News

Be prepared for downtime

January 25, 2006

This article appeared in the Retail Self-Service Executive Summary, Winter 2006.

Enlisting the services of a maintenance provider can be one of the most cost-effective moves a retailer can make when deploying self-service. Retailers that skimp here often feel "penny-wise, pound-foolish" when the first breakdown occurs. And it will occur.

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"You get what you pay for," said Francie Mendelsohn, president of Summit Research Associates, which specializes in the self-service industry. She said retailers should consider what would happen to their operation if a given device were to need repair. "Is it something that you can wait 24 hours for? Or is it mission-critical?"

In most cases, the answer is the latter, and that's where your maintenance provider can save the day.

But they're people too, and it helps to keep these five simple tips in mind when dealing with your maintenance company:

1. Have the machine in an easy-to-reach, well-lit location. You no doubt thought about location when installing your kiosks, but that decision likely was based primarily on the ergonomics of the user. Choosing a location that also facilitates a repair technician - with easy access to doors and cabinets, for instance - will reduce the need to move furniture in your store when repair time comes.

2. Keep all necessary supplies in stock and nearby. Chances are, the toner cartridges for your back-office copier are somewhere near the copier itself. Supplies for self-service should, as much as possible, be convenient for the repair person to access them. And make sure you have enough of everything (paper rolls, ink cartridges, other blank consumables).

3. Have a contingency plan for when the machine needs to be down for an extended period. There might come a day when a machine is out of service for quite a while. Be prepared for this.

"All machines require preventive maintenance to ensure equipment stays in good operating condition," said Anne Coyle, director of new business development for Pitney Bowes Inc. "Therefore, make sure you schedule these visits in off-hours or have another machine available as backup."

4. Have signage ready for maintenance periods. This goes hand-in-hand with No. 3. Knowing that there will be times when the machines are unavailable, have signage ready that tells customers about alternate possibilities. Is the gift registry machine going to be serviced on Thursday? Signage should let customers know where to go to get shopping lists from a customer service representative.

5. Smile. Yes, downtime is stressful, and it's all too easy to see maintenance or repair periods as downward lines on a revenue chart. But they're part of the cost of doing business, and a small price to pay for the enormous benefit self-service brings your store. So take a deep breath, share a cup of coffee with your repair person, and relax - the machine will be up and running again before you know it.

When a self-service device goes down, you will wonder how you ever got by without it. To help restore the machine quickly, use these tips to keep things simple and organized for maintenance providers.