Month: August 2011

A retailing survey has revealed that the British economy is missing out on close to £850 billion in sales- simply because of poor customer service.

Findings by Best Buy UK show that some 85% of consumers would go out of their way to shop somewhere with better service and therefore businesses with poor service could be losing on their share of trade by up to £847 billion. The research, which involved over 2,000 adults, found that 71% would pay more for good customer service and 71% wanted helpful and knowledgeable staff available when shopping. A touch screen kiosk can benefit the retail industry immensely in that customers can be better focused on because staff can give their time to making their experience better, whilst menial tasks are taken care of by kiosks. Deploying a kiosk is catering to modern day customer’s needs, as the survey found that most people do not want to be approached whilst they shop. Only a small minority, 23%, would like to be offered help within the first minutes. Steve Jensen, managing director of Best Buy UK, said: “To thrive you’ve got to give customers the service they demand and deserve.

We as customers shouldn’t have to put a price on good service. Unfortunately people perceive they have to pay more for what we believe should be a given. Every company is missing out on crucial sales if they don’t make customer service the focus of their business.” The hospitality sector came out on top in the survey as it was the most likely to have satisfied customers, with 62% of restaurants and 45% of hotels. Jo Causon, Chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service, said: “It is only companies that make great customer service a priority in store and in the boardroom too that will find success. Every business has to ensure that employees are given the right training particularly on those softer people skills to ensure they’re in the best position to deliver a positive customer experience. You have to fight for every customer now and keep them coming back or your competition will get there first.” Protouch can help you please each customer by installing touch screen technology that offers more services in-store. A kiosk can help by offering more products online that they can buy there and then, ticket dispensing special deals and way finding features. Consider the future of retailing and better customer service with Protouch.

The UK funeral market is estimated to be worth around £1 billion a year, with over 600,000 funerals taking place each year.

At the end of the day, it is like any other business. It needs to find cost-effective measures to deliver the service and strive to improve the customer’s experience and to make it as simple and stress-free as possible, during such a distressing time. Arranging a funeral is tough emotionally as well as financially and at a time when people are bereaving, the funeral sector needs to be as dignified and as understanding as possible. Touch screen technology can help the industry as it does with any other company. A funeral kiosk that is located within a parlour can assist in cases where it is too much for a person to sit and talk to a staff member about arranging the ceremony. Speaking about a death out loud can be too upsetting, especially because it reaffirms that the loved one is gone and that they are never coming back. Sometimes talking about it is too painful because it awakens someone into reality and makes things all too real. People may take comfort in making decisions via kiosks with practical questions such as burial or cremation answered on an interface. The entire funeral can be arranged without assistance if they wish! The display can ask nerve-touching questions like is the deceased to be dressed in their own clothes, or play exerts of hymns to help the family choose what to be played at the service. And the information kiosks can provide all the info and photos that they need to make the right choices; for example images of caskets and casket furnishings.

A funeral kiosk can provide info on;

– Registering a death – How to add an obituary notice in the local newspaper – Local florists – Pet care for animals left behind – Local stone masons – Bereavement advice and counselling help – Obtaining a death certificate – Finding a church As with other touch screen technologies, a kiosk can reduce workload on existing staff so they can concentrate on other tasks such as comforting the families rather than arranging the funeral; and it reduces the strain without the expense.

Some postal service experts have issued warnings to the general public that the role of the post office will demise and they are part blaming this with touch screen kiosks.

In the US alone, the postal service is facing a potential $8 billion deficit this year as mail volume declines and due to this over 3,600 post office stores are closing. It is said that many rural areas and towns are being left without a post office but not necessarily the Postal Service as the network is already included in drug and grocery stores and self-service kiosks. Described as the ‘dead letter office’, many retail post offices are being replaced with kiosks as a more convenient access to the Postal Service products and services. Customers’ needs are still being met but via touch screen technology. Reports argue that a large percentage of citizens from across the world no longer use post offices to physically conduct their post business. A study showed that 35% of the American’s post service’s revenue is generated from self-service kiosks, the internet and smartphone applications.

The postal sector is merely updating itself with modern day times as is other industries and reaping the advantages of touch screen technology. The same service is being delivered but with cost-effective solutions, as fewer staffs is needed at each branch. And of those offices still open, the staff’s time is better spent enhancing customer experience rather than undertaking menial paperwork. In such a fast paced society, customers are demanding self-service technology and a kiosk to reduce waiting times. As a business you can meet these requests with the help of Protouch; Europe’s leading manufacturer and distributor of touch screen technologies.

A touch screen kiosk can be deployed to inform customers on various subjects be it tourist destinations and events, product info or health advice.

A kiosk can be located to inform the public on special offers, sport class or film timetables or a town’s heritage. But as well as the multitude of facilities, an information kiosk can also offer help to people on how to help the environment.

A unit has been installed in Douglas County in Nebraska, America to show the public how to reduce storm water runoff and decrease pollution. The county has deployed an internet kiosk to provide info on storm water and other environmental issues. A top tip that has been shared includes turning the downspouts on a house toward the lawn or garden and away from the driveway leading to the street. There’s also information about demonstration projects. The Environment Agency is the UK’s public body whose principal aims are to protect and improve the environment and to promote sustainable development. They are concerned mainly with rivers, flooding and pollution and here at Protouch we imagine that they could jump on the band wagon as the Americans have and reap the benefits of deploying touch screen technology. Educating generations is paramount to tackling world-wide issues and the government is pushing citizens to become aware of their effects on the o-zone layer and realise how our resources are diminishing at a rapid rate. If people are not told the correct facts and figures then they cannot be blamed for wrong choices and bad practices. A kiosk can aid to teach society how to focus on sustainability and be environmentally conscious and friendly.