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

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!

The airport industry is ever-growing and as technologies advance and develop it is changing the way consumers travel.

Kiosks are already installed in airports to help passengers print tickets off and check-in quicker and whilst self-tagging is common in many airports in Canada and Europe etc. it is now allowed to do so in the United States.

Fliers can check-in their own bags with tag-printing capabilities; after printing their tags from kiosks, passengers can then place the tags on their luggage without staff’s supervision.

American Airlines is now the first US airline to allow travellers to use the “tag your own bag” system; cutting costs and reducing waiting time.

It is estimated implementing such a program can save the sector as much as $2billion a year and according the Los Angeles Times, the kiosks can handle 55 customers per hour as opposed to 21 per hour with live attendants.

This will dramatically change the way airlines interact with their customers, as it will;

- Increase customer satisfaction

- Reduce waiting time

- Better customer service

- Cut costs.

However, experts have warned that for the new technology to take off it is vital it works properly every single time. The printer in the device needs to be reliable and dependable.

Visit Protouch today; Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of Touch screen technology.

Interactive technology is fast becoming an essential commodity and popular trend in all industry sectors due to the need to provide easily accessible information and services in a compact form.

Touch screen technology has beem embraced by business owners and government officials and used for automated back office and staff facing systems. 

Now that self-service is also so integral within business, touch screens have evolved and more and more sectors, from retail to transport, are seeing the value of providing the customers with self service touch screen kiosks. 

You can install virtually any application into an industry and there are many factors and considerations to cover. You need to bear in mind who will be using it and what height it should be i.e. can it be accessed by a wheelchair user?  What is its purpose; are you displaying information for advertising and marketing or is it simply for human resources? 

But, out of all the factors and considerations there are a few that all units share… 

The common Factors:

• Screen size – 15-19” for privacy – no one wants their information presented to passers-by.

• Attractor screen – to attract the user and promote the service clearly and concisely.
• Journey – the process the user has to go through to complete their desired outcome should be seamless and intuitive.
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• On screen design – simple design with buttons large enough to touch
• Branding / messaging – outside messaging make the customer aware of the kiosk.  

The common Considerations: 

• DDA compliance – height of screen and accessories, on screen colour options, location – the idea is that all users can use the kiosk
• Additional panels for screen and sound privacy – depending on the function of the kiosk the user may require a high or low level of privacy.

• Accessories – what items will aid the user? Keyboard? Phone? Microphone?
• Touch screen technology – depending on where and how the touch screen will be used, it will require a different type of screen technology such as Surface Acoustic Wave, which provides great screen clarity or Resistive which can be operated by a number of touch methods such as a finger or stylus.

For more information on kiosks, visit Protouch today.

Touch screen kiosks are truly a fantastic feature to any type of business. It not only shows that businesses are keeping up with the growing trends in technology and modern society but it also shows the innovation a company has in providing new and exciting ways for customers to shop.

As a very user friendly device touch screen kiosks allow businesses to reach out to their target market with a message. The touch screen interface allows users to navigate around the system simply by touching icons or links via the screen, with the right software interface. People don’t have to have computer experience and can easily move around the system to find products and services that they need without the assistance of staff member’s.

With touch screen kiosks they:

Encourage self service: Most customers are quite happy in dealing with their own transactions via self service systems with minimal interference from staff members. They prefer to seek a technical opinon only when it is in dire need. However there should be assistance around if someone needs it.

Easy to maintain: Touch screen kiosks are easy to install and can be moved around your business rather than stand in a static place. They are easy to look after and software can be maintained and updated regularly.

24/7 sales service:

The biggest advantage is that it provides 24/7 services for customers without the use of store assistants during any transaction.

Focused and user orientated information: You can target your kiosk to provide a certain type of information for your customers. This will help you serve your users in a well equipped manner.

Reduces staff workload: Touch screen kiosks provides information for customers so your staff can concentrate on other tasks in and around the store.

For more information visit Protouch today the leading distributor and manufacturer of touch screen equipment across Europe. They have helped a wide range of businesses across a plethora of industry sectors introduce self service kiosks and touch screen technology into their business that is tailored to their business needs and customer requirements. You can view a selection of the Protouch case studies by clicking the link.

IKEA Kiosk manufactured and deployed by Protouch

If you are looking to consider a self service kiosk to implement into your business then there are a few things you need to consider before you go ahead and deploy it into your company.

Our current world across all industry sectors has become so much more competitive over the last few years due to the gruelling recession we have all faced which has left many companies looking for new and innovative ways to bring more customers through the door.

Over the last five years, the kiosk industry has proven to be a huge success with may companies deploying kiosk systems and seeing a relatively high ROI.

Most kiosks today are based around touch screen systems which allow consumers to interact with the system in exchange for goods, products and services. In most cases the customer is aware of what that are looking for and a good kiosk system will easily allow a user to access the information they need with ease and efficiency.

With a kiosk you can:

Guarantee 24/7 service

One of the main advantages of a kiosk system is that the machine can be left to its own devices without the need of staff members. You can deploy kiosk terminals across various locations outside of your stores etc so that you can provide a 24/7 service to customers as and when they need it.

Supporting self service

In today’s society, most people are familiar with self service kiosks and can easily operate them without the help of staff members. Most only seek technical help and support as and when they need it. With a well programmed kiosk system, you can direct your customers exactly to the information or products they wish to purchase or see, allowing them a completely fulfilled experience while shopping in your store.

Easy to maintain

Kiosk systems are often made in bulk and then designed as a bespoke item so that you can tailor it to your company needs and requirements. If your kiosk experiences technical difficulties then most kiosk suppliers will provide technical care and support as and when you need it.

Improves market reach

Kiosks work 24/7 and can therefore increase the market you reach. Kiosks are primarily designed to be deployed in public areas, so making sure they are marketed well and stand out in a room is essential to the deployment.

Reduces staff members time

Kiosks are cost effective and allow staff members to free up their time to do other tasks in and around the office. They reduce the workload and allow the option of having a a kiosk system implemented across locations outside your offices and stores, further expanding your reach, reliability and brand image to current and prospective customers.

Behind every successful company and innovative product, there are always the people who work on the back of a company’s success re-creating, copying and conning their products and customers into thinking that their business is the real deal.

And as kiosk deployment has become just as common as having a television in the home, more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon to try and con consumers and business owners about their dodgy kiosk systems.

Just last week, the city of Washington DC reached an settlement with a kiosk leasing firm that agreed to stop harassing five African American churches for payment after they latched onto a deal that proved too good to be true.

Although this is the first case the city has filed against three equipment leasing firms and two kiosk salesmen and their companies, it is alleged to be involved in a complicated and incriminating  deal combining kiosks, con men and black churches. The con has spread from coast to coast with a number of churches hit by the scam including ones in California and Michigan, as well as the nations capital.

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Kiosk Con Artist Michael J Morris

Press reports showed that Morris and Perkins embarked on their criminal business around ten years ago. Their plan was to visit African American churches around the country as executives of Urban Interfaith Network and Television Broadcasting Online (TVBO), companies based either in Washington or suburban Maryland. Morris and Perkins lived in suburban Maryland.

Mike Cox, Michigan attorney general, stated that both Morris and Perkins offered churches free kiosks that would be placed on site to provide outreach, education as well as Internet services to parishioners. In return, the kiosks would carry a advertising from a national sponsor that sought to reach the parishioners.

As an added inducement, Morris and Perkins told some of the churches that they would earn revenue of their own from the sponsor’s advertising. Churches were told that no contract was needed and all the legality stuff was simply a formality that didn’t need to be addressed but insisted that it still needed to be signed. So as pen went to paper church parishioners signed their contract without realising they had agreed to pay the full price for the kiosk.

Kiosk Con Artist Number 2 William T.Perkins

From the contracts, Morris and Perkins contacted equipment leasing firms and asked for loans to purchase the kiosks, using the church contracts as collateral. Once they received the loans – valued at as much as $27,000 per kiosk – the pair used money to get bare bones equipment from the churches and further made initial monthly leasing payments to the equipment  providers.

Peter Nickles, the city’s attorney general said, “The churches either did not get the equipment, or if they did, it wasn’t working, and if it was, the sponsorship deals never materialised.”

On another side of town, the leasing firms were led to believe they would be seeing monthly checks from the churches for the kiosk systems. There was usually little money to pay the lease fee already, and there was no sponsor for the kiosk advertising.

The deals continued to come in and leasing firms billed the churches for the kiosks with some of the contracts having full access to the churches finances.

“The firm could draw down from the bank account of the church. They charged the lease payments. In one case the firm took $60,000,” said Nickles.

After a while the churches contacted the authorities and Michigan arraigned Perkins and Morris in October 2009. Michigan plan to begin its case against them in Detroit’s 3rd Circuit Court at the end of September, a spokesperson for AG Cox said.

Perkin’s and Morris’s attorney, LaRene & Kriger of Detroit, didn’t return calls.

The case caught the attention of Nickles and California attorney general Edmund G. Brown Jr who found that after the churches learnt of the alleged scam, there was still a continual attack on the parishes by equipment leasers enforcing the terms of the leases, filing lawsuits against the churches to collect payment, interest and late fees.

These equipment leasers in April 2009 were charged with defrauding the churches. One of the companies – Balboa Capital Corp settled their case in Washington just last week, agreeing to stop collecting on the leases with several of the churches and to pay two of the churches $4,000 in total. Balboa wrote in their legal filings that it was “not complicity in the alleged scheme” and agreed to the settlement to avoid litigation costs.

Nickles said he will continue to pursue the other two lessors and as the cases go on, the churches have worthless equipment situated in their parishes that have completely gone to waste.

We’re not entirely sure that’s true. Over the last thirty years there’s been another major revolution in retail – one that’s distinctly less observable for analysts and technology enthusiasts. It’s a revolution in self service, particularly in the massive progress caused by self-service kiosks and user-powered utilities in hundreds of industries.

We’ve picked seven of the world’s biggest industries, and highlighted exactly how self-service has contributed to their ongoing success. From multi-million dollar retail chains to key public facilities, the impact of self-service kiosks and interfaces is undeniably huge. With experts predicting multi-billion dollar savings and major strategy changes, this is one revolution that can’t be ignored.

1. Grocery Stores and Supermarkets

If there’s a single shining star of the self-service world, it’s the grocery industry. Faced with lowered profit margins and high staffing costs, self checkouts and interactive kiosks have helped thousands of major grocery outlets keep their budget balanced and their profits high.

Studies have demonstrated a six-hundred percent boost in employee efficiency when self-service checkouts are implemented, allowing businesses to cut staffing costs while simultaneously raising their overall output levels.
Despite early security hiccups, self-service checkouts are also relatively safe. Weight sensors and other helpful additions have kept theft levels low, while the monitoring and assistance of employees allows even the least technically minded user to operate a self checkout unit easily. Consumers and businesses are in agreement: self-service checkouts are great for the grocery industry.

2. Air Travel

Airlines have been using self check-in technology for almost twenty years, although the service has only found a wider audience within the past decade. Statistics from 2006 peg the rate of self check-in usage at eighty-six percent, indicating that long haul travelers are quickly growing fond of the efficient check-in and baggage register method.

But it’s not just airlines implementing self-service kiosks – a large number of immigration services are now opting for the automated devices. Passport scanners are now available in a number of EU and Australasian airports, giving flyers an alternative to standing in endless passport control lines.

3. Cinemas and Entertainment

Over the past decade, self-service kiosks have crept their way into cinemas and other entertainment booking areas. Once used almost exclusively for film information, a large percentage of UK cinema chains now use interactive kiosks for ticketing, feature film information, and previewing upcoming events.

While the new technology may have dulled the casual matinee environment, it’s certainly found support in theatergoers and cinema operators. With dwindling margins and a greater reliance on confectionary purchases, cinemas have been able to focus their staffing efforts on the snack bar, cutting the cost of staffing and boosting efficiency at the same time.

4. Digital Media, Movies, and Music

Currency kiosk firm Coinstar certainly hit the mark when it bought a share of Redbox in 2005. The McDonald’s funded company offers a variety of movies for rent through its kiosk network, allowing users to pick up the latest and greatest theatrical releases from as little as one dollar per night.

After passing the 100 million rental mark in February 2008, Coinstar bought the company outright for almost $180 million. The company, one of several movie rental operators using kiosks, plans to offer Blu-ray movies and television series within the coming months.

It’s not just Redbox that’s making waves in the self-service media world, either. Apple’s much-loved iTunes Store started offering movie rentals in 2007 and continues to do so today, alongside its huge and ever-expanding archive of classic albums and artist singles. Apple recently announced their ten-millionth sale – an important milestone in online self-service media sales.

5. Public Transport and Rail Travel

Commuters have been making use of self-service kiosks for almost two decades. With the ubiquity of automatic ticketing desks and automated account systems, it’s no surprise that a growing number of the world’s public transportation networks have been able to report healthy income figures.

Alongside the immense success in light rail ticketing systems and bus passes, several cities have seen successful results from self-service bicycle loan programs and communal transport solutions. Self-service kiosks remain a common sight along toll roads and major highways, letting motorists cut down on the amount of time required to pay travel costs and usage fees.

6. Fashion and Retail Shopping

What could possibly cause the world’s most exclusive fashion brands to adop

t a kiosk-only retail strategy? Huge boosts in customer satisfaction and loyalty. While self-service kiosks are a common sight in major shopping malls and department stores, the latest retail developments have seen them appear in high-end boutiques and luxury lifestyle shopping centers.

It’s not just high-end stores that are seeing the benefits of a self-service strategy, though. Shopping mall operators are increasingly opting for self-service information booths as an alternative to help desks, slimming staffing requirements while simultaneously making information more accessible.

Many of the world’s largest retailers have implemented self-service kiosks within their stores. Book stores continue to lead in self-service usage figures, while entertainment and multimedia stores have started to report high interactive kiosks usage rates despite low levels of consumer demand.

7. Catering, Restaurants and Food Services

Workplace cafeterias have enthusiastically adopted self-service kiosks, allowing users to place their orders more efficiently and easing the duties of serving staff. With the workweek forever extending and free time in a constant shortage, employees seem to be opting for self-service ordering systems in order to cut down on wasted rest time.
Touchscreen kiosks are also becoming popular in the commercial restaurant world, where both staff and customers are benefiting from more efficient ordering systems. Kiosks are often used to record customer orders and make notes on meals, allowing wait staff to accommodate diners with specific dietary requirements.

As more hospitality companies implement some form of IT-based self-service, many are seeking to reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction, and possibly reach new customer segments. A new hospitality study from Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) points out that when self-service functions correctly, it does enhance guest satisfaction and improves hotels’ financial results.

The study, “Integrating Self-Service Kiosks in a Customer Service System,” is published by Tsz-Wai Lui and Gabriele Piccoli who compiled statistics from two hotel chains totalling 163 hotels to determine the ratio of automated check-ins and the ratio of failed check-ins, using lobby self-service kiosks. They matched those data with aggregate financial performance from Smith Travel Research.

The hospitality study found that installing self-service kiosks did improve the hotels’ financial results, but the improvement showed a time lag. Therefore, they caution hoteliers not to expect instant returns from adding self-service kiosks.

However, when something went wrong with the self-service check-in, the hotels in question saw a reduction in guests’ willingness to pay and willingness to return. For this reason, Lui and Piccoli urge careful rollout of self-service technology, along with substantial staff support for guests who are using computers to check-in.

South Africa’s Southern Sun Hotels’ Sandton City is launching what it bills as “Africa’s very first hotel self check-in and check-out kiosks,” according to the chain’s Facebook page – nicely timed for the 2010 World Cup that begins in June.

The touchscreeen-enabled kiosk allows guests to check-in and out and to perform certain in-house hotel functions within the hotel environment. Guests can check in by identifying themselves by reservation number or credit card, and then the kiosk integrates with the hotel’s operational system, allocates a room, authorizes a debit or credit and dispenses a room key card. Check-out follows a similar identification process.

“Our guests already use self check-in facilities at airports and the movies, and at economy, economy plus and brand hotels overseas. Generally, they welcome technology that enables them to ‘do it themselves’ – not to mention quickly,” said Southern Sun managing director Graham Wood.

For those seeking a human interaction, Garden Court Sandton City hostesses will continue to provide check-in services at reception, and will also be available to assist customers with the self check-in terminals if needed.