The Genkiosk team who have focus on specific verticals within thekiosk industry offer high quality planning, implementation and support in the following key areas:

• Bill payment kiosks
• General information kiosks
• Retail kiosks
• Internet access kiosks
• Wi-Fi hotspot management
• Photo kiosk monitoring
• Money transfer kiosks

Trevor goeson to say… “The Pacific region is where growth is coming from and we are keen to offer our expertise not only in self-service kiosks but also in remote monitoring of vending machines and other retail assets”

If you would like to talk to the Genkiosk team about how we can help your organisation please contact us and we will get straight back to you.

In a new development for 2012, the Genkiosk team has partnered with Kiosk Information Systems (KIS) who are one of the largest independent manufacturers of kiosks in the world. “Being able to supply a fully integrated solution (software and kiosk) closes the compatibility loop that concerns some of our customers” says James Oladujoye (CEO of GWD Media the developers of Genkiosk). “Our kiosk software is used all around the world and we are often asked if we can supply the kit, now we can and it’s a real boost. Genkiosk, in partnership with Kiosk Information Systems who are based in Louisville Colorado USA, is a great example of the international nature of what we do. We can supply kiosk infrastructure pretty much anywhere in the world”

Genkiosk kiosk software can be adapted to just about any kiosk deployment need, from reverse ATM’s to Bill Payment provision. Current areas which are seeing high levels of interest are…

• Bill Payment Kiosks
• Internet Access Kiosks
• Wi-Fi access
• Retail Kiosks
• Money Transfer Kiosks
• Photo Kiosk Monitoring
• Information kiosks (such as HR or local government)

…but there are so many other applications where Genkiosk is used.

If you have a need to deploy kiosks within your organisation please do get in touch. If you would like to see Genkiosk’s kiosk software in action, please view our product tour!

If you are thinking of using kiosks in your organisation to supplement your existing shop floor sales team, you should expect no less from kiosks than you do from sales people. If anything it should be easier for kiosks if the system is implemented correctly. You don’t have to account for human errors, Monday-morning-syndrome etc. A system like Genkiosk gives you total visibility of what your virtual sales force is doing.

Consider for a moment the effect on your business if one or more of your members of staff is ill. The performance of your team is compromised; the customer-facing bandwidth is reduced. Lower staff numbers leads to frustrations for customers and colleagues. Unsatisfied customers means you are certainly not maximising sales, so something should be done.

It is common knowledge that provision of self-service kiosks can reduce queue time dramatically. Kiosks can also provide additional revenue through up-selling via a well-designed interface (such as Genkiosk’s database-centric content creation technology: WPF). There are a whole host of reasons why supplementing your existing sales force makes sense.

And just as you would not want to send your sales team out without back-office support, nor should you let your kiosks go out without an effective kiosk management system as Genkiosk provides. Genkiosk can answer a number of questions to help you keep track:

- Are my kiosks working?

- How much revenue have my kiosks sold?

- How much of the time are they available?

When we first started out with Genkiosk we focused on paid internet access and as a result we tended to refer to the hardware as “Internet Kiosks”. However, as the industry started to grow and diversify so too did our software. As a result the Genkiosk team receives many enquiries from around the world for what is essentially the same product, but most often with a different name. Self-service kiosk, ATM, info-point, vending machine…these have all been used to describe a very similar concept.

• Interactive kiosk: emphasis on a two-way relationship between kiosk and user
• Information kiosk: often used in the public sector where the kiosk is a resource or information repository
• Tele-kiosk: the successor to the payphone that offered text, fax, and SMS services
• Financial services kiosk: also known as Bank-in-a-Box offers a way to complete complex transactions without visiting the bank
• Photo kiosk: provision for high-quality photo printing. “Digital Order Stations” are kiosks used to request prints that are them mailed directly to the user. “Instant Print Stations” allow images to be printed while-u-wait via built in dye sublimation and ink jet printers.
• Internet kiosk: traditional public internet access in areas such as airports and hotels
• Ticketing kiosk: self-service purchase of access to theme parks, cinemas etc
• Charity kiosk: provides a means for the public to donate to good causes
• DVD-vending kiosk: usually a hybrid kiosk/vending machine where a user can rent a DVD (secured by credit card). This is an example of where kiosks and vending machines merge and has led to the development of Genkiosk’s sister product Vendtrack.
• Visitor management and security kiosk: central control of checking in/out process for businesses, universities and other secure-access buildings
• Building directory/way-finding kiosk: navigational information helping visitors locate offices, departments and special facilities
• Customer flow kiosk: means a take-a-number style solution; implementations range from simple ticket dispensing to biometric readers

But wait… what’s that I spy against the back wall, right next to the ticket desk? A full bank of ticket sales/collection kiosks, what a welcome sight (awe). I love an opportunity to beat the system (excitement). I know what you’re thinking, someone who hates queuing so much should really have ordered them online, but where am I going to find the time to sit down and do any advanced planning? I suppose I could ask a friend to book them for me, but I’m not sure I trust him with my credit cards details…

Back in the cinema I’m toying with the idea of giving up my place in the queue to take my chances on the self-service kiosks (uneasy). Taking the plunge, I make my way towards the kiosks. Excellent, queues for these are miniscule (relief)! Upon reaching the first kiosk I see the dreaded “Out of Service” announcement on the screen (dismay), the second kiosk says “Printer out of paper” (aargh), at the third the “card reader isn’t working” (double aargh), but luckily the final kiosk is up and running. I work my way quickly through the screens, insert my card and get the ticket print-outs, rushing through the cinema doors and landing in my seat in time for the opening credits…

With so many kiosks out of action it’s no wonder everyone was queuing to buy tickets. It frustrates me that businesses like this are not doing enough to push people towards self-service. How can they afford to employ the human staff needed to take the strain off their faulty kiosks? An all-singing-all-dancing kiosk software management system such as Genkiosk can solve all of these problems and prevent down-time. Genkiosk monitors the key components of a kiosk’s sub-system and sends the data back to the cloud-based Genkiosk server.

Genkiosk: reducing the “aargh” since 1998.

Zaffar Iqbal

Information kiosks are big business, which means a bewildering aray of options! Whether it’s for government, retail, charity or general use, there are a number of factors to think through, and pitfalls to be wary of when choosing your kiosk software.

What degree of control to do need over your network? Will you need to update the kiosks remotely? Will each unit be managed individually or will they be grouped according to location? Some kiosk operators may want to create a controlled brand but specifying look and feel (logo, callout, contact details etc.), but still allow each site a certain amount of flexibility to personalise their equipment.  Will the kiosk be used for product information alone, or should they be lead generators? (Information kiosks are increasingly used car showrooms where the customer can customize their new car and play aroudn with some ideas without the need to tie up a salesperson until they are ready to buy).

How about peripherals? Will you be printing lots of receipts and if so do you want to be notified automatically when the kiosk is low on paper? Genkiosk is used in government buildings where receipt printing is high and this kind of situation is well worth preparing for if you want to avoid massive queues at customer services.

Genkiosk is used to fulfil all these requirements. Other Genkiosk software uses include bill payment systems, money transfer solutions, product demonstration, employment & human resources (HR).

Genkiosk information kiosk software team are looking forward to some exciting developments, which are well worth factoring into your thinking. Information kiosks may begin to take personal information via bluetooth connection as part of the increased need for identity verifiaction in the financial sector. Stay in touch and we’ll keep you up-to-date with our latest new features.

Genkiosk can now be used to manage your Colubris Wi-Fi Hotspots. Using the industry standard RADIUS protocol, Genkiosk vouchers can be used control user access to your Colubris Wi-Fi Hotspot. Genkiosk can also provide real-time monitoring information about your hotspots and even give you up-to-date stats on how many users are connected to the hotspot at any one time. You can also use Genkiosk to manage voucher distribution and activation. Genkiosk hotspot management provides an easy-to-use custom-built payment portal to ensure your customers can get online with the minimum of fuss. Genkiosk helps you monitor hotspot up-time to ensure patchy coverage is a thing of the past…

Using VPN and SNMP Genkiosk can connect to the hotspots and report on:

1. How many devices are connected to the hotspot?

2. How many devices are in an authenticated session?

3. MAC address of connected devices

4. Model and serial number of each hotspot

5. Hotspot firmware versions

6. Hotspot connection status

 Are my hotspots overloaded?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the facts at your fingertips? Instead of guessing how many people might be using a hotpot at any one time Genkiosk can give it to you straight. Imagine a busy station platform where you have strategically placed a number of hotspots, only one of these might see intensive use and the others are a waste of money. Genkiosk provides key business intelligence ensuring this kind of situation doesn’t occur.

Compatibility

Genkiosk is certified for integration with the following popular Colubris devices:

 MSC-3200

 MSC-3300

Our development team are actively developing compatibility and more devices will be supported soon.

If you have any questions about how Genkiosk can help your Wi-Fi network to run more smoothly and more profitably please get in touch!

Example 4: The Midas Kiosk
One of the best approaches to retail analysis (including self-service) is “Stars and Dogs”: identifying and analysing the best-performers (the “Stars”) and improving (or removing) the worst (the “Dogs”).

But on one occasion, the brightest “Star” was burning way too hot. In an estate where £100 ($150) revenue meant a pretty good day, one kiosk was reporting £16,000 ($24,000). Our client was furious…

…until we used Genkiosk to confirm what was really going on. At the site, one of the staff members had switched the kiosk to test mode and run £16,000 of fictional sales through the kiosk. These figures were winging their way to the credit card processing centre, where a revenue share agreement would have credited the site-owner with the lion’s share of the £16,000.

In the end, our client was able to head off the disaster – saving face and revenue at the same time. Staff training began the following week…

Example 5: It’s All About You!

For me, the key commercial benefits of Genkiosk are: increasing revenue; cutting costs; saving on management time.

When engaging with a new customer my starting point is to find out which of these is their top priority right now. Then I find out if they know how to achieve this goal. Do they know which regions have the most successful kiosks? Have they calculated the true cost of a scheduled maintenance visit? How do they know the right price for each location? What would be the effect is decommissioned the worst 10% of their kiosks?

Often the answers aren’t at their fingertips, which is where Genkiosk comes in. Taking the initiative, the Genkiosk highlights the “Stars” and “Dogs”, the best and worst performers and evaluates what is making each site great or terrible. Can issues be remedied?

My objective is to find and demonstrate the concrete benefits for each individual business. As ever, people are much more interested in personal gains than theoretical achievements.

So if you would like to start your own conversation, we’d love to hear from you.

Example 2: At what price?

In general the true value of a product is the price that your customer is willing to pay.

In my second example, the kiosk operator was providing a specialist service located in a mixed retail environment. Prices had been set according to industry standard, but was there a chance for the operator to increase their margin?

The operator experimented with the price point and Genkiosk analytics revealed the results. When prices were raised by 50% there was no reduction in the number of orders.

Customers were already on-site…they were ready to buy…and in their current frame of mind the added cost did not deter them. The operators margins sky-rocketed, their costs remained the same, but revenue had gone up significantly.

Genkiosk provided the business intelligence required to justify this commercial move.

Example 3: Everything’s going dark!

I love it when our customers install a large monitor in a prominent position in their offices or reception, showing live Genkiosk data about their estate. Some display a dashboard, with key data shown in charts and charts. Others prefer geographical information using a map showing what’s happening where.

And it was the plummeting dial on a major kiosk software estate that prompted an urgent call from one of our clients: “Quick. Do something! Your Genkiosk system is falling over. Everything is going offline!” …only Genkiosk wasn’t to blame.

Our client’s partner, the location owner, was changing firewall settings (with the intention of enabling Facebook functionality); something had gone wrong and the whole estate was being switched off.

Our customer had been through similar experiences before, which had taken over two days to sort out. Thanks to Genkiosk, the alarm was raised immediately and everything was put to rights in under two hours – saving two full days of sales, not to mention the potential damage to reputation.

Read on for some tips on keeping your kiosks safe….

• Replace the Windows interface with a purpose-built skin, which blocks access to Windows Explorer, local drives, desktop, taskbar, system files…
• Use a secure browser that prevents access to menu items that the user can tweak
• Block unauthorised downloads or perhaps limit the download location to a USB drive
• Use a white list to restrict what sites your users can access
• Disable shortcuts such as CTRL+ALT+DEL, Windows key, CTRL-ESC, F10. (Must be disabled from the moment the machine powers up)
• The kiosk software must run via a limited Windows account to ensure maximum security is provided, this ensures critical system files cannot be erased
• Hide system drives, make sure the user can only see the drives they need
• Choose kiosk software that allows you to set folder access rights. (Full, Read-only, Read/Write, Read/Execute, None…)
• Block unauthorised applications and program options, make sure Open, Save as, Properties etc are managed properly
• Force applications and processes to remain running so that services are always available and the user experience isn’t interrupted
• Create an Engineer Login that de-activates the shell and allows technicians to perform system updates or configuration changes
• Protect user confidentiality by ensuring that the kiosk software automatically times sessions out and deletes browser cache, history and visited pages. Prevent cookies from saving customer identity and usage