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Put customer first, technology second

What do vendors like to talk about? "Solutions." They like to talk about "bleeding-edge" technology developed by their engineering teams. They claim that the technology is what sets them apart from competitors. But to me, what sets vendors apart is their ability to find out everything about a customer's business, and what its own customers need, and then develop the technology around the business case.

May 13, 2003

What do vendors like to talk about? That's an easy one: they like to talk about their "solutions." They like to talk about "bleeding-edge" technology they've developed with their experienced engineering teams. They claim that the technology is what sets them apart from competitors. But to me, what sets vendors apart is their ability to find out everything about a customer's business, and what its own customers need, and then develop the technology around the business case.

That was one thing that struck me when I visited Frank Mayer & Associates in Grafton, Wis., May 12. I was impressed with how intimately the company knows the retail segment, and then develops technology around the individual customer within that segment, whether the technology comes from in-house or from partnering with other kiosk firms.

The company knows how to work with merchandisers: how to get their buy-in on a kiosk project, how to design a tool for unique customers, how to get the retailer to place the kiosk in a good location and use cross-merchandising. They seem to understand what motivates buyers, and what attracts people to a kiosk.

Sure there are other kiosk vendors that do the same things well, like Netkey with its Fleet Bank financial centers (see related story, "Netkey-Fleed deployment wins KioskCom award")or Livewirewith its ski lift ticketing kiosks (see related story, "Award-winning self-serve ski kiosk a real Livewire"). I just had the opportunity to see this in action at Frank Mayer. I also realize that Frank Mayer has an advantage of knowing retailers through its flagship point-of-sale business. But the company still provides a good example for our industry.

John Deere Live Kiosk

Brand power

Cheryl Lesniak, marketing coordinator at Frank Mayer, reminded me that her company deals only with custom solutions. That means the vendor must learn a great deal about the customer to capture its brand.

Two examples of Frank Mayer projects that demonstrate a thorough knowledge of customer needs are the BMW Virtual Sales Center, and the John Deere Live. Each targets a very different type of customer. And each represents well the brand; BWM, with its luxury and high performance; John Deere with its clean, simple design and rugged functionality.

The Virtual Sales Center is a sales tool that allows customers to design their potential new dream BMWs. See related story, "Kiosks in the fast lane." It gives them hands-on experience with the carmaker's iDrive, a knob that controls everything in the car, from the CD player to climate control. Video presentations explain safety, stability, suspension, steering and other BMW features.

The John Deere Live kiosk lets customers select the right product for their needs, and apply for instant credit. It offers John Deere dealers instant access to inventory and an online ordering system.

Site lines

Frank Mayer isn't just working on branding for these and other customers. The company is also focusing on branding itself. This is evident in the fact that the company has two separate Web sites; one for its kiosk business and one for its corporate and point-of-sale business information. The goal is to make information easy to find for those who might be researching a project.

The company is undergoing a major redesign of both the corporate and kiosk sites. No word yet on when this will be completed. Lesniak is in the process of investigating search-engine optimization so customers will be able to easily conduct the research they need when they visit the sites. Customer needs first. Then the technology. The Web site investment will help customers help themselves to information. And that's what this industry is all about.