Month: July 2011

A touch screen kiosk can be already deployed in many car parks, both indoor and outdoor, in order to take payments from car users. The advantages of kiosks in this transport sector include consistent and valuable service 24 hours a day. This is extremely beneficial in that most car parks are typically self-service and non-staff attended. But as well as paying to park a car via a touch screen unit, one can now rent out a bike. Bike kiosks are being deployed in various countries in an effort to encourage the public to ditch their cars at home, be green and go for an environmentally-friendly bike ride.

Some stations in America consist of bike racks with bicycles attached to a solar-powered touch screen kiosk where members can swipe cards to rent bikes. Citizens can pay a set figure for all day, or have free trips that are 30 minutes or less. The bike kiosks will require the same approach as outdoor kiosks in that they need to be designed specifically to handle the environment and elements. The units should be sturdy, highly robust, weather-proof and readable in the high glare sunlight. In urban areas, vandalism is rife so ensure the machines and the display screens are anti-vandal; and that it is made from powerful material such as special anodized aluminium and special powder paint for outdoor use. An internal heating/ventilation system is essential to keep the PC at optimum running temperature and a water proof shell. The bike kiosks can be stabilised and secured through bolts set into a purpose-set concrete base and a sophisticated locking mechanism. So why not go for a leisurely bike ride with the partner and kids this summer with the help of a bike kiosk!

A popular feature of a touch screen kiosk is payment from consumers.

Many industries deploy kiosks purely for its payment methods; be it a touch screen for car parking, paying medical bills at hospitals, paying for a room at a hotel or posting bail in a jail. These are just a few of the many sectors that reap the advantages of kiosks, just like when Kiddicare deployed Protouch kiosks to allow customers to purchase individual brand merchandise via the unit.  

Paying via a kiosk has many benefits including;

Easier for customers as opposed to cheque or paying over the phone. – A payment method that is right there in front of you increases the probability of a customer actually paying their debts. – A receipt dispensing feature provides greater security and privacy. – Reduces paper work and staff time spent on taking payments. And now it seems governments courts are jumping onto the band wagon. Topeka, the capital city of Kansas, in America has deployed some new kiosks to provide the public an easier way to pay fines. The city now has municipal court kiosks which are installed in the court lobbies to offer a new option for paying court penalties. The kiosk, which cost $4000, has a touch screen and keyboard so customers can access frequently asked questions about court cases and make payments using several different credit cards. The technology is hoped to aid the court functioning as due to current government cutbacks and budgets, the court staff numbers have been reduced by nearly 18% over the past two years.

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.