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KioskCom 2004 names award winners for best government and retail environment applications

KioskCom 2004 names its KioskCom 2004 Interactive Kiosks Excellence Award Winners for best government agency and retail environment applications. Technology Portals and Sheetz take home the titles.

November 30, 2004

Best Kiosk Application for a Government Agency

Technology Portals

Visitors to North Carolina can easily find information on lodging, attractions, dining and events thanks to the North Carolina Department of Transportation's interactive information kiosks, designed by Technology Portals. The tourism kiosks, located at nine welcome centers across the state, provide the same information already available through www.visitnc.com and 800/VISITNC.

The North Carolina tourism kiosks won the KioskCom 2004 Interactive Kiosks Excellence Award in the category of Best Kiosk Application for a Government Agency. The busy kiosks served more than 9 million visitors in 2003, according to Bryan Gupton, director of visitor services for North Carolina. The kiosks were installed to provide visitors with real-time traffic and weather information.

The welcome centers are open during business hours seven days a week, except for major holidays. Since the kiosks assist travelers during busy times at the centers, there are plans to install more kiosks at rest areas and other high-traffic locations.

The kiosks run on virtually any platform and feature Apunix software, explained Jim Hambrick of Technology Portals. The kiosks have contents that are locally stored and driven from the home office. Of the KioskCom 2004 award, Hambrick said, "The third-party validation lends credibility to the entire project."

"We've been very pleased with the evolution of our kiosk," Gupton added. "Our database of attractions, accommodations and events is quite large. So, there has been some tweaking based on input from our welcome center managers and staff, as well as advertisers."

Gupton said the kiosks "get better every day." The department credits Technology Portals with helping it provide a product that visitors find helpful. "Our goal, ultimately, is to provide excellent service and information so that we can maximize the impact our visitors have on the travel industry, the economy and the citizens of North Carolina."

Best Kiosk Application in a Retail Environment

Sheetz Made-To-Order Self-Service Kiosks

According to its award application, Radiant Systems set out to replace Sheetz Made-To-Order Self-Service Kiosks' paper-based food-ordering system with one that would improve customer satisfaction and increase food sales. Radiant's kiosk solution has been so successful it is an integral part of Sheetz's business model.

The rugged Radiant Outdoor Kiosk enables the Sheetz Order-at-the-Pole program - a program that gives customers the option to order everything from coffee bar items to custom-made sandwiches. According to Radiant, the touchscreen kiosks guide customers through a series of intuitive, automated steps, allowing them to select their food orders, customize their orders and double check their orders for accuracy before submitting them to the kitchen staff.

The outdoor kiosks have to withstand temperature extremes and harsh treatment. As a result, they feature advanced environmental controls for heating and cooling, Mylar overlays on their touchscreens (to keep them cleaner), and passive cooling for prolonged system uptime.

Currently 300 Radiant kiosks are used for indoor and outdoor food-ordering at Sheetz stores. According to Chuck Mallory, Radiant's senior manager for self-service solutions, the indoor and outdoor kiosks will be included in all new Sheetz locations as well.

A typical Sheetz location has three to four indoor kiosks and eight outdoor kiosks at fuel islands.

Winning the KioskCom 2004 award was a "big deal" and "a validation of self-service as a business model," Mallory said. He added that the award is about more than Radiant. "Sheetz is viewed as truly a leader in the industry," Mallory said.

Sheetz and WaWa, with kiosk ordering at 500 locations, are paving the way for kiosk use. As a result, "more and more stores are using this technology," Mallory added.