Month: February 2012

Consumers around the world are being given more power in terms of checking themselves into hotels, ordering their own food at takeaways and printing off tickets for the train. And now the concept of interactivity and control has been enhanced. A kiosk has been introduced that can be deployed in a doctor’s surgery, hospital or retail pharmacy, that allows patients to give feedback on their experience. Now touch screen kiosks are already being used in a vast array of health care environments to let patient’s check-in. However this touch screen technology, called ‘Wellby’, is an ATM-like machine with a touchscreen that allows patients to answer survey questions and give their views after having an examination.

ENHANCE CUSTOMER CARE

Before they leave the office, the patient can get involved and input information into the touch screen kiosk which the physician can use to help treat the patient and improve services. Options available are simply ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘Not sure’ and the data provided with offer insight into communication, compliance with standards of care, and reveal overall satisfaction. The technology, by CarePartners Plus and IBM, means that by engaging with the consumer, the healthcare industry can provide a higher quality of care. For years doctors have been attempting to develop new ways to gather information that will aid them to improve clinical outcomes. An advantage is that often a patient might be afraid to say what they really feel in the room to the doctor’s face but by stating it all privately on a touch screen they can express their true evaluation.

PRIVACY

Kiosks such as these have attracted negative criticism though in terms of privacy, as some patients, particularly the elderly will be concerned that their personal health information in an electronic form can be obtained by non-authoritative personnel. But touch screen monitors can be designed to ensure that no-one looking at the side of the screen can see the information clearly and software can have passwords encrypted to ensure that files are locked away safely.

There has been an economic boom in bill payment self-service technology in certain countries around the world, according to a recent report. GWD Media, a supplier of Genkiosk kiosk software, has stated that there is a new drive in regions such as Indonesia, the Philippines and the Pacific Islands, for bill payment units. According to the report, there is an increasing need by citizens in Southeast Asia, Oceania and the Pacific for Kiosks that provides services like bill payment, Internet access and money transfer. This concurs with consumer trends from around the globe, including the UK, where there is a thriving must for flexible and easy-to-use facilities without the need for credit cards and bank accounts. Statistical analysis worldwide and local market research suggests that in the Middle East, bill payment kiosks have seen a huge success, especially for potions of the population that is under banked because they can pay cash straight into a kiosk without standing in line.

So why are bill payment kiosks so beneficial?

A bill payment kiosk can help consumers in many countries and the touch screen technology is used across a wide array of industry sectors. Whether it is to aid the retail industry and replace over the counter transactions to free up staff’s time, or help the transport sector in taxis and airports, payment systems are very useful. The featured kiosks are becoming so popular that units have even been deployed in some American prisons to enable the jailed inmates to process their own bail charges. What is more, they can help outdoor and indoor car parks to improve customer experience. So if the latest report is anything to go by, 2012 will see a rising trend of bill payment kiosks and your business can get involved with the help of Protouch.