5 Successful Tips For Deploying Your Kiosk

Just about everywhere you turn nowadays, you come across interactive kiosks, they’re everywhere! Many different businesses are deploying kiosks whether it be retail, entertainment, food service or government agencies (to name a few) with the intention of creating greater efficiency within their industry. The success stories are many, kiosks are making it possible for businesses to reach new levels of success by increasing revenue while cutting costs. Millennium Logistics Management views kiosk deployment with the utmost importance because as a strategic project it involves planning, execution and follow-up to ensure that the kiosks are making the most of their potential and generating the most revenue.

Location, location, location! Millennium Logistics Management believes that location and convenience are key in this success; logically the main purpose of self-service kiosks is convenience and if a kiosk isn’t placed strategically in a convenient location, the kiosk itself is no longer convenient. For example, if you go to a restaurant that has a shortage of parking spaces and requires 15 minutes or more to look for parking, you are most likely to leave and find a more convenient option, regardless of how hungry you may be. It’s simple, people will usually choose a path of least resistance and the same can be true of kiosks. If a kiosk is placed in an out-of-the-way location or consistently has long lines, then consumers will naturally look for a more convenient option.

How can you guarantee the greatest success in your deployment? Below are a some tips that will help ensure your kiosk deployment is able to help you to achieve your goals:

1. Promote Your Kiosks

Through studies we have learned that approximately 85 percent of adults use kiosks for self-service transactions and that tells us that there is a tremendous interest and demand for new kiosk deployments.

Consumers are getting accustomed to using self-service interactive kiosks more than ever! In fact, they not only prefer these self-service options, but they have now come to expect it.

2. Strategic Kiosk Placement

It is important to gather as much data as possible on the current users of your services and develop projections of estimated potential users of the new kiosk systems when initiating a new kiosk deployment. This information can often be used in creating a schematic of your floor plan so that kiosks manufacturers can work with you to determine the best solution for your needs.

3. Analyze The Data 

Once a new kiosk project has been launched, it does not mean the project is finished. It is important to begin the analysis phase by tracking the data once the kiosks go live. Kiosk software can be configured with advanced tracking software that can provide detailed information on a variety of usage statistics including average session duration, total users, transactions started/finished (for retail kiosks), etc. A business can often further enhance its kiosk deployment from this data by closely monitoring the performance of a kiosk through the data provided through the kiosk analytic systems. Future kiosk deployments can then be tweaked and fine-tuned to ensure it is generating the best ROI for your business.

4. Use Human “Stewards”

Although there is a great demand for self-service solutions such as kiosks, they are a fairly new concept and sometimes humans can be resistance to change. Once a person gets comfortable using a specific product or service in a way that suits them, they may be reluctant to try something different, something new.

There may be some trepidation when a consumer encounters a new kiosk and this situation can be overcome by training customer service staff to closely monitor users of the kiosks and function as “stewards” for those users that encounter any difficulties. With the help of human staff you are able to offer immediate guidance on the kiosk’s functionality and therefore consumers will more quickly adapt to the new self-sufficient system and they will be more likely to become dedicated long-term kiosk users.

Generally, once a customer gains confidence in a self-service solution, they are likely to prefer that self-service option for every transaction, which can increase customer satisfaction and provide greater overall efficiency.

5. Clearly Define the Kiosk’s Business Objectives and the Potential Audience

When planning a kiosk project, it is important to clearly define the business objective for the kiosk as well as define the demographics of the group that will be using the kiosk. Interactive kiosks have become such dynamic machines that they are able to handle nearly infinite numbers of business functions.

The kiosk’s objectives and the potential audience can influence the design of the physical unit, the design of the user interface and the selection of optional components. Also, it is good to consider the volume of traffic and portability of the kiosk because while some kiosks are built to be completely portable with extremely modular lightweight components (such as a portable photo booth) other kiosk projects have to deal with the rigors of a high volume of users every day, like a vehicle registration renewal kiosks for example. Understanding the potential volume of users will guarantee that your kiosk will be able to provide effective long-term business solutions.

Need help deploying your new kiosk project? Millennium Logistics Management offers turnkey deployments, reverse logistics, field repairs/replacements, strategically located warehousing, date and time sensitive deliveries, after hour deliveries, plug & play 2.0 installations, beyond white glove service and much more! Find out how we can help you and your business needs today!