Carlin, Mary L. (2007). Self-Service Success. Hospitality Technology Magazine. 10/28/07.
http://www.htmagazine.com/HT/archive/1007/1007_03.html
Mary Carlin says, “According to the 2007 Hospitality Technology Self-Service study, there is a growing demand from consumers for self-service options in both lodging and food service.” However, in this article she claims that consumers are more ready to use kiosks than operators are to use them. Therefore this article lays out ten implementation strategies to help operators begin to take advantage of these self service kiosks.
The first strategy is 1. Have a strategic business plan, meaning make sure it is easy and accessible to everyone from consumers to front desk to management. With the increased throughput comes increased responsibility so make sure you know how to work the system as well as service the system. Darrin White recommends using as few vendors as possible to manage the project and work on all the kinks before going live to consumers. The ROI is difficult to assume due to the wide range that these kiosks can provide in terms of services and capabilities. 2. Capitalize on upselling, which means it is proven that kiosks increase the amount of upselling done, because with staff members in person guests are likely to become irritated and are less likely to say yes. 3. Train staff to encourage self-service, instead of letting the staff do the work let them teach the consumer/guest how to work the new technology. This shows a shift in job requirements and may help in the long run. 4. Include creative marketing and promotions, with kiosks people do not always know that this is a service you offer so make sure you advertise this feature. 5. Communicate with customers, the most successful implementations include “greeters” to introduce the new kiosks. This is important so that customers are not alienated by the kiosks but adopt the new form of technology. 6. Location, location, location, the kiosks should always be located where the check-in or ordering would normally be done. There should also be more than one to avoid guests thinking it is an ATM or waiting in lines. 7. Reward customer loyalty, provide memory of orders that have previously been taken by the swipe of a reward card or credit/debit card to speed the process and make the consumer feel valued. 8. Line busting, makes the ordering process a lot faster. 9. Killer applications, may include room selection and upgrades with floor plans. 10. Invest for the future, self service right now compliments hospitality staff but that is expected to change in the next five to ten years. Self service may dominate much of customer service.
I remember first seeing check-in kiosks for the first time in airports and I was always inhibited about using them because they were so new and not what I was used to. For a long time I just wanted to give all my information to the guest services agent, making sure it was done correctly and moving on to the gate. Now they make the programs almost the exact same as what the clerk is seeing on their computer screen behind the desk. This way the clerks are just there to help you if you run into difficulty. It is very nice to be able to swipe your credit card see all your information click on the flight and print the ticket and go! It makes for a very speedy process. My mother who is so scared of technology is opening up slowly to these new technologies, all it takes is a little coaching and she can go from there the next time around. For example she just sent an E-card to my brother’s E-mail for his birthday tonight. With these new advances all it takes is a little coaching and knowledge given to consumers to show them how much easier things can be with a little technology.
3 comments:
The use of self service has become a widely used venture being used in a lot of industries that do a lot of their business with people. I agree with the growing demand for self service kiosks options by customers to be higher because using grocery stores for example some people purchase small amounts of grocery and therefore would like to leave the shops very fast instead of being in line with people who are stopping for larger families. Some companies that have used the strategy mentioned in the article and seen a lot of success is the Airline industry (Southwest Airlines). It has made checking in with southwest easier and efficient both for the airline and customers as a whole. Even though the demand for self service is growing it is also important for companies it also maintain and improve their conventional face to face interaction since not everyone will be comfortable using self service kiosks.In the lodging industry The Hyatt is one of the first hotels to implement the use of self service kiosks on their properties. Most restaurants have started implementing small self service touch screens at the table were guests can order their food and make credit card payments.
At first I didn't like the kiosks for checking into a hotel. Mostly because guests never knew how to work them so the front desk agents ended up having to help through the whole thing step by step. But now I see how they can help. At the airport especially, the kiosks for checking into your flight work great. The cut down the wait time enormously. For food service self service is a great idea. In a fast paced, quick order restaurant these kiosk increase the amount of customers and the food greatly. With nicer, more upscale restaurants I do not see the appeal of a self service kiosk though. I do know the Marriott Marque in Times Square has a self-service screen at the table. This does not coincide with the restaurant and seems more like it should be at a McDonalds not a nice restaurant in New York. Self Service is taking over whether front desk agents or restaurant employees want it to or not. The customers have said this is what they want and we as the industry must give it to them.
Post a Comment