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.

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.

Interactive touch screen interface that immediately attracts the customer

Kiosks are simply a machine that is deployed in areas where there are high volumes of traffic. Many kiosk systems today are accompanied by a touch screen interface, a major step away from the traditional keyboard.

Nowadays the general public are so used to have kiosk systems in their every day lives and combined with the continual access to computers and the Internet most people have no reservations about using the Internet. In fact, most people are keen to interact with kiosk systems when they need quick and efficient service.

One of the most common forms of kiosks is the ATM or otherwise known as the hole in the wall. With ATM’s the screen asks the question and the user replies by pressing the corresponding button to provide the correct data to the kiosk.

Interactive Touch Screen Payment System for Kiddicare

There are other types of kiosks that operate with a keyboard and trackball which is used like a mouse to move the cursor around the screen. These types of kiosks are most commonly found on information point kiosks, business card printing kiosks and town centre Internet access point kiosks. These types of kiosks are very user friendly as they work on the basis of a home computer with a QWERTY keyboard and a mouse which people have become very familiar with. And with these machines being open to the public, they have to be developed as vandal proof as well as being weather proof.

Nowadays kiosks can be fitted with motion sensors which can detect when a person is standing in front of the kiosk. These high tech systems have the ability to detect when a person has arrived at the store or leaving the store, switch to a digital sign when no one is around and switch into user mode if some approaches the kiosk.

And as technology improves kiosks are become more advanced and sophisticated; however there is a considerable gap between the first ATM machines being installed and the supermarket chains deploying kiosks with a variety of features and applications.

Supermarket checkout kiosks have multiple functions and have touch screen weighing scales as well as infrared scanner reading bar codes. Supermarket kiosks have been embraced by consumers and the touch screen system has become a common feature in most supermarkets.

Local councils are using the kiosks to deliver a wide range of public services, providing a plethora of information and bill payment systems that enables the customer to perform the tasks they need efficiently and effectively. Kiosks are also appearing in schools, colleges as well as universities that provide access to information and support for housing, jobs, training and further education opportunities.

The future of kiosks in our society will continue to grow rapidly the more interactive they become. XBox are planning to launch a brand new game console which will rival the Nintendo Wii; however instead of using a remote control the machine will instead see your movements.

Kiosks are being used by local councils for delivering a range of public services, providing access to information and bill payments and enabling customer services departments to concentrate on more complex issues with their residents. Kiosks are appearing in Schools, Colleges and University’s to provide access to information and support for housing, jobs, training and education opportunities.

With body sensors users will be able to interact with kiosks without actually physically touching them. Simply by waving your hand in front of the screen may allow customers to access information in the near future.

With whole body sensing technology users will be able to interact with kiosks without a need to physically touch the screen. Moving between content can just be a matter of waving your hand in front of the screen. Whatever new technologies emerge for kiosks the main point is whether these technologies make it easier to interact with information. Keep an eye out for other future technologies being applied to kiosks.

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.

The future of touch screen technology could take us anywhere? We could see all of our potential kitchen and home appliances turn to touch screen, our cars adopt a new touch screen system (although some already have!) In fact your imagination could run wild with the ideas of where touch screeen technology could be in just a few years time.

TAT – The Astonishing Tribe – have come with their very own video to where touch screen technology will be in just a few years time. The video was to show case their research and user feedback at the Open Innovation Experiment.

The video goes shows the adoption of multi-screens, mirror screens, expandable screens, e-ink screens, transparent screens. In fact think of a touch screen and it will be here in a few years, according to TAT anyway.

TAT currently works with 4 of the 6 biggest mobile manufacturers designing screen interfaces for over 400 million devices, so may be we do need to watch this screen, I mean space…

The adoption of touch screen technology into our every day devices has really taken off. From mobile phones and iPads’ to ticketing kiosks and supermarket self service systems, everyone has jumped on the bandwagon and consumers seem to be enjoying it. There are many people however who haven’t adopted self service and touch screen solutions which can potentially improve your business and customer service if deployed and manufactured correctly.

To give you an idea of what is out there, we have put together some examples of touch screen uses in today’s ever changing society.

Public information displays:

One of the main reasons to why touch screen uses are most often used as a public display is down to the fact that they are easy to use. From a young child who isn’t completely computer literate to an elderly person who has never used a computer before, everyone can easily understand how to navigate around a kiosk system and find the information, products or services they need quite easily. A public information display most commonly refers to information kiosks or trade show kiosks.  

Retail systems: We live in a fast paced environment where we are continually in a rush to get things done in a short space of time. Implementing a touch screen system into your store allows your staff to complete tasks a lot faster and training time could possibly be reduced as the system is easier to navigate around. With touch screens much of the counter space is freed up allowing for a cleaner and open spaced environment.

Cineworld Unlimited Movies kiosk by Protouch

Customer self service: Everyone hates to queue and this can be eliminated by the use of touch screen technology. With a touch screen monitor situated in your store or restaurant you can improve customer service as well as reduce customer waiting time allowing your customers to take control of their day. From ATM/s, ticket terminals, ordering kiosks, product/service buying etc, there are a plethora of ways to give your customers a more valuable experience.

As ebooks, iPads, iPhones and netbooks start to dominate and change how we read, the question of whether printed books will still be around is a question that many of us are debating.

Many major book publishers are jumping ship to the technology savvy world with publishing giants Penguin Books recently making some bold experimental bets.

Using the iPad, Penguin Books recreated a ‘book’ incorporating interactive learning experiences. The new ebooks allow people to chat between other readers and explore other areas as though they are actually inside the book.

“The iPad represents the first real opportunity to create a paid distribution model that will be attractive to consumers,” said an excited John Makinson, CEO of Penguins Books, at FT’s Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference in May 2010. “The psychology of payment tablets is different to the psychology of a PC.”

However, Penguin are looking to go bigger than just the one device, with Makinson believing that ebooks will hit 10 per cent of book sales next year.

“We will be embedding audio, video and streaming into everything we do. The .epub format, which is the standard for ebooks at the present, is designed to support traditional narrative text, but not this cool stuff that we are now talking about.

“So for the time being at least we will be creating a lot of our content as applications, for sale on app stores and HTML, rather than in ebooks. The definition of the book itself is up for grabs.

iPad ebook from Apple

“We don’t know whether a video introduction will be valuable to a consumer. We will only find answers to these questions by trail and error.”

The team at Penguin Books have already met with key players in the industry (Apple, Amazon and Google) over the last few months to discuss plans and future developments for touch screen ebooks and whether Penguin would give a large percentage of sales to Apple. When asked whether they would give away 30 per cent of Penguin sales, Makinson responded by saying that this was better than the equivalent print agency model, in which publishers let retailers keep 50 per cent.

Many record labels are not enjoying the control Apple has over their industry, however Penguin sees it as a positive and exciting change and that it’s ”the opportunity to test and access consumer data.”

However, there is still the notion that Makinson would take more from Apple. “There is an argument for saying Apple needs the content, that they should be paying us for our content,” he said. However; the argument hasn’t worked.

Famous novel, Pride and Prejudice may come with the inclusion of videos of Keira Knightly and Colin Firth but, “We need to understand how much the consumer will pay for that, we need to engage in dynamic pricing.”

A device giving the Apple a run for its money is the Amazon Kindle first released in 2007. The device is used primarily for the rendering and displaying of ebooks and other digital media. It has been a huge success in the US allowing people to access a wide collection of books and journals to read while they are out and about.

A report in the Science Christian Monitor, said, “Many argue that, despite software that allows ebooks to be read on Smartphones, the Kindle retains an advantage. Its E-Ink display is so easy on batteries that it can go without a charge for two weeks, and it is easier on the eyes than the LCDs found on Blackberrys, iPhones, and other Smartphones.”

The first version of the Kindle sold out in 2007 (280,000) and since then the company has brought out three more versions with the latest version ‘Kindle 3′ launched in July 2010. With Amazon looking to expand its reach it has already recreated a Kindle version of the successful Amazon.co.uk in a bid to get more people downloading ebooks.

One of the bonuses coming out of the ebook and Kindle’s is that it is an innovative way for students to carry all of their textbooks and notes in one device. Instead of trailing all their books to and from the library, students can carry the electronic reading device much more easily.

However the concept of ebooks many not actually make books obsolete, well at least for a very long time. There are still a lot of things that need to be done and in order to make downloading books and texts a day to day task. For now libraries are still in business and books stores will still stock their shelves with printed copies of our favourite and new books each and every week.

Touch screen technology is everywhere and it’s just getting bigger by the day. The multimedia interactive technology offers consumers a modern platform which allows them to say good by to the keypad and hello to a innovative and compact technology products.

Although it may only seem that the touch screen interface has been around and about for the past few years, research suggests otherwise. Dating back to the 80s the touch screen was a new and exciting technological device that has been developed and improved over the years to mix into our every day world; and that development has proven to be a huge success with mobile phones, kiosk systems, computers and many more technology products adopting a touch screen interface.

So to give you an idea of the world of touch screen and how it all began, here are a few touch screen gadgets from years gone by.

The BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme in 1982 featured a very early touch screen computer. Unfortunately the exact model is unknown.

In 1983 Hewlett Packard’s HP-150 was the first commercially available touch screen PC. The screen was fitted with a grid of infrared beams which were in place to detect finger movements across the screen; however the IR sensors often became clogged up with dust and dirt and required regular cleaning.

In 1993, Apple was still leading the way in handheld devices with its Newton PDA. With handwriting recognition it was years ahead of its time and even now the device is commonly found being sold on Internet auction sites for large prices.

The first ever Smartphone was launched in 1993 with the IBM’s Simon. It featured a calender, note pad and fax function. Users could put their phone numbers using the touch screen interface.

In 1996 the Palm took over the touch screen market for over ten years with its Pilot series. The company then expanded its products to Smartphone technology getting rid of its operating system in favour of Windows Mobile.

The year 2000 saw the launch of Microsoft handheld ‘tablet’ devices. Bill Gates, founder, saw the potential of the touch screen device and launched the product with the Windows XP Tablet edition in 2002. Not many people bought the tablet PC’s due to the high costs.

2004 saw the introduction or touch screen Smartphones which have grown in popularity over the years. Handsets such as Nokia’s Symbian handsets, Windows Mobile as well as the Sony Ericsson’s UIQ phones have all driven the touch screen technology forward.

The launch of the Apple iPhone in 2007 hit the touch screen industry by storm. There was a lot of work that needed to be done to the device for it to meet to people’s expectations however the sleek and sophisticated design proved to be an overall winner which left many other mobile phone manufacturers struggling to play catch up.

2008 saw the touch screen industry move for a more commercial than home use. The new Microsoft touch screen controlled table was launched prices at a whopping £8,500. The new interactive system adopted a multi touch surface which allowed many users to interact at the same time.

And as we arrive into 2010 the iPad landed on our doorstep. The new multi-functional facility has received massive interest worldwide with 1 million units sold within a month of its launch.

We’ve been shortlisted in the Retail Systems 2010 Awards for the category ‘Best Use Of Technology In The Hospitality And Leisure Sector.’

The Protouch, Xn Leisure and Aberdeen Sports Village leisure centre joint entry is shortlisted for its innovative ‘Virtual Receptionist’ kiosk solution that has provided Aberdeen Sports Village with an automated booking, ticketing and payment system.

The ‘Virtual Receptionist’ has propelled Aberdeen Sports Village to the forefront of the technological, self service arena within the Leisure industry with 80 per cent of Aberdeen Sports Village members now using it as opposed to the reception desk. 

Protouch Xn Leisure Kiosk

Not only has it leveraged Aberdeen Sports Village resources by turning receptionist staff into Customer Service Ambassadors, it has allowed staff to offer more quality time with their customers as well as greatly enhancing customer experience by increasing the speed of transactions and efficiency. Customers can now check in for activities, collect tickets and make future booking enquiries quickly and efficiently, eliminating the need to queue. 

The Xen X4 wall mounted kiosk offers a 19″ touch screen, RFID smart Card Reader, receipt and ticket printer and branding while running a booking and on screen payment application that provides fast track entry and a secure monitoring system using membership cards linked to turnstiles, barriers or doors.

We look forward to the awards ceremony due to take place at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel London on 28 October 2010 where the winners will be announced.

About Xn Leisure

The leader in Leisure Management Solutions for over 28 years, Xn Leisure serves over 5,000 users and is the technology partner of choice for the Leisure Industry. Offering a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise Xn Leisure is engaged in a programme of continuous strategic investment in people, systems and processes. 

When installing a kiosk system there are many things that you need to do to ensure that you get a return on investment. However, there are still many people who fail to follow basic rules when planning their kiosk project which leaves them out of pocket and with an unwanted and useful kiosk stuck in the storage cupboard.

To give you a few pin pointers here are five helpful tips to take you in the right direction

Offer customer a valuable experience

Think of why your customer would invest their time and effort into learning how to use a kiosk? Will the services you provide boost their overall customer experience and will they be able to access more information and services about the products and services you offer?

A kiosk is about improving a customer’s experience in your business. Airline check-in kiosks have been a massive success because they accommodate to the customers needs and reduce queueing time, which is what customers want. Even people who don’t use them appreciate that they reduce queue time so they are a winner all round.

Make the process fast

You may have a good looking kiosk and offer lots of advice and information for your customers but making the process long winded can be a problem and a bit of a bore for your customer. They may lose interest in what they set out to do and they won’t come back to use your kiosk again. Make sure you keep the transaction process simple. Just a few steps and a few touches of a button for them to get the answer or information they want.

Help customers out

Some customers will be slightly nervous about using kiosk systems and won’t know where to start. It is a good idea to keep staff handy to help customers who are struggling to use the kiosk. Kiosks are there to also free your staff time but it is important that you don’t desert the kiosk leaving customers to struggle.

Deploy it in the right place

The location of the kiosk has a lot to do with its success. Make sure it is seen as soon as your customers enter the store and put it in an accessible location so people can get to it as and when they please. Stuffed in a corner will do no one any favours.

Test out your kiosk

Don’t just assume that deploying the kiosk will bring you business straight away. You have to test it, trial it, improve it and make sure that your customers are happy with the kiosk system. Because you have worked on it for so long you will know it inside and out and where everything is, but your customers will not. Get a fresh approach on the kiosk system to see what your customers think of it and whether it will benefit your business and what grey areas you need to improve.