News
Keep kiosks up and running
July 23, 2006
This article appeared in the Retail Self-Service Executive Summary, Summer 2006.
Many companies rely on hundreds and in some cases thousands of self-service kiosks — from airline ticketing kiosks to self-checkout kiosks at the supermarket — to provide efficient and consistent service to their valued customers. Unfortunately, kiosks and their operating systems are subject to the same system failures as any computer, and the implications can be devastating to a company and its bottom line. Use these recommendations to more effectively deploy and manage your kiosk networks.
1. Acknowledge the value of self-service. In our increasingly networked world, more and more information and commerce transactions are being pushed further and further toward the customer. As a result, kiosks are popping up everywhere, helping merchants reach customers in a diverse set of environments and enabling consumers to speed through lines and make purchasing decisions with greater ease and expedience. The self-service revolution is here to stay, so it's important to understand the value of automation — and its direct financial impact — for businesses and consumers.
2. Plan for Murphy's Law. Both kiosks and the communications systems that link them (cable modems, routers and Wi-Fi access points) are subject to occasional system failures. Recognize that these failures are inevitable in any system running any type of operating system on any communications platform.
3. Identify risks.Identify specific vulnerabilities associated with kiosk networks and learn how to mitigate risk:
- Applications — Rigorous testing of any application is required to ensure the system's ongoing operation.
- Operating System — The operating system used in the kiosk environment should be optimized for its specific application.
- Hardware — Kiosk hardware should be designed according to the demands of the application as well as its operating environment.
- Network — When designing the communication network, consider its reliability and system redundancy.
- Security — The actual machine, as well as its contents, needs to be protected physically and electronically.
- Other — Kiosks that dispense products, records or receipts need to have mechanisms in place to recognize problems that arise in the transaction process.
4. Understand the impact. When kiosks are not functioning, their negative impact goes beyond the customer who can't complete the transaction or get needed information. Each person who walks past a dead kiosk is left with a negative impression of not only the company sponsoring the unit but of the entire self-service business model. The longer the kiosk sits idle, the more negative the impact becomes. Lost revenue also can be another consequence of kiosk downtime.
5. Create a contingency plan. In the unfortunate event that your kiosk network fails, be prepared. Collaborate and communicate with your internal team and develop a comprehensive plan for how best to handle a number of different situations. Monitor and review the plan on a regular basis and ensure that ongoing and consistent training is a key element. Also, be sure to secure buy-in from senior management.
6. Factor in the costs. In many cases, trouble resolution comes down to a simple reboot. This is sometimes considered the first or last step in troubleshooting and is usually a sure fix to the problem. It is important to factor in the cost of external technicians, though; dispatching technicians to a site can be costly, time-consuming and labor-intensive for times when merely rebooting the system is the solution.
7. Use state-of-the-art remote power solutions. To prevent and repair kiosk network failures quickly and conveniently, without having to expend time or money on deploying a technician, turn to remote power solutions. These devices not only increase constant reliability for businesses deploying kiosks, but using them could cost less than one service call.
8. Pick your tools wisely. Many manufacturers are developing simple, cost-effective solutions for remote management that allow administrators to reboot when system crashes occur. Because convenience is an important factor for most, consider solutions on the market that offer remote power control via the network and automatic detection of failures. The crashed system then can be accessed and rebooted via the network using an IP address on any Internet browser.
David Weiss is CEO of Dataprobe, a manufacturer of technology solutions for remote site management and networking needs.
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