ZDNet:IBM Corp. is rolling out new kiosks and point-of-sale systems designed to make self-service more enjoyable via video and 3-D capabilities. IBM obviously wants to ride this wave and has created the Self Service Alliance, a program that’s designed to drive adoption of self-service technology. In a survey of 1,000 consumers, IBM showed 50 percent growth in the use of self-service options. And 70 percent of consumers expect companies to offer more self-service. The caveat: The experience has to be worth the effort. If not, self-service just makes a company look like it favors saving a few pennies over customer service.
