News

Improving the customer experience

April 13, 2005

Kiosks are wonderful things, and they can do amazing things for a business. They can improve the quality of life for the user while improving the bottom line for the retailer.

But there's more to an effective kiosk installation than just setting up a box and turning it on. Smart retailers put a lot of effort into designing the customer's experience, and making sure it accomplishes its goal while being enjoyable.

Brian Ardinger, director of business development for Lincoln, Neb.-based Nanonation, says there are four key components to a customer experience, and each one needs to be carefully planned:

1. User characteristics. "The user experience needs to match the environment and brand expectations," Ardinger said. "If there is a disconnect, clients risk alienating or confusing customers."
2. Business objectives. "Customer touch points are complex interactions. To simply understand the user just isn't enough. Plus, there must be a return on your investment to make these technologies work into a bigger picture."
3. Environment issues. "Some applications developed for one environment fail miserably when deployed in another. Issues like lighting, connectivity and noise all play a factor in what can and should be deployed."
4. Technology platform. "Technology is a means to an end. The customer doesn't care about the technology as long as it works, so it's important to look for solutions that give a customer flexibility to deploy their solutions in various settings for various needs."

This story and all the great free content on Kiosk Marketplace is supported by: Nanonation

According to Greg Swistak, executive director of kiosks.org association, all of those things leave an impression in the mind of the customer that colors the entire shopping experience, not just the use of the kiosk.

"If you watch a great commercial, you walk away from it thinking the product it advertised was great - even though it was not necessarily a great product, just a great commercial," Swistak said. "It's the same thing with a kiosk - if you have a great experience with a kiosk, then that experience is translated to the store you're shopping at or the product you're learning about."

A unique experience

Kiosks can do more than automate transactions and deliver information. Ideally, they allow each shopping experience to be as unique as the person enjoying it.

"I think a lot of the industry looks at self-service technologies as simply a means to automate transactions, treating each customer the same and running them through the same transaction," Ardinger said.

"While making the process simpler, easier and faster is desired, it's important to not overlook the fact that each customer interaction is unique and that personalizing the interaction goes a long way to building long-lasting customer relationships."