News

Dock3 self-serve kiosk lets users do errands at work

April 15, 2003

SAN DIEGO--Here's a new breed of employee benefits: ordering groceries, buying tickets to the big game, renting DVDs, getting film processed, shipping personal packages; all from work. That's the promise of dock3 Inc., which bills itself as a "work-life balance company." The vendor offers a suite of services via kiosks located in the workplace that let employees get their everyday errands done online.

Dock3, which also staffs the kiosks in order to help users with their transactions, claims it can save companies millions of dollars annually by letting their workers be more productive on the job. The company estimates that typical errands take hours out of the workweek.

"In an economy where dual income households are working harder than ever before and added employee benefits are out of the question, this is one of the few win-wins for companies and their employees," said Howard Katkov, president and CEO of dock3, in a news release. "The most progressive HR executives want to offer more voluntary services that deliver substantial value: improving retention, productivity and employee satisfaction."

Dock3 can roll out a turnkey solution in as little as eight weeks, including a customized Intranet interface and kiosk, according to the release. Its services are available nationwide.

Steve Walton, vice president of operations and marketing, told KIOSKmarketplace that the application technology is developed in-house by dock3. Dock3 claims it ensures security with its custom-built, Web-based interface. Users receive emails when their services are complete, or when they have a package to pick up. Dock3 will hold packages until the end of the business day. Users can pay for the services online, eliminating cash transactions. Walton declined to offer starting costs for the service.

Dock3 has been testing its services since late 2001 with a handful of Fortune 1000 companies in the technology, healthcare and manufacturing industries.