Self-service kiosks let customers help themselves
By BuyerZone.com Editorial Staff - BuyerZone.com

Self-service kiosks let customers help themselves

Even if you don’t know much about self-service kiosks, you’ve likely used them more than you think. If you’ve ever taken cash out of an ATM, used an Internet booth at the airport, or purchased movie tickets from a machine in the theater lobby, then you already have kiosk experience. You can find self-service kiosks across different businesses and industries, customized to the needs of their audiences.

With the right software, kiosks are an important part of the trend towards self-service. They’re more than computers in a box – they can be everything from virtual employees to additional sources of income. You also can use self-service kiosks to help remove the burden of answering basic questions from your staff.

Kiosks are easy to use. The user simply follows the on-screen instructions to get the information, service, or merchandise they are looking for. They also work around the clock. With the help of a certified monitoring company or trained in-house staff, you can make sure your self-service kiosk is always up and running, making repairs or performing software upgrades when necessary.

There are a slew of creative and productive uses for self-service kiosks in both public and private settings. Here is just a sampling of what kiosks can do:

  • ATM – Retailers can offer ATMs to allow customers to get quick cash while they shop. Businesses can also provide an ATM in the office building for employee convenience.
  • Digital photos – Connect a digital camera or other media to print inexpensive photos on high-quality paper. The user can also adjust photo quality, crop, and remove blemishes using the kiosk.
  • Directions – Get directions for where you are going, or navigate through the available stores in a shopping mall.
  • Industrial use – Factory workers can use these extra durable kiosks in harsh environments to pull up inventory information or get shipping data in real-time.
  • Advertising – Why spend money on expensive billboards that can only promote a couple of items at a time? You can use a kiosk to display interactive advertisements for several businesses at once in heavy foot-trafficked areas like malls or hotel lobbies.
  • Security – To check credentials and deter trespassing, you can set up a kiosk with full video surveillance and high-level methods to prove identity, such as fingerprint verification and iris scanning.
  • WiFi hotspots – For a small fee, users can check their email and surf the web using their laptops or PDAs. Coffee houses, bookstores, and hotels also offer WiFi to customers as a free service for their convenience while they shop.
  • Medical facilities – Doctors and nurses can quickly pull up patient data and check the status of a patient or medical supply inventory.
  • Hospitality – Welcome your hotel guests with an interactive display of accommodations and benefits. If you’re setting up a trade show, you can have a vendor set up a kiosk that introduces your company to visitors and lets them know what you have to offer.

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