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A self-service dream lunch hour
Our lunch hours are often wasted standing in line. Yesterday, during mine, I was thinking about how much better I could spend that time.
December 10, 2014 by Chris Gilder — Founder/CEO, Meridian
Our lunch hours are often wasted standing in line. What if we could do more with our lunch break? Much, much more ...
Most everyone gets a lunch break. Yesterday, during mine, I was thinking about how much better I could spend that time. If I had my way, here is how I would have spent my lunch hour:
There are so many things I need to take care of during my Friday break. I need to pick up a DVD for this weekend’s family movie night, I need a case for my new iPhone 6 before I destroy it, I need to somehow get a new modem (the lightning knocked mine out last night), and I am supposed to pick up lunch for the team. No problem!
Before I head out the door, I start the ball rolling. First I open the mobile app for the local sandwich shop, enter everyone’s order, and pay with my phone. Then, I select the case for my phone from the major retailer’s website. I order and pay for it with my phone; I select that I will pick it up at the local automated locker. Finally, I open up my RedBox app and reserve the movie we want to see. Luckily, I had called the cable company the night before and alerted them I’d need a replacement modem via their automated system. They also have an automated locker for product distribution.
The clock starts and I am off. The first stop is the RedBox; I swipe my card and get my movie – three minutes and 45 seconds gone. Next, I pull up outside the major retailer, walk through the doors and straight up to the automated lockers; I scan my proof of purchase that was sent via email, and a door pops open to reveal my new iPhone case and a nice thank you note with a receipt attached – and now just seven minutes and 32 seconds gone.
It happens that the sandwich shop is only 100 yards away, but I jump back in my car (it’s still running; yeah, I'm a risk taker) and pull up outside to the automated locker pick up, scan my phone, swipe my card to pay, the door opens, I grab my bag of sandwiches and receipt. As I head back to the office, I swing by the cable office but as you may guess, I don’t have to go inside. I scan my phone at the automated locker outside, grab my new modem and replace it with the fried one, and I am off, on my way back to the office.
Just like that, my shopping is done (and thankfully my phone is safely in a case), the family movie is picked up, lunch is served, the new modem is in hand, and I still have 45 minutes and 24 seconds left of my lunch hour to go.
The great thing about my imagined "perfect lunch hour" – this technology is already here, and it's slowly but surely making its way into a variety of applications and markets. Meridian's modular automated storage system (mBox), for instance, integrates kiosk components that are now on the market with modular, customizable storage units. The system can be as simple or complex as necessary and result in a variety of solutions – plus, when combined with mobile technology, the uses go up exponentially.
Moving forward, adoption of such uses for automated, modular storage will only rise. I am confident that my perfect lunch hour will be here sooner than later.
About Chris Gilder
Chris Gilder, CEO and founder of Meridian Kiosks, brings more than 20 years of entrepreneurial successes to the senior management team. Meridian has been recognized as a leader in the self-service kiosk industry and an innovator with the development of the Self Service Technology Center in partnership with Intel, HP, Microsoft, Zebra Technologies and Storm.
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