Common Kiosk Repair Challenges You Might Face

Businesses today benefit in countless ways from the use of machine kiosks. These kiosks can do everything from provide information about your products and services to sell tickets, and much more. If your business already uses kiosks, you already know how much they’re helping you interact with current customers and reach new ones. If you’re new to the concept, you can read some of our previous blogs to learn how your business can reach a wider audience through interactive kiosks.

In today’s post, we want to focus on some of the most common kiosk repair challenges you may face, and how to address them. Let’s face it: Technology is imperfect. It sure makes our lives better in countless ways, including convenience, but there is a price to pay. This price can take the form of technical difficulties, machine down time, and the occasional repair.

It is the 21st century, though, and more and more of your customers (especially the younger ones) are technology savvy. What’s more, they’ve come to expect the option of interacting with businesses not face to face with an employee, but by interfacing with some form of technology. So if you don’t have kiosks installed at your business, or throughout town representing your business in some way, you’re probably missing out. In terms of customer satisfaction and greater reach, kiosks are definitely worth the challenges technology sometimes presents.

Things Occasionally Go Wrong With Technology

What can go wrong with technology? If you’ve ever used a computer or even a smartphone, you know the answer already. It’s no different with interactive kiosks. Some of the areas that can malfunction include:

• Screens (especially touch screens)
• Keyboards (they wear down with repeated use)
• Cameras (such as in photo booth kiosks)
• Other hardware, including the CPU or add-on cards
• Software (including problems after software updates)
• Security (hackers will try to break into anything!)
• Printers (for printing tickets, receipts, itineraries, and more)
• Scanners (such as credit card readers)

But The Value To Your Business Makes It Worth It!

Yeah, things can go wrong, but isn’t that the case with any technology? Your Internet can cut out. Your cash register can get stuck closed (or perhaps even worse, open). Even the power can go out, forcing you to close shop until the electricity is restored. We all depend on technology, and we all understand that at times, it will not be available (but that it will be back soon). We’re all grown-ups here! Of course, the truth is that even kids (many of whom are far more tech savvy than adults) understand that technology sometimes cuts out.

The point we’re trying to make here is this: Don’t be afraid to install and use kiosks at your business just because sometimes they’ll be down. Just as with your office computers, the cloud you connect to, and even the lights in your building, expect occasional down times. The key is to be prepared! We’ll go over how, exactly, to be prepared later in our blog.

But first, let’s explore some of the common challenges more in-depth.

User Error

Not everyone who uses a kiosk knows what to do with it. A person may try to insert a credit card in the wrong slot (such as the area that actually distributes tickets or receipts). An individual may step through a sequence of transactions that accidentally freezes the machine up. Or someone having a bad day may get abusive with your kiosk, which may malfunction or break from the unnecessary force.

Security Threats

If somebody somewhere feels they can steal from you through your kiosk, they will definitely try to break through your security walls (you do have them in place, right?) to try to take something of value from you. Security threats are very real with interactive kiosks. This is why it’s vital to have safety and security features installed to protect the machine physically and its software content virtually.

Hardware Issues

We’ve already mentioned some of the parts that can break; these include the CPU, memory, video cards, any add-on cards, the camera, screen, keyboard, scanner, printer, joystick, or any other physical component of your kiosk, rendering it unusable until repairs can be done.

Software Problems

Software issues can manifest in many ways. The program can freeze mid-transaction. It can go into an endless loop, putting the transaction in limbo, with the customer never being able to finish it. Software problems can create the screen to show nonsense, or the keyboard to send incorrect signals to the system.

Print And Scan Errors

If your printer doesn’t work, your customers can’t print the tickets they’ve just bought. Or the printing mechanism can be working just fine, but the kiosk has run out of paper or ink. Scanning issues can happen when sensors become dislodged or the reader gets too dirty to be able to correctly pick up the information on a credit card, driver’s license, or other relevant document.

Other Considerations

What other repair challenges might you face as the owner or operator of an interactive kiosk? If your machine is old, you may find it difficult to find replacement parts. You may find it a challenge to find a reliable kiosk repair person in your geographical area. Or you may not know how to do important software updates, and your attempts actually bring the whole system down.

For All Your Kiosk Service And Repair Needs

Fortunately, there is a viable solution for taking care of kiosk repairs reliably and efficiently. It takes the form of a field service kiosk management company. Through such a company, you can enjoy the following services for your kiosk:

• A reliable source to contact for unexpected repairs
• Complete installation services
• Debugging and fixing software issues
• Preventative maintenance services
• On-demand fixes
• 24/7 technical support through a call center
• Emergency repair services

A company that specializes in all types of kiosks can give you tremendous peace of mind knowing that you have a point of contact for all of your kiosk needs. This includes repairs, maintenance, emergency service, installation, replacement, program setup, software update installation, and so much more.

Don’t waste your valuable time trying to figure out all the features your new kiosk offers. Don’t waste time trying to set everything up yourself. Don’t spend sleepless nights wondering how to repair your kiosk. Hand these tasks over to kiosk specialists who do this day in and day out!

Our company, Site Services Now, helps businesses nationwide through over 100,000 annual visits, providing important kiosk-related services including managed site services and emergency repairs. We regularly help our clients through kiosk services that address the following:

• Planning, deployment, and installation
• Ongoing support and maintenance
• Integrated operations for third-party logistics
• Pre-installation site survey and preparation
• On-demand repairs
• Third-party compliance audits
• Technical support and remote diagnostics

With the preventative maintenance that we offer and the emergency repair services that we provide, your kiosks won’t have to experience long periods of down time. Our kiosk technicians will be on top of it, bringing your kiosk back online in a timely manner. Our customers value our services, including our ability to diagnose problems and send updates remotely. For all of your kiosk installation, setup, maintenance, update, and repair needs, get in touch with Site Services Now!