News

Save time, customer frustration with kiosks

December 2, 2004

No one likes waiting in line, whether it's to buy concert tickets, order lunch or pay for assorted items from the local discount store. Retailers know that long lines don't necessarily mean business is booming. They could signal trouble. Are customers waiting because there are too few store employees? Or, are the employees poorly trained?

Long lines aren't a good thing if customers leave the store frustrated or worse yet leave the store - and their intended purchases - behind. To keep lines short and customers happy, retailers look to line-busting technology.

This story and all the great free content on Kiosk Marketplace is supported by: KIS Kiosk Information Systems, Inc.

Line busting is a means of speeding up transactions at the check out. Some stores use handheld devices to assist in line busting, but kiosks are gaining popularity. That's because kiosks are ideal for transactions that can be automated, from selling stamps to hotel check-in - and because customers are willing to try kiosks, due to their familiarity with them in other areas; customers frequently use kiosks in routine banking and at airport check-in.

Kiosks are at home in retail environments. C-stores use them for made-to-order food service in conjunction with pay-at-the-pump technology. Department stores use them to simplify the tedious job of gift registry. Even home improvement stores use kiosks to help customers choose the right products.

Line busting benefits

The Nevada Department of Transportation uses kiosks for self-service license renewals, shortening wait time from one hour down to 15 minutes, reported Karla Guarino, marketing director for Kiosk Information Systems. As in this example, a line-busting kiosk often serves as form, pen and clerk.

According to Guarino, lines at the Nevada DOT are reduced by as much as 30 percent, and have led to improved customer service. This can be attributed to the fact that while kiosks shorten lines, they also offer a consistent customer experience. A kiosk is never in a bad mood and, in retail environments, it doesn't forget to suggest additional merchandise. Guarino added that kiosks often lead to significant increases in new product and promotional item sales.

Order accuracy is also greatly increased with a kiosk. After all, customers placing their own orders have only themselves to blame if the orders are incorrect. Kiosks overcome language barriers by operating in multiple languages and reward customer loyalty with built-in card readers.

Time for customer service

Kiosks free store employees from routine tasks, allowing them to spend more time serving customers. And kiosks sell large and small items. One furniture store uses kiosks for financing pre-approval. Its customers know exactly how much they are spending before meeting with a salesperson. The customers are saved any potentially embarrassing credit questions, and the salespeople show customers only furniture they can afford.

Smaller ticket items, such as prepaid wireless phone cards, are easily handled - as are services such as check cashing and bill payment. Such services are rapidly moving to self-service in markets such as the grocery and C-stores. Even DVD rentals are becoming self-serve, thanks to kiosks.