5 Types of Kiosks Hitting the Market
The number of kiosks is growing. Are you ahead of the curve?
Businesses all over the United States and around the world are increasingly turning to kiosks to solve their customers’ problems in a cost-effective way. Here at Site Services Now!, where we do Field Service Management for companies that need someone to perform regular service and maintenance on kiosks nationwide, we get to see firsthand the explosion of kiosks in the marketplace. If you’re just thinking of a candy machine or a photo booth when you think of a kiosk, think again. Here are a few of the trends we’re seeing.
1. The mini kiosk
Restaurants everywhere are turning to portable, hand-held, standalone kiosks that can be placed on each table. Servers love them because a customer can easily order from the menu, whether or not the server is there at the table. Customers love them because they’re not at a loss once the menu disappears, and they can pay and get their receipt right there on the kiosk. Kids love them because the kiosk comes with games that they can play the whole time the family is at the table, saving them from boredom when their long-winded great-aunt Louise is in town. Restaurant owners love them because they make upsells almost automatic. These kiosks are essentially a mini tablet with a touchpad mounted on a base that also can include a credit card reader and a receipt paper printer.
2. The package kiosk
More and more people are living in apartments, condos, and townhomes, which can make package delivery a bit of a hassle. The office doesn’t always keep packages straight, so how do customers know that their deliveries will always make it to them? Simple. A package kiosk is something like a locker with many different compartments, each of which has a key. These kiosks make it easier on the delivery people, because they can leave the package in the locked box whether or not the office is open. The kiosks also make it easy for the residents, because they can simply retrieve the key from their mailbox and open the compartment containing their package.
3. Digital signage
Printing out a sign is so 20th century. While digital signage has been around for years, it has come a long way from the moving, blinking red lights on the hotel sign that used to mesmerize your kids when you drove by it every day. Almost any surface is fair game for a digital sign, and the possibilities are endless for the versatility of the content you can display, from a slideshow of static images to full-color videos. Digital signage and kiosks are not the same thing, but both require installation, service, and maintenance for the hardware, software, and connectivity to the internet.
4. Bill payment kiosks
Why write a check and put a stamp on an envelope to pay your bill when you can just stop by the bill payment kiosk? For that matter, who even has paper checks any more? All kinds of companies, from utilities and power companies to phone companies and cable or internet providers are beginning to offer conveniently-placed kiosks in locations where their clients are already likely to be when they’re out and about. Bill payment kiosks can also be located in your own store, giving you even more ability to interact with customers who might not have come to your location otherwise. As with any kiosk, these bill payment kiosks will probably need a service visit from time to time in order to replace hardware, fix a broken part, troubleshoot a problem, or replace the kiosk when it has reached the end of its useful life.
5. Self-service retail kiosks
Customers are showing themselves very easy to train to be their own checkout agents. With the number of grocery stores who proved the concept of offering self-checkouts, other retail outlets are beginning to follow suit with simple systems that allow customers to check out their purchases and pay all on their own. There’s nothing more convenient than that! While there will probably always be a need for at least some human oversight (i.e. an employee who can watch to prevent shoplifting or help customers when they get stuck), businesses are saving money by using these retail checkout kiosks.
Get nationwide site service and field service management right here at Site Services Now!
Our field service management company is here to ensure that it’s easy for you to schedule the service your kiosk needs. With a nationwide network of providers, we offer kiosk installation, repair, maintenance, and much more. Contact us today to get started.
