by turning receptionist staff into Customer Service Ambassadors and has greatly enhanced customer experience by increasing the speed of transactions and efficiency with which customers can now check in and make bookings.
For more information on our touch screen kiosks, visit us today.
Touch screen kiosks have had a superb impact on the leisure industry; by installing ‘virtual receptionists’ they automate bookings, ticketing and payment systems. Customers can check in by themselves for activities such as a Badminton sessions or to book a football pitch, make on screen payments, print off their receipt and book future appointments. This has quickly and efficiently eliminated the need to queue.
Example;
- The Xen X4 Fast Track was installed at The Aberdeen Sports Village.
It propelled the leisure centre to the forefront of the technological, self-service arena within the industry, with 80 per cent of its members now using it as opposed to the reception desk.
This has allowed the reception staff to focus more on customer service, giving them more quality time with their customers and therefore enhancing the customer experience greatly by increasing the speed of transactions and efficiency.
Cinema
The film industry has benefitted from kiosks so much so, ensuring its profitability. Ticket kiosks in the theatre lobbies can be installed, with self-service ticket points and payment kiosks.
These kiosks;
- lower the overall operating costs
- increase the profit margins for the company
- lower the ticket prices for the cinemagoer
- decrease the waiting times for the customer
- increase customer satisfaction and see them return to use the services.
Example;
-The Xen X4 Ticketing kiosk at Cineworld
Cineworld, one of the UK’s largest cinema chains, has experienced this impact in cinemagoers spending first hand. Since installing touch screen kiosks the margin the customer spends has greatly increased, alongside high levels of customer satisfaction and a much more efficient movie experience. And, its staff have been able to focus on major customer concerns more immediately.
For ways in which you can adopt a self-service kiosk into your leisure business visit Protouch today, the leading distributor and manufacturer of touch screen equipment in Europe.
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.
We can trace kiosk systems back to the first bank Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in the early 1960s. Jerry Larson, who helped develop these early original TABS machines, said that ATM machines started their reign in New York’s First National City Bank (now known as Citibank) as a machine in bank branch lobbies. The machines allowed bank customers to pay utility bills and get receipts without having to consult with a bank assistant. In 1967 the first cash dispenser ATMs were deployed at Barclay’s Bank in London. From mid to late 1970s and early 80s ATMs started to be deposited across all cities and towns.
The retail kiosk took shape in the late 1990s when the Internet started to take off. Personal computer technology became standardised and kiosks were adopted into retail stores as an off-line advertisement and information point, manually updated by hand.
Since the emergence of the Internet worldwide, kiosks are integrated into stores connected to the Internet, with rich content management systems that can publish content from a central management console. This then connects to the back end database to retrieve information that is of value and interest to the customer.
Protouch Kiosks
Today kiosks are used across a plethora of industry sectors. Retailers are realising the benefits of servicing customers through automated machines. Stores are able to provide customers with the information they need and a self service order and payment system giving customers more options to how they wish to shop. They are also used as a cost effective tool for retail stores that can’t afford to employ dedicated staff who can sell their products and services well. For example, if you sell specialist equipment you will need to make sure that your staff members are fully equipped and understand the product you are selling and how it works. Implementing a kiosk system removes this lack of understanding as the kiosks can provide customers with all of the information they need without having to ask questions to a store assistant.
Kiosks are also a great way to train your employees. Staff can learn more about how the products and services work to enable them to sell better.
The future of kiosks could move in any direction; however many believe that retail kiosks will become more general-purpose. Many retailers may require suppliers to run their applications on existing store-owner and store managed kiosk systems. Providing that user interfaces will become more of a priority than ever, kiosk manufacturers will have to develop kiosks that are of a good quality design, easy to use and appealing to the customer.
For ways in which you can adopt self service kiosks into your business visit Protouch today, the leading distributor and manufacturer of touch screen equipment in Europe.
These days everyone is talking about what the customer wants, what the customer needs, how to improve customer service; however has everyone forgotten about the staff?
Your staff members are essential to keep your business going and if they are happy and receiving the top quality treatment they deserve then they will work hard for your business in turn keeping your customers happy.
There are a wide range of ways you can keep your staff member’s happy one being through the use of innovative technology such as an employee self service kiosk. You might be thinking this is a strange feature to offer staff members; however it can benefit your team in a variety of different ways and we at Protouch are here to explain how.
With a human resources kiosks,the direct savings you can make as a business are never ending. Through a HR kiosk you could potentially:
- Reduce HR staffing
- Reduce printing costs
- Reduce distribution costs
- Fewer resources needed for processing new staff members and other administration costs
On top of this, there are a variety of features and benefits to a human resources kiosks which include:
- The ability for staff members to access the kiosk when there are no desktop computers around or available.
- The deployment of kiosks outside of your offices gives your staff member’s the flexibility to access information or contact the team when they have no access to the Internet or a mobile phone.
- 24×7 access with a kiosk systems without the need for human contact. This will further reduce the costs and increases the convenience for employees who are supported with their workload and can further concentrate on other things.
- Online forms and pay stub printing through the kiosk reduces the amount of paper printed, distribution costs and administration costs.
- Introducing factory floor kiosks for staff members is a great tool for offering employee training, scheduling and other managerial functions.
- Using kiosks for pre screening and processing of applicant data makes the whole process a lot quicker and reduces common administrative delays.
- Touch screen interfaces are the perfect solution for computer illiterate people in your company to access digital information and data.
- A wide range of applications can feature on a kiosk system including, employee holiday application forms, medical forms, letter heads, enquiry and contact details etc which allows your staff members to be proactive in the company and locate the correct information they need.
If you are seriously considering a kiosk system for your staff members, why not contact Protouch today, the leading distributor and manufacturer or touch screen equipment across Europe. The team have designed and developed a wide range of kiosk systems for a plethora of industry sectors and can assist you in designing a bespoke kiosk system tailored to your needs and requirements.
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