In today’s era of self service checkout at local stores and ATM’s, some consumers prefer the convenience of utilizing a self service kiosk. Others take much longer to become comfortable with a self service machine. The kiosks also tie into another modern piece of technology: the mobile phone. estimated read time: 8 mins. With a growing trend toward self service, kiosks are an emerging enterprise tool that is used by a broad range of customers.
Imagine a self service register at the local coffee shop. The customer selects a beverage and punches in the decal code, only to be told by the counter clerk that he does not accept your selected beverage. The self serve checkout lane then re-enters the coffee shop and the checkout process once again becomes an onerous task. The customer can then choose another beverage at this same self service register, but again, he or she will be advised by the cashier that this beverage is not available.
A similar example is provided by the customer service at a movie theater. When a patron arrives to do his or her movie ticket purchase, the ticket printer informs the patron that this seat is fully booked and cannot be refilled. If the patron goes back to the self service kiosk, he or she again can not get the bookended phone number of the movie theater. Again, the customer leaves dissatisfied.
A self service kiosk manufacturer can alleviate customer service issues like this by creating an automated call center to handle calls from the kiosk. Typically, this automated call center will have a live operator who can take the place of the cashier or other live employees in the customer service area to handle inquiries. Even though the self service kiosk manufacturer has developed this automated system, it may still be necessary for the company to hire additional people to work in the customer service area. But even though the company has reduced staffing requirements, the additional personnel costs are probably greater than the cost savings gained in terms of lost revenue.
It may also be possible for kiosk companies to provide extra services, such as a computer visit site, to customers who are without mobile phones or with slow dial tones. Most self service kiosk companies already have a computer visit site designed to help customers who are without telephones, faxes or other computer based services. Customers who use these computer visit sites to obtain additional information about products can often use a credit card to make their purchases. This process is almost completely automated; so long as the customer uses a credit card and swipes a debit card at the service counter, the kiosk is capable of providing a credit card payment.
Self service kiosk companies could take this one step further. Many have already developed a self checkout process that allows a customer to pay using a credit card or by inserting a bill payment into a pre-approved electronic banking machine. If kiosks continue to expand to cover more locations, it may be possible to offer customers the option of completing their transaction without having to swipe a card at all. This would allow businesses to continue to expand their product lines, while also offering customers another way to pay their purchases. Until then, kiosk manufacturers and service providers must continue to develop automated systems to provide this service.