Commentary

Customer facing features for POS kiosks

Customer facing kiosks require platforms that integrate with legacy management services and APIs which enable newer cloud-based infrastructure and maintain localized services if needed.

Photo: iStock

November 26, 2018

Akshay Sharma, a kiosk industry consultant, specialized in telecom kiosks at Beesion, and currently specializes in hospitality and video gaming kiosks at Grubbrr and GoodWorldGames. He is a former Gartner analyst and smartphone CTO.

by Akshay Sharma

Restaurant, retail and hospitality businesses are expanding rapidly into digital services nowadays, thanks to visual tools like point-and-click order management, next generation point of sales systems, IoT supply chain management and artificial intelligence based interactive collaboration. However, the key parts of the equation are the customer-facing aspects, with omnichannel marketing support.

Customer facing elements include premise based and cloud based POS with robust back office reporting and analytics. These tools take POS systems to the next level with mobile marketing, customer relations management and AI functions within a platform that enables direct marketing engagement capabilities. Direct marketing tools include in-app messaging, mobile wallet integration as well as newer services like video. Additionally, these solutions can link to existing marketing platforms, such as email, social marketing, customer feedback systems, as well as AI systems, for autonomous decision making.

The intent is to simplify the CIO’s transition to newer IoT resource tracking and workforce management with support for newer payment services while increasing customer satisfaction and reducing operating costs. These platforms allow CIOs to sell newer products and services leveraging a common infrastructure for delivery of real-time back office services, with policy and rules based enforcement. It provides all back end services (such as product catalog, offer management and quote management) over a common platform, with support of real time measurement and integrated loyalty programs.

These platforms aim to provide integration with legacy management services and APIs, which enable CIOs to deliver newer offerings over newer cloud-based infrastructure as well as maintain the localized services if needed offline.

The essential features should include the following:

Provide a more interactive experience for customers through the use of touchscreen technology.
Provide additional services to customers such as click-to-chat, call, or newer video services.
Facilitate in-store cataloging.
Provide customers with access to all your products and services.
Manage loyalty programs and process loyalty cards.
Offer gift cards.
Provide a self-checkout option.
Provide printed contracts (tickets, receipts, boarding passes, etc.).
Advertise products and services.
Provide directions or event information.
Browse eligible offers and special promotions.
Check available inventory.
Take payments.
Fulfill orders.
Personal and contact information for all accounts.
Provide subscriber authentication with biometrics
Provide notifications and history with newer real-time order management.
Provide staff management and tracking.
Provide table management and tracking.
Provide excess Inventory management.
Offer video gaming services that can be charged on demand.
Support video streaming services for free or video-on-demand paid-for-content.
Support targeted ad insertion.
Provide additional unified communications support: VoIP, Chat, Contact Center interaction for support issues.
Support WiFi, NFC beacons, Bluetooth, with encryption support and secure credit card transactions.
Open AI interfaces to IBM Watson or other AI engines.
Support facial recognition.
Provide conversational AI chat.