Article

KioskCom 2004 Interactive Kiosks Excellence Award Winners: Best financial services kiosk application

What do a financial institution, a high school and Wal-Mart have in common? They all have kiosks that won awards at the 2004 KioskCom Show. Find out more about those kiosks and their awards.

November 2, 2004

"It's great to be recognized on behalf of our technology," said Rachelle Robin, project director of Fidelity Investments' Automated Deposit Machine. The ADM won the KioskCom 2004 Interactive Kiosk Excellence Award in the category of Best Financial Services Kiosk Application. The kiosk is a previous KioskCom award winner in the same category.

Robin explained that the idea for the ADM grew out of Fidelity's focus on its customers. The mutual fund company is headquartered in Boston, with eight regional operations centers and 98 investor centers across the country. Most branches operate during traditional business hours, with two operating 24 hours a day.

In the past, customers would come to a Fidelity office, fill out a deposit slip and give the funds and the slip to a teller. Fidelity wanted to offer its customers a choice when it came to depositing funds into their investment accounts. The ADM was developed by Fidelity to offer 24-hour deposit convenience.

The ADMs do not dispense cash; they only accept deposits. Customers deposit checks using their Social Security number or a customer ID number for additional security. No envelopes or paperwork are required since the ADM receipt is an image of the deposited check. Checks are now processed more frequently at a centralized location, further improving customer service.

Robin pointed out that the free-standing kiosk is custom colored for each branch environment. Newer branches build the ADMs into alcoves for more customer privacy. Fidelity designed its first ADM in 1999. Representatives from the company have attended KioskCom for the past three years to keep up with kiosk technology. Today, Fidelity has a total of 117 ADMs in use throughout its branches.

Fidelity's ADM was developed completely in-house. While this may be unusual for some banks or brokerage firms, it's more the norm for Fidelity. "We spend about $2 billion a year on technology," noted company spokesperson Adam Banker. "That is a serious commitment to staying ahead of the curve."

Best Public Access Kiosk Application

Boyne City Public School District (Boyne, Mich.) public access kiosk is located in a high school, but it's not just for students and staff. The kiosk won the award for Best Public Access Kiosk in the KioskCom 2004 Interactive Kiosk Excellence Awards.

Project

This kiosk at the Boyne (Mich.) City High School won the KioskCom award for Best Public Access Kiosk Application.

manager Randy Calcaterra explained that the newly built high school has an auditorium designed for community performances. In addition to the 500 students and staff at the high school, anyone attending an event at the school has access to the kiosk.

Harbor Industries of Charlevoix, Mich., developed the kiosk enclosure to blend with the school's architecture. Boyne High School digital design students developed - and continue to update - the kiosk content. Content includes school sports highlights, drama productions, and student produced music videos, games and documentaries. There is also general information about the school and the school district. The kiosk features four 27-inch screens and operates using interactive trackballs.

Calcaterra said that the kiosk is designed to be a true community access tool. While it has won numerous educational and content awards, the KioskCom 2004 award is the most prestigious, Calcaterra noted. Other school districts and museums are considering modeling their own kiosks after the award-winning kiosk.

The dozen or so students that have worked on the kiosk's content learned that games attract younger children and prevent adults from accessing the kiosk. According to Calcaterra, the games can now be turned off to encourage more community interaction with the kiosk content. "It is an outreach tool," said Calcaterra.

Best Human Resources Application

When a new Wal-Mart store opens, hundreds of jobs are created. Hundreds of job applications must be filled out. Multiply that by the number of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores (roughly 3,000) and you have a paperwork nightmare. That's where the next KioskCom 2004 award winner comes in. Kiosk Information Systems won the KioskCom 2004 Interactive Kiosk Excellence Award in the category of Best Human Resources Application for its Wal-Mart Hiring Center.

Karla Guarino, marketing director for KIS, explained that the prospective Wal-Mart and Sam's Club employees use the kiosk to apply for jobs, read job descriptions and review current job openings. The kiosk features a touchscreen, a rugged keyboard with trackball, speakers and a thin client terminal.

Two hundred Hiring Center kiosks were first deployed in a pilot program in October 2002. Additional kiosks were deployed in 2003 throughout all Wal-Mart stores and distribution centers, Sam's Club stores and Neighborhood Grocer stores. New units are installed as new stores are opened.

Guarino noted that the Hiring Center kiosks have reduced applicant processing time as well as costs. About winning the KioskCom award, Guarino said, "It keeps us in the forefront of the pubic eye and shows our leadership participation in all areas of the kiosk industry."

Included In This Story

---