Three Key Considerations for Deploying Self-Service Kiosks

 As the self-service kiosk industry expands, offering more choices to potential technology users, the growth in product supply now requires users to consider a broader range of options before deciding on which solutions to invest in. With improvements in customer engagement technologies, many businesses and organizations are discovering the benefits of self-service kiosks. From public libraries seeking to offer unattended services to retailers wanting to serve more shoppers with fewer staff, and utility companies interested in providing bill payment options after hours, the applications are diverse. In addition to large merchants, supermarkets, and transportation hubs that have used self-service technology for decades, many small retailers and organizations are now finding that self-service kiosks provide a great way to extend service hours with less managerial cost than traditional customer-facing options.

1. Hardware and Software Selection: One of the most critical decisions when planning for self-service terminals is the selection of hardware and software, which can be chosen together or separately. As kiosk technology has evolved over the years, many hardware providers have expanded into software development and vice versa. As interactive features have expanded, hardware providers of self-service terminals have recognized the need for software expertise. Many self-service terminal manufacturers find that this dual function enhances their ability to meet customer needs as they have more control over the entire project. The advantage of choosing both hardware and software from the same company is the assurance that the selected software will work seamlessly with the hardware.

2. Performance Management: Kiosks are used to manage a variety of tasks for businesses and organizations, such as registering personnel, accepting product orders, and answering queries. Once you have decided which functions your kiosk will perform, you will need a system to monitor the execution of these functions. For example, touch screens, keyboards, barcode scanners, and printers must be maintained. If the self-service terminal generates tickets or receipts, paper must be replenished regularly. Having network and power backups, also known as "system redundancy," is key to the successful operation of self-service terminals, as connectivity failures can be a major headache for operators and customers. IT support, whether through technicians, vendor support, or a combination of both, must ensure potential operational issues (such as connectivity failures, power outages, or kiosk malfunctions) are promptly identified and resolved, otherwise performance issues could damage the customer experience. Additionally, businesses and organizations must keep their user content up-to-date to enhance the user experience and ensure content remains relevant to consumers. Keeping content relevant may involve running network applications or videos in cycles.

3. Payment Management: For kiosks that accept payments, consumers now have options to use cash, debit cards, credit cards, contactless tap payments, stored-value accounts, mobile wallets, and cryptocurrencies. Their choice of options will vary based on their personal characteristics and the venues they frequent. Compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards is a major consideration if you are handling payments. PCI standards are enforced by payment card brands to control cardholder data and reduce credit card fraud. These standards can be challenging for businesses and organizations whose main concern is not managing payments. Therefore, organizations that accept card payments often find it best to have third-party payment providers handle customer payment information. Many operators of payment-accepting self-service kiosks outsource payment processing to third-party players, such as PayPal, Stripe, etc. Third-party processors maintain PCI compliance and ensure that customer payment data is never handled by the self-service kiosk operator. In addition to PCI standards, self-service kiosk operators must also provide payment devices that comply with EMV (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) standards. Major card brands require unattended contactless (chip and NFC) transactions to comply with EMV requirements. Card brands have shifted the liability for card fraud losses to acquiring institutions, and to operators (or merchants), unless EMV-compliant cards are processed on EMV-compliant payment terminals. While cashless has become the preferred method of payment in most cases, cash remains important for many consumers. Therefore, kiosk operators need to consider cash acceptance based on customer preferences. Advances in cash handling technology can help businesses and organizations automate cash and digitize cash handling processes. Cash-accepting payment kiosks can also eliminate the need for staff to handle any cash payments, thereby reducing risks and increasing efficiency.