How to get your self-service kiosk deployment right.
Self-service kiosks are the future of customer service, ticketing, ordering and so much more. They introduce numerous efficiency benefits and encourage stronger, more memorable customer experiences. However, they are heavily technical and require robust planning up-front in order to deploy successfully. At LamasaTech, we want the deployment of your self-service solution to go as smoothly as possible, so we’ve come up with a handy guide on how to plan your self-service kiosk deployment.
Define the project
The first step in planning your self-service kiosk deployment is to identify the purpose of the project. It could be that your business has digitised in other areas and you’re looking to modernise your customer processes. You may be a new business looking to majorly differentiate your in-store experience from your competitors. You may be considering augmenting your staff with devices that can share the work load.
Stack
The solution you choose will be partly determined by your existing technology stack and how deeply you want to integrate. Mapping or illustrating how your self-service solution fits in with the rest of your stack will be important for scaling to bigger solutions in future and will prevent you from making bad assumptions about where the project may go as it develops. Some examples of industry specific stack integrations to define early include:
Retail:
– Point of sale (POS) system
– eCommerce solution
– Website integration
– Internal enterprise resource planning (ERP)
Education:
– School management information system (MIS)
– Active Directory Federated Services (ADFS)
– Microsoft Single Sign-On (SSO)
Budgeting
Budgeting you self-service kiosk deployment is essential, but there are a number of factors to consider. You’re going to need to budget for:
- Hardware
This is going to be a large capital cost and you’ll need to make a decision on how many devices you’re going to need, and where they are going to be located. The location has an impact on budgeting. Devices that are placed outdoors require a higher grade of hardware to mitigate brightness issues and fluid ingress, and this means you may have to carry out infrastructural works, which will further contribute to hardware costs. - Software
Key questions to ask include:
– Is off the shelf, purpose-built software available already?
– Will we need to commission development work to create a solution?
– Will the software required be compatible with existing infrastructure or legacy systems?
– Do you have any pre-existing services that you would like to integrate with the self-service kiosk? For example, this may include visitor management or wayfinding. - Installation
Your budget for installation will depend on:
– How many devices you’ll be installing.
– Any infrastructural work required. This may include networking devices for connectivity, trunking for cabling, landscaping if kiosks will be outdoors.
– If any heavy lifting or industrial vehicles are required.
– The cost of transporting goods onsite, depending on the size of the premises undergoing the installation.
– Making good on any surfaces that may be altered or damaged as part of the installation. - Maintenance
The ongoing costs of running a self-service solution include:
– The cost of powering your kiosks
– Software licensing
– Device support, either from a third party or direct from the manufacturer
– Staff time, and the delineation of responsibility for administrating the devices and their software.
Planning
Project management
Managing a project involving self service kiosks is similar to a normal software or hardware deployment, but the user’s reliance on the device to achieve their desired interaction places a lot of onus on the project manager to ensure that the correct goals have been met before launch day.
There are several items for a PM to juggle when they’re contending with a self-service project. Typically, self-service solutions will introduce reliance on third parties for hardware, software and infrastructure.
Aligned delivery
Juggling the various connected elements of a self-service kiosk project requires close co-ordination between the partners who are delivering its constituent elements. The project will require aligned delivery between the parties responsible for:
- Hardware
- Software
- Network
- Infrastructural works
Because of this, it’s difficult to deploy self-service kiosk projects in an agile way. The project will develop dependencies in a way that a typical enterprise software rollout would not as you will adapt to incorrect assumptions about user behaviour and the realities of multiple third party or internal stack integrations. Ensure that your plan contains contingencies so if any overlap occurs between any of the dependent project elements it won’t derail the overall delivery date.
Implementation
So, you’ve defined your project, allocated the appropriate budget and assigned project management responsibilities to the right people, the next step is assessing the environment in which your self-service solution will be deployed.
Environment
Environmental considerations are impacted by how permanent the solution is intended to be. If it’s going to be a long-term fixture then your project is likely going to include
- Groundworks
- External cabling for power and data (preferably with ducting)
- Anti-rust and fluid ingression measures
- Measures taken to check for and deal with contaminated ground
Self-service implementations are increasingly becoming a common consideration for new build projects because many of the usual environmental limitations are removed. If, for example, you’re needing to create ducting in an external area it’s easier to do that before paving and roadworks have been laid down.
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Planning an outdoor kiosk deployment? Check out our blog on how to overcome environmental obstacles!
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Indoor/outdoor
The location located indoors, outdoors or across both environments will have significant impact upon your choice of hardware and the implementation or installation plan.
You will need to consider:
- Brightness: If located outdoors in bright sunlight, the optimal brightness rating for a kiosk is 2000 nits. However, if located near a road, there may be legislation that affects what sort of kiosk you may install; in Britain the legal brightness limit next to a road is 1600 nits.
- Fluid Ingression: The kiosk will need to be treated to prevent water and rust damage.
- Touch Technology: Outdoor kiosks are more prone to graffiti and damage, but this can be mitigated if identified as a possibility early in the project.
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LamasaTech are experts in self-service kiosk deployment. Not only will we provide you with high-quality self-service kiosk technology, we will collaborate with you on every aspect of your project, including:
- Consultation, pricing and quotation
- Customisation
- Hardware production
- Software development
- Project management
- Installation, support and training
No matter the size of your project, nor how demanding your requirements are, we’d love to help bring your project to life. If you’re looking for a no-pressure consultation for your self-service kiosk project, get in touch with a member of our expert team.
