News

Welcome to the do-it-yourself age

June 28, 2004

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - More companies are using self-service kiosks that help customers handle transactions themselves, according to an article in the Portsmouth Herald.

Walmart does it, and so does BJ's Wholesale Club. In fact, consumers at most supermarkets scan their own groceries and check themselves out. They then bag their own groceries.

Gas stations eliminated attendants in favor of drivers pumping their own gas; more and more car washes are unmanned; and at sports arenas, fans insert their own tickets rather than passing them to a ticket attendant.

According to the article, networking of businesses is pushing this increase in self-service. For example, banking transactions are linked so that an individual can get cash from an ATM, no matter which bank owns it.

Due to the convenience of self-service, bank patrons who said "I'll never use an ATM. I want to deal directly with a teller" now pay to use an ATM.

The article states that this transformation is not about technology; it is about behavioral change. As the trend continues, the actual process of how a transaction is achieved can become as important as the product itself.