2009 Hospitality Self Service Study - Sponsored Whitepaper

The history of self-service technology — where electronic, generally computer-dependent devices enable customers to do for themselves that which otherwise would require staff — is short but rich. By Jacob Bennett, Contributing writer, The ATM in the parking lot, with its warm screen inviting users to insert Kiosk Marketplace their cards whether the sun was bearing down on it or its light was the only illumination to be seen at 3:00 a.m. Pay-at-the-pump gas stations, where drivers learned that in exchange for hands that smelled faintly of gasoline, they could fuel up and drive on with less fuss and much less time. The airport check-in kiosk, now a welcome part of travel for most people, thrust upon the flying public by an airline industry forced to cope with an exploded business model.

The Self-Service and Kiosk Association (SSKA) ran a promotion not long ago that said “the best service is self-service.” Now, as customers in vir- tually every major segment are interacting with self-service technology, it seems a consensus is being informally reached: The slogan is more than a marketing message, it’s a reality.

Many customers view self-service as a faster, easier, more convenient alternative to traditional assisted service. New survey data shows that customers are more likely to shop with a company that lets them help themselves. The data even shows a growing ac- Ne w s u r v e y d a t a s h o w s t h a t c u s t o m e r s ceptance among older generations, who often have been less receptive to new technologies. a r e m o r e l k e l y t o s h o p w t h a c o m p a N y t h a t l e t s t h e m h e l p t h e m s e lv e s . As self-service touch points, which include kiosks and other interactive technologies, expand into new retail and hospitality environments, two verticals that show significant promise for sustained adoption and new applications afford many options to improve or en- hance the customers’ shopping experience. For example:

General merchandise stores are deploying self-service solutions that allow customers to browse, order or even pay for items not car- ried in the store.

Convenience stores are exploring the benefits of self-checkout. They also have deployed bill-payment kiosks, which have proven to be very successful in other retail environments, such as telecommu- nications stores.