Kiosk acceptance and managing change
Self-service technology can improve the experience for shoppers, but helping everyone accept the machines if half the battle
February 12, 2009
The following was originally published as part of the Self-Service and Kiosk Association's Best Practices library. For more information about the SSKA and the Best Practices library, visit SelfService.org.
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When employees are presented with a picture of the company's strategy and are engaged early in the projec,t they will be more likely to accept the kiosks. |
In our high-tech world, kiosks help create a pleasant customer experience. Their strategic placement provides the consumer with an alternative to waiting in line only to have a human perform a highly transactional activity that a machine could accomplish.
So if kiosks are provided to enhance the customer experience and relieve employees from mundane tasks, why do so many of these high-tech machines linger unused in a corner? Often, the answer lies not in the effectiveness of the transaction the machine was created to perform but in the lack of attention paid to managing customers' and employees' perceptions of the kiosk.
Divide and conquer
Two campaigns should focus on the kiosks: one directed at employees and the other directed at customers. Understanding the audience impacted by the kiosks is a crucial part of designing these campaigns. Employee and customer focus groups and surveys are a good way to get a feel for how the kiosks will be perceived.
Eight to 12 weeks before deploying kiosks, awareness should be built around the solution.
The more energy and excitement built around the kiosk, the more likely your customers and employees are to accept it.
Getting customers acclimated
The same customer who cannot live without her cell phone or who spends hours on the home computer may not feel at ease dealing with a kiosk in public. Procedures can be built to engage your customers and familiarize them with the kiosks. The software should be designed to guide the customer through the process.
The screens and menus should be simple and easy to follow. The more intuitive the software, the more likely the customer is to return to the kiosk.
But no matter how intuitive the software, many customers will still hesitate to use the kiosk. An easy way to overcome this situation is to provide support by way of a concierge who assists the customer with the transaction.
Another way to encourage use of the kiosks is to provide incentives in the form of a reduced cost for transactions completed at the kiosk or a loyalty program that provides coupons or prizes for repeat use. It is
important to remain open to customer feedback and to update your software appropriately. As with the products
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An easy way to help customers overcome the hesitation to use kiosk is to provide a concierge for support. |
the kiosk is ultimately selling, listening to what your customers want and need is the best way to deliver something they will use.
Employee acceptance
Too often, kiosk projects fail because of employee sabotage. The implementation should be discussed in team meetings well before deployment, and fears and concerns should be managed in an open and honest manner. When employees are presented with a larger picture of the company's strategy and are engaged early in the project, they will be more likely to accept the kiosks.
It is important that employees understand how their jobs will change. Additionally, careful attention should be paid to how the kiosks could impact an employee's compensation. For example, if the kiosks redirect transactions that would normally result in commission for the employee, the rate of acceptance will be lower.
Employers should take this into consideration and devise a plan to compensate employees for kiosk usage, thus offsetting losses in commission and rewarding employees for desired behavior.
Early adoption of the kiosk by both customers and employees will play a key role in the success of your deployment and will provide a faster return on investment. Significant dollars are spent to design kiosk software and deploy these machines, and the additional cost to effectively communicate the kiosk rollout and manage the change associated with the kiosks' usage will be money well spent.
Faith MacPherson isDirector of payroll and HRIS-U.S. at Avery Dennison and is a member of the Self-Service and Kiosk Association's Deployer Council.
