Following on from our recent post about self-service in health care, the Kioskmarketplace.com has published a white paper on industry findings as a whole.

Kiosks are used across a variety of sectors from education, retail, banking and more and it can be easy to concentrate on a specific category and analyse it individually. But what about the collective deployment of touch screen technology?

According to the Self-Service Future Trends 2011 report, produced by the Digital Screenmedia Association, the industry which will benefit the most from self-service in the next five years is;

- Retail (35.1%)

- Banking/financial (17.6%)

- Restaurant (12.8%)

- Healthcare (9.5%)

- Telecommunications (7.4%)

- Government (5.4%)

- Travel (5.4%)

- Entertainment/gaming (3.4%)

- Hotel/motel (3.4%)

So we have a prediction as to which industry divisions will profit the most from installing touch screen kiosks but what are the expectations as for spending on the self-service technology? More than 96% of respondents said they will spend the same amount or more on the technology in the next 12 months which is great news for businesses like us who manufacture and distribute touch screen units.

More precisely, 67.9% said their spending on self-service technology would increase over the next year, only 3.8% said that it would decrease and 28.2% remained the same. This is a fantastic indicator that despite difficult economic times, businesses are still focused on bettering customer experience and enhancing staff time management.

And the findings further get healthier in that firms believe spending on self-service technology over the course of five years will increase more than 86%. This optimism is enthralling for the future of kiosks, pcs and touch screen monitors.

So we know now that people will be considering self-service units in their businesses but what are the reasons why?

A trend which is becoming more and more popular as of late is the use of smartphones but industry experts argue that its future will complement rather than hinder kiosks.

Almost 70% of those surveyed said the reason they would ponder deploying touch screens is that the devices can increase efficiency and a further 65% said that the customer demand for its convenience was a reason alone.

The top findings also included;

- Just over 60% said customer demand for faster service

- 50% because self-service helps the bottom line

- Just over 40% said for customer demand for complete, accurate information

- Almost 40% as the devices can help brand the company

More answers were customer demand for privacy, courteous service and simply because the competitors are using self-service technologies.

To find out what type of touch screen kiosk would be best for your business, contact the experts at Protouch.

The fast food industry is one of the quick service sectors to gain the most from deploying kiosk systems; to reduce waiting times and put the power in the consumer’s hands.

Restaurant and take-away firms such as Subway, McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC would benefit immensely from installing touch screen units that would enable the customer to place and pay for their own order via the interface.

Until now, kiosks haven’t really taken off in the UK as much as it has in America or other parts of Europe; that is in the fast food industry. A consumer could only order their chicken nuggets and happy meal deal from self-service kiosks in McDonald’s if they lived in France, where the concept was initially launched. However, now McDonald’s UK is embracing the technology.

The fast food giant is employing 7,000 touch screen terminals and swipe cards across its European outlets.

Steve Easterbrook, President of McDonald’s Europe, said the changes will make life easier for consumers as well as improves efficiency. He expects average transaction times for its two million daily customers will shorten three to four seconds.

The technology aids to harness more information on customer’s ordering and dining habits as well as enable customers to pay simply by swiping a debit card; making the company the first fast food chain to introduce contactless payments.

In 1200 of the UK locations, staff will also be hired to take additional orders from customers via handheld terminals.

Benefits of touch screen technology in fast-food restaurants include;

- Control of ordering process leads to better accuracy

- Single point of administration and reporting, hassle-free.

- Management costs are low, integration is easier than ever.

- New product placement exposes variety of menu and increases sales.

Video Conferencing in action

Okay so this may appear a little dramatic however the integration of self service and kiosk solutions is greatly reducing the amount of actual staff members employed onto the retail shop floor across UK stores.

Picture the scene: You walk into your local retail store searching for a particular product you cannot find. Frantically running around the isles searching for a staff member to assist you in your search, you find that not a team member appears in sight and all you are faced with is many computer screens and kiosk terminals. Not exactly the warm and friendly smile that you were hoping for but the only solution to your problem. So is this really going to work?

Well whether it will or not, this may be the future of customer service and already we have seen kiosks and self service checkouts deployed in our supermarkets, retail stores, pharmacies, post offices, in fact everywhere you look a kiosk has been put in place to replace staff members.

In Canada, the adoption of self service has taken the country by storm with Staples Business Depot already deploying video kiosks across all of its 34 stores around the country. The video kiosks connect to operators in Toronto who can help customers locate exactly what they are looking for.

Chris Woods, Chief Technology Officer of ClairVista, believes that video conferencing is the way forward when it comes to small businesses that are strapped for cash and struggling to employ staff members who have the knowledge and understanding of the brand and products they sell.

“Everybody who goes into a retail store today and walks away frustrated that they could not get their questions answered can get the help they need,” Woods said.

When pilot tests were run at the Staples store for the kiosk systems they found that they proved to be more popular with the customers as opposed to the staff members on call if customers needed a helping hand.

DL Baron, CEO of Expertcity said, “We found that consumers are lining up to talk to the person on the screen because they know the dopey kid behind the counter can’t answer their question.

“When consumers start using it, it becomes their preferred mode of engagement.”

However, video kiosks and information points cannot simply replace staff members completely. One of the key features of owning a store is making an impression on the customer and having a staff member to meet and greet when they arrive is highly important in order to retain business. On top of this, many customers may feel that integration of just kiosk systems is there because the company are looking to replace humans and cut down costs.

Baron believes that large retail stores don’t offer top quality customer service anyway and that video kiosks will actually be a major improvement.

“How many times have you walked out of the store because you knew more than the kid who was helping you?” he said. “Floor clerks have an impossible task in trying to keep up with and explain increasingly complex products.”

Baron believes that having set kiosks offer information on a product area can provide much better advice than a store assistant. Kiosks can also show videos which demonstrate how the products work and could even offer print outs for consumers to take away.

Customer service is still key in all of this and having automated responses or video kiosks can make the customer experience more impersonal. Customer service expert, Robert Spector author of ‘The Nordstorm Way,’ said,

“A lot of companies get enamoured with the technology and lose sight of the consumer,” he said. “Many companies don’t think like their customers, they think in ways to make (the company’s) life easier, rather than ‘how do we make the consumer’s life easier.’ “

There are so much more to kiosk systems that what meets the eye. Not only are they a cost effective service for the company and a new solution to the customer, there are other ways in which customers can truly benefit from a kiosk system.

Kiddicare kiosk allows customers to order products that are not available in store

Benefits to customers

Offers privacy: Consumers may not like the idea of having to shout out loud which product they are wishing to purchase or further discussing it in store with an assistant they have never met. Kiosks remove the potential embarrassment.

Faster service: Kiosk systems enable customers to speed up their customer waiting time and unnecessary hanging around which is often the case if all your staff members are preoccupied.

More convenient: Consumers don’t need to be computer savvy as kiosks don’t require any particular training or intelligence. Nowadays many customers are able to comfortably use interface kiosks and find it much easier than talking to a sales assistant.

Communication: Kiosks can’t be misunderstood so further enhances the customers experience because they don’t feel the frustration of not being able to communicate their needs.

Precision: The customer receives exactly what they are looking for and all their needs are met via the kiosk.

Benefits to the store owner

Productivity: Kiosks can maximise productivity by limiting the amount of time spent in conversation and data entry. If there are multiple kiosks then it can take orders simultaneously.

Ordering accuracy: When ordering with a store assistant there may be the case that the order when completed isn’t correct. There is a small margin for human error; however this is drastically diminished if kiosk systems are installed.

Easier to hire staff: Now you can focus your staff members more on what they do best. As opposed to having staff who need to do all jobs, you can now leave the customer service mostly down to the kiosks and manage your staff members more effectively.

The future for kiosks only looks like it is set to grow over the next few years; however the complete removal of staff members on the shop floor won’t be for a very long time. And if it every does then there are certainly going to be a lot of unemployed people hanging around the UK.

Self-service solutions seem to be available everywhere these days. You can find eye exam kiosks in convenient locations such as chemists, some parts of town are using kiosks to enable bike sharing, and even some bars and nightclubs are using kiosks to determine if late-night revellers have had one to many to drive home.

One of the fastest growing verticals for self-service screens has been libraries. Many are installing kiosks to help streamline a variety of processes – in the hopes of reducing costs and improving the customer experience. Customers may use the kiosks to place holds on books, to pay fines, and to check out books. Some locations are even closing smaller libraries and replacing them with vending kiosks that actually dispense books. The face of the traditional library is changing, and its long-term viability may be at stake.

For those who continue to utilize the library, there’s great news! Thanks to technology investments, it’s becoming much easier – the self-service kiosks make the trip more convenient than ever. And, thanks to the kiosks enabling less complex tasks, librarians will have more time to spend with customers who need specialized services.

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.

More than 80 percent of wine and spirits shoppers would use a self-service kiosk for product information such as tasting notes, food pairing recommendations and cellaring guidelines, according to early results in an ongoing survey being conducted by RetailCustomerExperience.com.

The survey found that while 74 percent of shoppers have asked for assistance and more than 70 percent rated the service as “excellent” or “good,” the majority of shoppers (82 percent) would “absolutely” or “probably” use such a kiosk for information and that more than 53 percent would “absolutely” or “probably” purchase a greeting card from the kiosk with this information on it.

“With over 98 percent of respondents saying they have shopped for wine or spirits to give as a gift or take to a dinner party, a self-serve kiosk supports the need for accessible product information with the convenience of providing a greeting card all at once,” said David Weinberg, president of the survey’s sponsor, Curiosk Marketing Solutions Inc.

Respondents made their wine or spirits purchases in various store types, with the top four being privately owned or government-run specialty wine and spirits shops (95 percent), grocery stores (68 percent), winery tasting rooms (65 percent) and mass merchants (44 percent).

So you’ve got your kiosk and now it’s all up to you. How can you truly maximise the investment you’ve put in? Kiosk deployment can be quite a complicated affair, and a successful rollout is never a guarantee.

To help you minimise deployment difficulties, here are five key issues that normally hamper a kiosk’s potential so be aware:

- A failure to present a truly compelling offer to the customer

- Relying on intangibles for an attractive return on investment

- A failure to differentiate between the pilot stage and the scaling stage

- Forgetting that the first roll-out will never be perfect

- A failure to effectively locate kiosks

For advice on kiosks and their deployment, contact Protouch; market leaders in self-service technology.

Love them or hate them, you’ll be seeing even more self-service checkouts in 2010 after NCR, the American technology company behind 80% of the UK’s self-service checkouts, predicted a 50% increase in UK sales of the self-service scanning machines that have become a feature of stores nationwide.

Customers have been fairly torn on the issue; some get sick of the ‘unexpected item in bagging area’ message and prefer communicating with people, whereas a growing number are getting self-service-savvy, whizzing through the kiosk lanes and are waving goodbye to busy staffed checkouts. In total, 7,000 machines have been installed in supermarkets since their introduction in 2002, expected to more than double to 15,000 in the next three years, according to Retail Banking Knowledge.

According to Elton Birden, the managing director of NCR in Britain: “Self-service checkouts will revolutionise retail in the same way that self-service supermarkets did 60 years ago. It’s going to be a combination of existing customers rolling out and new users. It’s still a small percentage of the overall checkout.”

Not many industries can count 2009 as even a decent year, considering the gloomy economic downturn that struck fear into suits all over the world, but the kiosk business is one of them.

It’s natural that deployments have been put on hold because of tight credit and companies have been forced to “trim the fat” as they struggled through the global recession, but kiosk developers with compelling value propositions have reaped the benefits of cost-conscious deployers and consumers alike.

Two of the obvious self-service superstars of 2009 are Coinstar and redbox, who have never had a better year, all because they made consumers an offer they cannot refuse, especially when times are tight. Coinstar, in particular, is of course directly tuned into those who are looking to save money by converting their copper shrapnel pennies into pounds.

Whereas Redbox have recently posted impressive statistics for their DVD rentals throughout 2009, renting out over 450 million DVD’s.  Many believe the economic climate has resulted in an increase of customers; this seems likely considering their $1 a night rental service.

More importantly, however, more deployers are becoming convinced of self-service’s lasting positive impact on their bottom lines. Self-checkout deployments continue to grow because retailers simply cannot ignore the rise in customer satisfaction and the dip in labour costs that follow deployment.

The same can be said for airline self-check-in, photo kiosks and patient self-service, to name a few. It’s not often that an innovation that benefits a retailer so dramatically also pleases consumers and improves their experiences at retail. Thanks in part to a financial landscape that has forced some tough decisions, more and more retailers continue to realize that self-service does just that.

Movie-rental giant Blockbuster has rolled out its plans for next year, which will see them go touch-screen kiosk crazy!

They’ll be throwing money at their new Blockbuster Express campaign with an increased amount of automated kiosks as well as maxing out their Blockbuster on-demand digital streaming offering.

At present, their physical points’ presence stands at 2,500 Blockbuster Express branded kiosks and by early 2010, they’ll be unleashing their first 24-hour automated retail store.

James Keyes, CEO of Blockbuster, says: “We are working hard to take the multi-channel approach to the next level by providing the customer with flexibility, control, and ease-of-use. Through our planned integration of stores by mail, vending, kiosks, digital services, we intend to utilise a centralised customer database to realise supply chain efficiencies and ultimately to deliver a superior customer experience.”