Kiosks help create a memorable guest experience

By Michael Taylor

When it comes to serving ourselves, Canadians are at the front of the line. For decades we have been using automated teller machines (ATMs) to do our banking, paying for our gas at the pumps and, over the last 10 years, scanning and bagging our purchases at the retail self-checkout lane.

One reason why Canadians want to serve themselves may be because leisure time has become line-up time as consumers juggle increasingly busy lifestyles. According to a 2007 NCR/Ipsos Reid study, 84 per cent of those surveyed said, “Canadians are becoming less patient about lining up.” When asked what frustrates them about lining up, over half (52 per cent) pointed to, “not being able to serve yourself.” And where do consumers find the worst line-ups? Unfortunately the hotel check-in made the list.

Another 2007 study, this one conducted by Buzz-Back Market Research forNCR Corporation, revealed that more than three out of four (77 percent) of Canadian and American consumers polled said they are more likely to do business with organizations that offer self-service. And 92 percent value combining mobile devices – like mobile phones or PDAs – with the Internet and self-service kiosks or ATMs to improve their overall service experience.

Given the increasing consumer demand for more self-service options, hoteliers should consider how they can incorporate kiosks into their overall service offerings to help improve the guest experience.

Why?

The hospitality sector, like banking and retail, is a transaction-oriented business. Self-service can not only automate routine tasks, but also offer guests upgrades, amenities and many other services. With self-service, hoteliers can stand out as the destination of choice by delivering the best in customer service, while controlling costs and increasing revenue. 

At the most basic level, a touchscreen kiosk gives guests an additional check-in option and frees up front desk staff to handle more specialized guest requests. In a large resort or casino, kiosks can help manage numerous guests arriving concurrently or in groups, while smaller properties that employ only a single staff person on any shift can use kiosks to handle frequent guests who may not require assistance. When checking out, guests can once again turn to the kiosk for time-saving convenience such as printing their airline boarding pass.

Taking self-service one step further —newer kiosks can be equipped with a WayFinder module in which interactive maps help guests locate amenities around the property and identify the best route to a guest room, pool, hotel restaurant or other services.

There are also free-standing kiosks that support multiple automatic key encoders as well as in-counter units with an automatic or manual encoder. Emerging technologies such as biometric lock systems could eventually eliminate the key card altogether, allowing the kiosk to accept the guest’s fingerprint and encode the lock.

A look at the front desk experience of the future

The front desk experience is becoming more streamlined than ever before. Some hotels are transitioning to a counter with an integrated kiosk where a professional and friendly staff member greets guests as they arrive, ushers them to an available kiosk and assists them as they check in. The staff member would then be available to market various amenities and offerings within the property, generating further revenue for the property.

The kiosk itself can also boost revenue as an additional guest “touch point”. During the registration process, the kiosk could ask guests if they would like to upgrade their rooms, offer special pricing on in-house meals or have breakfast delivered to their room. For frequent guests, the same kiosk could be used to promote the brand and boost customer loyalty by alerting guests to real-time rewards and incentives at the time of checkin.

Given the intuitive nature of the kiosk, it is also well-suited to handle staffing issues and control costs related to high staff turnover. Canada’s hospitality sector faces a significant labour shortage and will require another 300,000 professionals by 2015. In provinces like Alberta where labour shortages are an especially stressful fact of life for hoteliers, kiosks could help reduce hiring and training costs for front desk personnel.

Bottom line? Guests are not just seeking fast and easy service – they are demanding it. And with first impressions often being lasting impressions, self-service kiosks can be a powerful way to provide enhanced customer service, improve marketing, and help properties operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. It is all about using self-service to deliver a five-star guest experience.

Michael Taylor is general manager of NCR’s Retail Group in Canada. Based in the company’s Canadian head office in Mississauga, Ontario, he is a frequent traveller and self check-in user. For more information on NCR , visit www.ncr.com.