The self-service industry’s evolution from hardware-based to solutions-based is complete. That gradual change has been the basis for this publication’s change from Kiosk magazine to Self-Service World magazine. And now it is the basis for another change: for the Kiosk Awards’ metamorphosis into the Outstanding Achievement Awards.
With the name change has come several others, such as a switch from function- to industry-specific categories, but most notable is a change in focus from awarding “the best” to the “most influential.” In the first component, our expert judges were instructed to look for solutions that represent outstanding achievement for self-service.
This year’s awards will recognize solutions that, by their excellence in accomplishing their purpose, have advanced the cause of self-service. One of our chief criteria for determining whether a solution’s achievement has been outstanding is positive impact, both for the business deploying the solution and for the industry in which it was deployed.
Our judges have narrowed a competitive field down to 17 solutions in five categories. Now it’s your turn. Which solutions do you believe will be most influential for industries by opening doors for more, effective self-service in even more industries?
Please examine each of the categories and the machines described. To vote, go to www.selfserviceworld.com/readerschoice2006 by Sept. 25. (One vote per reader, please.)
The solution receiving the most votes will be presented the Readers Choice Award at The Self-Service & Kiosk Show in San Antonio, Texas, Sept. 29. (Visit www.selfservicekiosk.com for information about attending.)
Watch for the Readers Choice winner to be announced in the next issue of Self-Service World magazine, along with all the winners of the 2006 Outstanding Achievement Awards.
Financial
Axxess Azteca 21 Dinero, deployed by Houston-based Axxess Payment Solutions and supplied by WebRaiser Technologies of Sacramento, Calif., offers prepaid services, bill payment and check cashing to Spanish-speaking unbanked in the U.S. Southwest. It integrates services into one bill and one statement. Deployed since December 2004, Axxess Payment had 25 of these devices in service as of Jan. 1, 2006.
This device, deployed primarily in convenience stores and groceries, is unique in converging Spanish-language applications in one self-service device. With it, retail clerks aren’t pulled away from the counter to process these transactions and merchants have reduced staff training time. Application partners (check-cashing, loyalty programs, bill payment providers) can be added based on regional demand and usage. A national rollout is planned through acquisitions and sales of regional distributorships, moving into tier 2 and 3 c-store and groceries.
Barclays Bank Branch Kiosk, deployed across the United Kingdom by Barclays Bank of London and supplied by Wincor Nixdorf U.K., combines online functionality with the security of branch banking, meeting the needs of those who are not able or do not wish to use Internet or telephone banking, but who do want the convenience of self-service. Although not heavily promoted, within one year of deployment (completed September 2005) the kiosks have processed more than 800,000 transactions for more than one million unique customers, reducing transactions costs and administrative workload for tellers, and improving the speed of customer flow through the branch. The solution has been embraced by customers and branch staff, with managers and staff demanding more of the kiosks. Currently Barclays has 512 of the machines deployed in 425 branches and is exploring ways to further expand this new customer channel.
Cox Communications Xpress Pay Kiosk, deployed across the country by cable company Cox Communications of Alpharetta, Ga., and supplied by Charlotte, N.C.-based Source Technologies, allows customers to make real-time payments inside service centers, 24/7. Cox, the first cable company to deploy bill-payment kiosks, and its customers have come to rely on the devices. In New Orleans, for example, Cox has eight centers with 12 kiosks; often those machines have peopled lined up 10 deep to use them. Without them, counter staff wouldn’t be able to handle the number of bill payments made. Since the machines’ initial deployment in 2004 they have become an integral part of Cox’s business. When the company began redesigning its service centers it not only incorporated kiosks into its strategy, but also into the buildings themselves. Cox is looking to the future and exploring ways to increase its use of the machines, including an off-site, stand-alone solution with expanded functionality. Other companies in the industry have taken notice of the solution’s success, sometimes calling to ask how Cox does real-time cash payments via the kiosk. Cox has deployed 80 kiosks. (Also a finalist in the Other category.)
Healthcare
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PhreesiaPad, a tablet-based solution for patient interviewing and education deployed by Phreesia Inc. of New York and supplied by Analytical Design Solutions Inc. and KioWare, has been used in physician’s offices since January 2005. The mean time for patients awaiting a doctor appointment is 20.2 minutes, according to statistics gathered by the American Medical Association. During that time patients typically read magazines and fill out forms. Once inside the exam room, the first several minutes with the doctor are spent in interview. Phreesia sought to make wait time more productive for patient and physician by offering patient forms and educational content relevant to the reason for the patient’s visit via wireless, touchscreen WebPad. The pad also replaces the doctor’s interview by obtaining patients’ information during their wait, reducing time spent on administrative tasks when doctor and patient meet. Fifty of these devices were in use nationwide by January 2006; the company expects to increase that number to 1,000 by year’s end.
Galvanon MediKiosk, deployed by Westchester Medical Group of White Plains, N.Y., and supplied by Maitland, Fla.-based healthcare self-service provider Galvanon, is a kiosk and tablet PC solution handling patient check-in and check-out, co-pay payment, records management, medical claims, and consent and release forms. Before deployment Westchester experienced the inconvenience and inaccuracies commonly associated with keeping up-to-date multiple paper forms. With implementation of MediKiosk the group became one of the first physician practices to use patient self-service technology and one of the only groups to achieve a truly paperless workflow. The paperless system has resulted in a more positive experience for patients and, for the group, more efficient data collection, more accurate data and streamlined payment of claims for services, as well as streamlined compliance reporting and support. Industry attention is another result of the paperless system. The solution has been featured in publications including HealthLeaders, Information Week, Hospitals & Health Networks and Health Care’s Most Wired. Westchester is expanding the implementation to include 50 devices by year-end; it began the year with 14. It also is looking for innovative ways to use the technology further.
Public Sector
The DMV Self-Service Kiosk, deployed by the Carson City-based Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and supplied by Las Vegas-based JCM American Corp, is deployed statewide to dispense vehicle registration renewals, driver’s license renewals and insurance reinstatements, 24/7. In 2002, the Nevada DMV processed more than 1.25 million vehicle registration renewals; more than half a million of those were processed in a branch office where the average wait time exceeded an hour. The kiosks, which were first deployed in mid-2004, eliminated the wait time and delighted customers. In the DMV’s 2005 fiscal year, 12 percent of the 1.37 million registration renewals processed were made via kiosk. As a result of the ongoing success with and overwhelming public acceptance of Nevada’s system, California’s AAA has installed similar kiosks, making them the first DMV kiosks installed in a non-DMV location. In the future, besides expanding the number of off-site kiosks, the Nevada DMV also intends to expand functionality by adding driver history printouts and e-check and debit card transactions. The kiosk has been the subject of articles at ReviewJournal.com, in the Las Vegas Sun, The (Douglas County, Nev.) Record Courier and a message from Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn. (Also a finalist in the Other category.)
The City of Milwaukee Automated Payment Center (APC) Kiosk Program, deployed by Milwaukee, Wis.-based Citation Management, a provider of municipal metered parking management services, and supplied by Pay-Ease LLC of Roselle, Ill., automates collection of parking citation payments and sales of mandatory night street parking permit stickers. Prior to automation, city police processed the payments manually via paper record. By January 2006, Milwaukee had deployed five machines in three police district stations. The APC drastically reduced the number of manual payments processed to less than four percent of its previous volume, freeing police to perform police duties rather than administrative ones. The system also reduced mail-in processing, clerical errors and collection pursuits. The city intended by August to have the solution in all police district stations, and to deploy similar machines in various locations throughout the metro area that will collect payments but not issue parking permit stickers. As a result of this successful program, multiple cities where Citation Management provides outsource parking management services will be introduced to the system.
In November 2004, Bundesagentur fur Arbeit (BA), a Nuremberg, Germany-based company responsible in part for granting unemployment benefits under the Federal Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs, collaborated with Paderborn, Germany-based Wincor Nixdorf International to improve the process for welfare and social payments by deploying kiosks in BA offices nationwide. Prior to the solution’s deployment, paying out benefits required several unsynchronized tasks that often resulted in payment delays to the customer, as well as repeat visits in order for him or her to complete one transaction; for BA payments were a costly, complex process. With the kiosks, BA was able to provide users one-stop shopping, immediate access to cash, up-to-date information, greater safety, and savings of time and money by eliminating the need for additional visits to the bank branch; all while greatly reducing its process costs. Customers pleased with the system’s efficient handling of payments now insist on the same type of service from related agencies. Because of this customer demand, BA is considering added installations. It also is considering sharing the solution with other governmental organizations and expanding the machine’s functions. BA has deployed 411 units.
Retail
Build-a-Bear Workshop’s gift card kiosk, deployed in its stores nationwide and supplied by Lincoln, Neb.-based self-service software developer Nanonation, was deployed to give customers a faster method of purchasing gift cards and the ability to personalize the look, message and amount on the card. Build-a-Bear Workshop’s extended check-out process meant that customers who only wished to buy gift cards had quite a wait, which resulted in customer frustration — particularly during the busy holiday season. Build-A-Bear wanted to improve service to gift card buyers and also give them the ability to personalize the cards, making them as unique as the bears they would be used to buy. The company began a six-machine pilot project, which has been well-received. In one store, customers waited to use the kiosk even as it was being installed. Use of the kiosks has improved customer satisfaction. While pilot data is still being evaluated, the next step is six more units and then deployment to the most heavily trafficked locations.
PhotoTeller, deployed and supplied by Whitech USA Inc. of West New York, N.J., is a digital photo kiosk that includes functionality for ordering and viewing prints; correcting and editing digital image files; burning to CD; creating scrapbook pages, albums and movies of photos as well as passport photos, index prints and stamps. The system includes film drop off, gift ordering and an integrated Web site. With the decline in film processing, photo retailers suffered financial losses as a result of that loss of business. The PhotoTeller solution allows retailers to service digital camera users, helping them drive sales and generate higher profits with the sales of gifting, movies and other high-profit-margin products. Deployed since February 2002, 17,800 PhotoTeller devices are in use nationally and internationally.
Carlisle, Pa.-based Giant Food Stores’ Shopping Solutions, supplied by St. Clair Interactive of Toronto, is a storewide network of 24 integrated self-service applications — including targeted offers and coupons based on loyalty data and shopping history, price check, product locator, ordering applications, third party applications and associate applications — and devices such as hand-held EasyShop scanners, Shopping Solutions kiosks, EasyWeigh scales and EasyScan self-check-outs. Prior to this rollout, Giant, which has used kiosks for more than 12 years, at times had as many as four separately managed solutions. Giant’s new solution puts 12-20 touchscreens in each store, all managed on one network. Giant is hugely pleased with the solution and has cited the system’s overwhelming shopper acceptance. The 2005 deployment has been called the most comprehensive simultaneous implementation in U.S. retail and has been featured in Progressive Grocer, Stores magazine, Kiosk Marketplace, Information Week and Vertical Systems Reseller, among others. Giant is eager to expand the program. It began the year with 150 kiosks in Virginia and Pennsylvania; by year-end it plans to bring more stores online in these areas and to deploy in stores in New York and Maryland as well.
Travel & Hospitality
The Continental Properties project, deployed in Florida and Texas by Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based property agent Continental Properties and supplied by Lincoln, Neb.-based software developer Nanonation Inc., provides a virtual tour of apartment properties, floor plans, video testimonials, an online request form and an interactive leasing center for luxury apartment complexes. Before the kiosks’ deployment, prospective renters, who are typically at work during the leasing office’s normal business hours during the week, had difficulty viewing the properties, leading to delays in property turn time. Additionally, during busy times, the leasing office did not have enough staff to assist everyone quickly. With the kiosk, the properties leasor was able to provide 24/7 service, eliminating the leads missed during off hours. Continental currently has three kiosks and plans to expand the system into new locations, using the kiosk as part of its overall marketing and promotion strategies. In the industry, other properties have deployed similar devices, which is part of the growing trend toward customer self-service and 24-hour access.
Amtrak Ticketing Kiosk, deployed primarily on the Eastern Seaboard by Amtrak/SITA and supplied by Louisville, Co.-based Kiosk Information Systems, is an updated ticketing application, fully compliant with U.S. ADA regulations, and Visa PIN Entry Device (PED) and Triple Data Encryption Standard (Triple DES) requirements. Existing Amtrak ticketing kiosks were nearing obsolescence as deadlines for federal and financial regulations loomed. In fact, they were becoming a liability in terms of reliability, compliance and regulatory considerations. The updated solutions meet all of these challenging regulations and combine them in a footprint meeting Amtrak’s specifications. Visa’s PED and Triple DES requirements are met with the addition of an encrypted PIN pad device; ADA compliance is met by programming the software to recognize when sight-assistance headphones are being used. In addition to the software, Kiosk also developed the audio sensor that provides the computer signal that interfaces with the application to recognize the headphones. The Amtrak kiosk may be the first fully ADA compliant terminal ever deployed. Two of the updated kiosks were deployed by January 2006; by October Amtrak plans to have 180 deployed.
Alamo Check-in Kiosk, deployed by Tulsa, Okla.-based Alamo Rent A Car, a subsidiary of Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc., and supplied by Kiosk Information Systems of Louisville, Colo., is a car rental check-in kiosk intended for nationwide deployment. Alamo mainly services airline customers, who are conditioned to expect self-service, but the company did not have a self-service option. The self-check-in solution answers customer demand, giving customers greater control over their experience, while speeding transaction time and eliminating lines. No other car rental company currently offers a kiosk to complete the rental transaction for loyalty and non-loyalty club members. The solution, combined with other initiatives, is helping Alamo be recognized as the hassle-free self-service brand in the rental car industry. Alamo began the year with 20 kiosks, but plans to have 100 deployed by October.
Other
DMV Self-Service Kiosk, deployed by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles and supplied by JCM American Corp. (See Public Sector above.)
Cox Communications Xpress Pay Kiosk, deployed by Alpharetta, Ga.-based cable company Cox Communications and supplied by Source Technologies of Charlotte, N.C. (See Financial above.)
Avery Dennison Human Resources Kiosk, deployed nationwide by Pasadena, Calif.-based pressure-sensitive technology and self-adhesive solutions manufacturer Avery Dennison and supplied by Branford, Conn.-based self-service software developer Netkey Inc., delivers online human resources services to unconnected workers via kiosk. With 22,000 employees located in manufacturing plants and distribution centers in 48 countries, it was a challenge for Avery Dennison to keep workers up-to-date on corporate information, benefits and other HR issues. The kiosk solution allows employees access to investment benefits information, an employee benefits manual, payroll, forms, career information, employee programs, organizational information, corporate communications, and health and wellness information while reducing the time and cost of delivering employees services to workers unconnected to the Internet. Results from the 20-unit first phase have been positive; based on ongoing evaluation, Avery Dennison is developing new features and capabilities for the kiosk application which, at full deployment, is intended to number at least 100 units.
The judges
Katy Henrickson is a senior analyst on Forrester’s Healthcare & Life Sciences team. Her research focuses on technologies and solutions that support core health plan operations, including claims administration, consumer-directed products and provider network management. She also covers business-to-business interactions across the healthcare industry with a focus on how health plans interact electronically with providers, banks and other business partners.
Jim Kendrick, P2C2 Group, is a certified management consultant with more than 25 years experience on the business side of government capital investment planning, budgeting, acquisition and information security. He helps federal agencies get green lights for their plans, money, projects and compliance reports.
Lief Larson has been a media consultant to numerous companies around the globe, specializing in new media technologies. Larson founded KIOSK magazine and The Kiosk Show, which was acquired by Networld Alliance in 2004. He is currently executive vice president of research for the optical disc corporation Consumable Media LLC, vice president of engineering for WorkFace LLC and president of Valhalla Worldwide.
Madhavi Mantha is a senior analyst in Celent’s banking group. Ms. Mantha’s research and consulting focus on emerging technologies and business strategies across retail and wholesale banking, with a focus on sourcing strategies (including outsourcing and off-shoring), ATMs and content and business process management.
Tamara Mendelsohn is an analyst on Forrester’s Products and Channels team. She focuses her research on e-commerce technology and multichannel strategies as well as self-service solutions, and follows consumer trends that drive adoption of these technologies. Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice about technology’s impact on business and consumers.
Mark Ozawa is managing director of Accuvia Consulting, a leading boutique consulting firm focusing on technology and systems solutions for the lodging, foodservice and retail industries around the world. Accuvia’s clients include some of the largest foodservice, lodging and retail companies as well as smaller and regional entities.
Gary Pageau is publisher of content development and strategic initiatives with PMA. His primary responsibilities include overseeing the Association’s editorial department, marketing research unit, corporate relations and Web site. The PMA editorial department includes the Association’s monthly flagship magazine, Photo Marketing; numerous monthly newsletters; and a daily news update. The PMA marketing research unit conducts both industry and consumer research in the field of photo/imaging.
