Convenience is a form of hedonism that the modern customer craves. If your business is able to provide flexibility to the ever-changing demands and agendas of people’s lifestyles, then their overall customer experience will be enhanced.
If your business is not functioning in a niche market, then your primary objective should be providing a positive service for your customers. By offering a product that the majority of consumers long for, your business will become the standout choice against the rest of the competition.
As the yearning for integrated payment solutions heightens, it is imperative that your business can provide regular access and availability within a secure environment. Therefore, investing in a payment kiosk is a rational decision for any retail enterprise – generating additional revenue for each transaction completed and increasing the amount of traffic to your location.
Payment kiosks add immediate value and even though they possess a vast amount of options, they are incredibly straightforward to control. A reduction in queues and speedy transactions will reassure an individual that despite putting off paying their electricity bill, they can take a trip to their local retailer and get it paid off without delay before their power is cut off.
However this practicability revolves around the degree of accessibility that you are able to supply. Ideally your kiosk should be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week as the approach of retail industry moves into accommodating territory by making available self-service machines that provide the customer with 24/7 service and ease of use. This can be put into effect by placing your kiosk inside a vendor that is open day and night or alternatively you can position it outdoors.
Your organisation can devise any advertising strategies and promotion campaigns around the payment due dates where you can anticipate an influx of customers. Consequently, it is pivotal that your kiosk is fully operational and not prone to frequent malfunctioning.
According to Adrian Benz, team leader of marketing communication for Hengstler GmbH, a disappointed customer will not return if they endure kiosk failure on two separate occasions. “The customer will go to the kiosk once. If it’s down, they’ll come back a second time. If it’s down a second time, they won’t come back again,” Benz asserts. However, ultimately these machines are low maintenance, drive down operating costs and require minimal training for staff.
Another indispensible requisite is a reliable printer. More often than not, customers want evidence that they have paid their bill. If your kiosk is situated outside, it must be able to function in extreme temperatures. Alternatively, there is also a handy electronic option which allows the customer to forward a copy of their receipt to their email address.
Furthermore, as a minimum your appliance needs to meet EMV standards – a security yardstick for payment cards and mobile card payments. As the kiosk is dealing with sensitive information, you must ensure your software and hardware is advanced and up to date to prevent any security breaches.
If utilised effectively, the bill payment kiosk can be a productive self-service solution for retail businesses. It is a pragmatic machine designed to match the expediency and satisfaction expectations that the current generation desire – built on the fundamental principles of reliability, security, simplicity and most important of all suitability.