Empower your customers with Self-Service

How Self-Service Kiosks Can Improve Event Experiences

Explore how self-service kiosks can transform event experiences with increased efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction at events.

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How Self-Service Kiosks Can Improve Event Experiences

Self-service kiosks present a dependable and intuitive solution for those aiming to enhance event experiences with greater efficiency. By providing quick access to services, these kiosks reduce wait times and enable user-driven interactions. This post outlines the workings of these kiosks, their benefits for business operations and customers, and their impact on the dynamics of large-scale events.

What Are Self-Service Kiosks?

Kappture Self Service Kiosk

Self-service kiosks are user-friendly terminals commonly found at large stadium events, allowing attendees to navigate the venue, purchase tickets, order snacks, and even buy merchandise without requiring direct interaction with event staff.

Examples of Self-Service Kiosks

Self-service kiosks are flexible and multifaceted tools that enhance customer experiences across various industries. Here are a few examples where their impact is notably significant:

  • Food & Drink Ordering: Customers at quick-service restaurants can directly interact with the POS system, making it easy to browse menu items and place orders at their own pace.
  • Biometric Kiosks: In high-security areas, self-service kiosks employ biometric verification, like fingerprint and facial recognition, to authenticate identities and ensure safety.
  • Self Check-in/Entry: Automated check-in kiosks at events and hospitality venues simplify the entry process, incorporating payment handling and reducing wait times.

Benefits of Self-Service Kiosks at Large Events

Indoor Live Event

1. Order Accuracy

Self-service kiosks contribute to the accuracy of customer orders. Direct input by customers minimises the risk of errors or misunderstandings with traditional verbal orders, particularly for customised requests with specific preferences.

Customers’ direct entry of order details ensures that the final service aligns precisely with their expectations, thereby reducing the chances of errors that could arise from miscommunication with staff.

A significant number (47%) of self-serve kiosk users prefer self-service options that allow them to customise their meals. This underscores the importance of precise order fulfilment in enhancing the customer experience through technology-driven solutions.

2. Upselling Opportunity

Enhancing the customer’s purchasing experience, interactive kiosks effectively showcase additional menu items and suggest upgrades during the transaction, encouraging customers to consider higher-value choices. This strategy has proven successful, as evidenced by McDonald’s, which saw a 20% increase in unplanned beverage purchases due to kiosk prompts.

Equipped to handle multiple customers simultaneously, these interactive terminals significantly reduce wait times and positively influence customers to make further selections from a broader range of offerings. Such strategic use of kiosks can increase sales and indicates the effectiveness of incorporating self-service technology into a customer-focused business strategy.

3. Mobile order assistance

Self-service kiosks are pivotal in enhancing customer experiences, especially with the growing mobile ordering trend. These kiosks allow customers to add to their orders placed via mobile apps.

At significant events, for instance, when food is pre-ordered for pickup at concession stands, customers can use a kiosk to include additional items seamlessly. The synergy between self-service kiosks and mobile ordering systems ensures a smooth and efficient customer journey.

Designed for speed, these kiosks send orders directly to the kitchen, streamlining the process from placing an order on a mobile device to when the kitchen begins preparation. This direct communication channel ensures that there is little to no wait time between order placement and the start of meal prep, enhancing overall service speed.

4. Secure payment acceptance

Designed with robust security in mind, these kiosks accept a variety of electronic payment options, including magnetic stripe, EMV chip cards, and NFC/contactless methods. Adhering to the highest industry standards, they maintain PCI certification and integrate SRED (Secure Reading Exchange of Data) technology to safeguard customer payment information.

Additionally, these kiosks are equipped with real-time monitoring and access control features. These capabilities are crucial for the immediate detection and handling of security issues, thereby reinforcing the protection of customer data privacy and ensuring a safe transaction environment.

5. Improving staff efficiency

Self-service kiosks significantly improve staff efficiency by addressing these factors:

  • During peak times, reduced long lines at food and beverage venues can result in happier customers and potential sales losses.
  • Adopting self-service interfaces, such as kiosks, enhances the customer experience by offering more interaction options.
  • As a result, employee productivity is increased due to the optimised distribution of tasks.

With self-service kiosks handling order entry, staff members can concentrate on food preparation and other vital services. This strategic reallocation of responsibilities increases the production rate and effectively mitigates the impact of labour shortages.

6. Increased Average Order Value (AOV)

Integrating self-service kiosks into commercial settings has been shown to significantly elevate the average order value (AOV). Data from QSR Magazine reveal that implementing such kiosks can lead to an increase in ticket sizes ranging from 15 to 30 per cent.

Conclusion

In today’s landscape, businesses and events that leverage modern technologies are more likely to succeed. The advantages of integrating self-service kiosks are clear:

  • Increasing the precision of orders
  • Providing opportunities for additional revenue through upselling
  • Simplifying the integration with mobile order systems
  • Ensuring secure transaction processing
  • Elevating staff productivity levels

The array of benefits underscores the strategic value of investing in self-service kiosks for businesses.