Article

The customer-centric approach at work with Apunix

Commitment to service and defining customer needs landed San Diego-based full service provider honors during the inaugural Interactive Kiosk Excellence Awards earlier this year.

February 17, 2004

Over the course of its 22-year history, full-service kiosk developer Apunix Computer Services has enjoyed a string of successful relationships.

Alamo Rent A Car, Travel Centers of America, New Line Cinemas, travel and tourism operator Technology Portals Inc., the Riviera Hotel and Casino, the San Jose Sharks professional hockey team, and several Florida government agencies are among the company's clients.

Creating variety from a standardized platform is the key, according to Apunix Vice President Sylvia Berens.

"Our focus is on off-the-shelf software tool kits that can be customized to meet the needs of individual clients," Berens said.

The system, known as Apunix Kiosk for the Java Platform, also allows for the leveraging of content including audio, video, Web pages and databases and sells for $3,000, plus a one-time, run-time license per kiosk. The total cost varies depending upon the nature of the system and the number of units purchased.

The success of Apunix's products was illustrated this past March, when the company was honored in the Most Creative Software Division during the inaugural Interactive Kiosk Excellence Awards in Orlando, Fla.

"It's very important to us. While we've won other awards that were also important, this one comes from a leading industry group," Berens said of the awards, which were sponsored by KioskCom. "It's important to our place in the kiosk market, since it sends a strong message to current and future clients. It tells them we're about innovative technology to the marketplace."

According to Berens, when Apunix entered the kiosk business, it was clear that additional software options were badly needed, especially systems that were relatively inexpensive and could be easily customized.

TravelCenters of America's Road King Club kiosk is just one of numerous projects undertaken by Apunix Computer Services.

"What was on the market at the time was expensive and hard to change," she said. "It was also difficult to bring in content from other sources. We determined there needed to be a way to create kiosks more easily, with a lot more functions and graphics. We wanted a system that could run on any platform and that would be robust and reliable."

"There was no good methodology available to create an inexpensive kiosk, where people could easily bring in content from other databases. We also found a strong need for high-resolution graphics and animated graphics," Berens added. "There was also a need for software that would allow for remote management. When all was said and done, we saw a real market opportunity that needed to be filled."

And, according to Berens, that is what was Apunix produced and marketed.

"The software allows for communications with individual machines," she said. "Content can be updated remotely and whenever needed. Just tell the software that you're doing an update. Software maintenance can also be done remotely, rather than on site. This software encompasses a functionality that allows it to do all of this."

Berens said the software has evolved over the years to add new applications and functions, and was unveiled during the 1998 Super Bowl in San Diego, where Apunix is based.

Berens said while the software continues to be marketed through kiosk and other industrial trade shows, word of mouth has become its best marketing tool.

"It's a critical part of our marketing strategy," she said. "Our customers are all references for us."

One such customer is Dave Hanzal, a programmer/analyst for truck stop operator TravelCenters of America. Apunix developed a kiosk solution for TravelCenters' Road King Club trucker loyalty program in 2000. The system, which was deployed four months after the company approached Apunix, has been a resounding success, with more than 400,000 truckers signing up for TravelCenters' program.

"Apunix has a great graphics team that provided us with a system that's graphically rich and one that fits in beautifully with our overall look and feel," Hanzal said. "The graphics incorporate our corporate colors and allow us to launch software remotely. There are no disks involved and, with one command, we can update 20 locations at a time. Within two or three hours, we are able to do all 170 locations. It's proven to be a great way to add new features and promotions and get the word out to our customers."

Berens said Apunix's software system can be sold using a "cafeteria approach," which allows customers to pick and choose what they need. Apunix can also deliver a complete turnkey approach, including enclosures.

"Our customers have a choice about how much or how little they want to do with us," she said, with most customers opting for software and content creation capabilities.

Costs of enhanced content capabilities can vary, according to Berens, depending upon customer needs. The cost of a complete turnkey solution depends on the number of units and what they want, including enclosures and peripherals.

Berens said she expects the Interactive Kiosk Excellence Award to lead to additional business, not only in the kiosk industry, but in other areas where Apunix has strong credentials, including photo identification systems and imaging systems.

"Potential clients can read about it on our Web site," she said. "We believe it will be helpful to them in deciding who to select."

Hanzal said Apunix is a deserving winner in the inaugural kiosk awards.

"I haven't found another company that is more dedicated and committed to a project than Apunix," he said. "They went above and beyond the call of duty to be certain the work they did for us was successful. It's been a great partnership for the last two years."