Tax commisioner’s new kiosk saves time for vehicle owners

A new kiosk at Rockdale County tax commissioner office in Conyers, Ga., allows citizens to renew their vehicle registrations without waiting in line for the next available window clerk.

Source: www.rockdalecitizen.com

Once the computer verifies that the vehicle has passed inspection, the car owner can swipe a debit or credit card for payment and the license plate sticker comes out. 

Wal-Mart seeks customer service feedback with kiosk in Bentonville store

There are numerous ways retail giant Wal-Mart assesses customer service feedback from its 5,000 U.S. stores. But there is evidence that a kiosk positioned directly in the front of the store could be a new way Wal-Mart solicits direct customer service feedback from its 140 million weekly shoppers.

Source: www.thecitywire.com

Seeking Alpha analyst Brian Gilmartin writes that one of the bigger issues over the last two years has been traffic erosion. The last time Wal-Mart U.S. posted positive quarterly traffic was in the fourth quarter of 2012. Following are traffic stats from Wal-Mart U.S. stores

WALMART STORE TRAFFIC
Oct. 2014: down 0.7%
July 2014: down 1.1%
April 2014: down 1.4%
Jan. 2014: down 1.7%
Oct. 2013: down 0.4%
July 2013: down 0.5%
April 2013: down 1.8%
Jan. 2013: down 0.1%


All eyes will be on Wal-Mart’s customer traffic report later this week (Feb. 19) as the retailer reports its fiscal fourth quarter results for 2015. Gilmartin said Wal-Mart is having to use price to offset low traffic, which is challenging the retailer’s “Every Day Low Price” mantra

Materna presents Self Bag Drop with brand new Kiosk Payment at Passenger Terminal Expo 2015 in Paris

Gatwick Airport is the first airport worldwide to introduce kiosk payment for self bag drop systems so as to simplify baggage check-in for its customers. Materna recently has been awarded the contract for this and will install 50 systems at Gatwick Airport starting in April 2015.

Materna’s self bag drop system comes with an intuitive graphical user interface so that passengers can drop off their luggage very quickly and easily. Its solution is based on the IATA CUSS standard and also supports the new CUWS definition (Common Use Web Services). Visitors at PTE will be able to test this service for themselves.

Source: www.traveldailynews.com

PieceMaker Unveils Next Generation Toy 3D Printing Kiosks

The toy industry may be about to see a major shift, as 3D printing begins inching its way into the manufacturing process. With a promise of customization, and t

Source: 3dprint.com

This week at Toy Fair 2015 in New York City, PieceMaker has unveiled their latest 3D toy printing kiosk with several major upgrades and changes.


The first upgrade is quite significant. The new 3D Printing Stations are now completely unified, meaning that the printers (there will be 2 automated printers within each kiosk) are integrated within the kiosk itself. In the prior version, customers would need to pick their toy up at a separate location within the store. By unifying the system, a more fulfilling experience can be enjoyed by users as they design and then watch as their object is printed out in the same location.

Intermedia Touch Develops a Digital Interactive Kiosk for Black History Month

(BLACK PR WIRE) == Intermedia Touch is working with Baptist Health South Florida and has developed a state-of-the-art, digital interactive kiosk in recognition of Black History Month. The kiosk provides health facts and other historical facts and information on the African-American culture and diaspora.

Source: www.blackprwire.com

The dynamic 55” multi-touch educational kiosk includes key facts and information on health care services, local and national news of importance to all communities, and much more. Employees and guests visiting the facilities will have the opportunity to experience the kiosk while on the Baptist Health South Florida campus and will have an engaging experience on the historical significance of the African-American communities, with health facts, great ways to make a difference, and a “Did You Know” information section to gain insight on African-American heritage.

A good business call for the Red Kiosk Company

Remember when to make a phone call to a client while on the move, you would have to use one of the 73,000 red telephone boxes throughout the country?

Source: www.propertyweek.com

Better keep an eye on those  Tardis phone kiosks in UK.

Some of them have been brought back into service. Red Kiosk Company, is repurposing and transforming them into cafés , solar chargers and even shoe shine stands.

DMV Kiosk – Ohioans could soon renew license-plate tags at supermarkets, under BMV test program

Renewing your Ohio vehicle registration might soon be as easy as a trip to your local supermarket.

Source: www.cleveland.com

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles is preparing to test self-service kiosks in supermarkets in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The machines are part of the agency’s “BMV4U” pilot project set to start in the next six to eight weeks, said DPS Director John Born.

Kiosk users will just need to swipe their driver’s license and credit card, and the machine will spit out vehicle registration stickers, Born said. The BMV won’t charge any additional fee for using the machines, DPS said, though credit-card charges will apply.

KioWare – Windows Android Kiosk Software with Kiosk Remote Monitoring feature on Kiosk Industry

KioWare Analytical Design Solutions Inc. (ADSI), the parent company of KioWare, has been in business since 1991 providing client/server database and web development consulting services. The maturin…

Source: kioskindustry.org

Kioware feature article on kiosk industry.  Along with full Windows versions, Kioware has 3rd gen Android clients with remote monitoring and alerts. Feature support such as ChromeCast. 

How to Create a DIY Kiosk (aka cheap kiosk) For Your Small Business

Small business owners recognize the value of self-service because it allows them to serve more customers with minimal staffing overhead. This article gives you the components to piece together a very economical do-it-yourself kiosk for your small business or startup for under $1000

Source: blog.kiosksimple.com

KioskSimple blog details how to go cheap kiosk.  For the small business which doesn’t have the resources.  Using websites and minimal hardware has disadvantages and is not a robust solution. But it can definitely be better than no solution aka no self-service.

Five Elements Panera 2.0 Earnings Transcript Explanation & Impact

In Panera Bread (NASDAQ:PNRA) Q4 2014 Earnings Call February 12, 2015 Ronald M. Shaich – Co-Founder, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer details results.

Source: seekingalpha.com

One number that struck me is that 8% of all Panera sales are now conducted thru digital channel. Their Rapid Pickup has been big factor.  Began with 3 in Boston, 17 in Charlotte, 52 units in Dallas & Jacksonville. Finally “Iteration 4” goes in 32 cafes in LA, Seattle and San Francisco.

Stockwise PNRA fell almost 10% today due to disappointed guidance.  Also from “An uneven tone from management on the firm’s earnings call is partially behind today’s sell-off, say analysts.”


Okay, I’ll now take a drink of water (often repeated)…


Okay, let’s cover the individual elements that are part of the 2.0 experience. Those individual elements include: first, Web, mobile, kiosk and e-commerce ordering; second, new operational systems we call operational integrity. These operational systems are rooted in total quality management and enable us to deal with higher volumes with much greater accuracy and significantly more speed.

Third, the third element. It’s the extra labor we added that we believe we need to execute with discipline and accuracy against the higher levels of demand we can generate when the digital floodgates are open wide. This includes the initial startup labor to train both our associates and our customers to live in a digital world. It also includes the production capacity required to handle customization and the intense rushes that occur with digital ordering at peak hours. Lastly, extra labor is for a new expediter position, which, in our mind, is the quarterback of the entire production process, standing on the customer side of the counter, assuring order accuracy and dealing with customer concerns.

Fourth element. In 2.0 cafes, we’ve utilized Delivery to the Table as our service format. Delivery to the Table is presently and approximately 13% of our cafes today and was added to the Panera 2.0 program as a mechanism to evolve the Panera concept consistent with what we see competitors executing. While Delivery to the Table is not a competitive ante in every market, it’s clear that Delivery to the Table is the future in our segment of the industry.

The fifth element is what we call the wall. In early Panera 2.0 conversions, we added a wall, which closed off the back of the house. The wall was initially put in to support our equipment needs, but we have since come to believe we can live without it in most cafes. When we kick off any innovation project at Panera, we like to think we are stubborn in vision but flexible in execution. In the case of Panera 2.0, the vision is an improved guest experience. In support of that vision, we have been mixing and matching the elements I just ran through as we tried different iterations of Panera 2.0 over the last 12 months. Common across all iterations is the addition of digital ordering through the Web, mobile and the kiosk and the new operational procedures we call operational integrity. Different iterations have been allowed different levels of labor, and different iterations have had the wall applied differently in different cafes. As well, different existing service configurations required different approaches to the labor investment necessary to execute Delivery to the Table.


10 Trends Super-Charging Self-Service

From integrated technologies and expanding payment options, to location awareness and personalization, we take a look at the top ten trends driving explosive growth in self-service.

Source: vsr.edgl.com

Summary of current areas of “booming self-service” by Vertical Systems Reseller

Self-Storage Kiosk Sales Jump 53 Percent in 2014

The number of self-storage operators who are relying on some form of automated technology in their business appears to be increasing. OpenTech Alliance Inc., a Phoenix-based provider of self-storage kiosks, call-center services and other technology, has reported the number of kiosks sold last year increased 53 percent over 2013 figures. Company revenue from INSOMNIAC kiosk sales and related services topped $4 million last year, company officials said in a press release.

Source: www.insideselfstorage.com

Storage facilities around the country are increasingly using onsite kiosks because consumers are embracing them with no hesitation. Today’s high-tech society has been trained to help themselves through the use of all the technology they come into contact with every day.”

Panera Bread

The change began last year, and is currently being rolled out across all its 1,800 U.S. restaurants—and boosts sales and traffic so much that Panera has to invest 35 more hours a week in labor for each upgraded cafe..

Source: www.fastcompany.com

 The core of Panera 2.0 happens in one of two places: either on the Panera app on a customer’s own mobile device, or at a kiosk of tablets in the restaurant. On the app, to-go users can place a mobile order up to five days in advance and pick up food from a separate shelf in the restaurant, thereby skipping the line. Or dine-in users can order on their phone from their table (or at the kiosk), and food will be delivered to them.

Outerwall shuts down Redbox kiosks in Canada, beats Q4 earnings expectations – GeekWire

As part of its fourth quarter earnings report today, Outerwall said it is shutting down its Redbox DVD rental kiosks in Canada. Outwerall, the Bellevue-bas

Source: www.geekwire.com

Outerwall, which recently increased both movie and video game rental prices at Redbox kiosks, noted that the week of Dec. 29 was the highest rental week in Redbox history. The company also installed 380 new ecoATM kiosks last quarter.

In addition, Outerwall said that starting in March it will pay stockholders a $0.30 per share dividend for the first time ever. The board of directors also approved an additional share repurchase authorization of up to $250 million of its common stock.

Automated Passport Control Goes Live At LPIA by YVR

NASSAU, Bahamas, Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Lynden Pindling International Airport’s Automated Passport Control…

Source: www.prnewswire.com

The new system does not require travelers to complete a paper U.S. customs declaration form, as all questions are answered on the computer’s touch screen.

Travelers simply follow the on-screen instructions to scan their passport, answer the customs declaration questions, have their photo taken and receive a confirmation receipt, which they then show to a CBP officer to finalize processing.

SITA unveils new automated passport control kiosks at Abu Dhabi airport – Zawya

Passengers travelling to the United States can now pre-clear U.S. Customs and Immigration at Abu Dhabi International Airport using new automated passport control (APC) kiosks from air transport and government IT specialist, SITA.

Source: www.zawya.com

Passengers simply scan their passports to identify themselves, provide their fingerprints and a camera on the kiosk captures their face biometric. The passport and biometric information captured is then cross-referenced to verify the passenger is who they claim to be and then checked against government watch lists. There are several immigration questions the passenger needs to answer on the kiosk touch screen, and once cleared, the kiosk prints out a receipt to show as they exit the customs hall.

Prescription Safety Glasses Kiosk Network Grows Nationwide in 4-Year Span – Press Release Rocket

Eyelation is a Chicago area prescription safety eyewear startup that services companies through its self-serve kiosk system. Its system incorporates benefit management, with proprietary measurement technology to fit people with eyewear and make it easy for company administrators to provide a cohesive program to every employee

Source: www.pressreleaserocket.net

Eyelation currently has over 125,000 industrial workers in its safety program in the US, and expects to cover over 1,000,000 workers within a few years. The program has been a boon to employees who traditionally have trouble receiving the same services as their day-shift counterparts.