Just because you’re convinced that kiosks are the best solution to a company problem doesn’t mean that others in the organization are going to immediately embrace your proposal. In parts one and two of our four-part series on how to get buy-in for your kiosk project, we examined ways to get executives and IT teams on your side. For executives, driving home the evidence that digital kiosks consistently generate significant revenue increases, no matter the vertical, is key getting them on board. For the IT department, painless installation, seamless software integration and enhanced security features are crucial discussion points.
Here, in part three, we aim to help kiosk advocates educate floor-level staff –the people who will actually work among the kiosks and potentially feel threatened by them—about how digital kiosks can support their professional ambitions, lead to an increase in hiring and create more job-satisfying tasks related to company output.
Digital Kiosks Lead to Job Growth
Historically, the most pressing concern about kiosks as they found greater acceptance across multiple industries was that automated customer service machines would replace a sizable segment of the workforce.
The reality proved starkly different. Now, as some organizations are seeing sales growth of almost of 20 percent because of digital kiosk implementation, they are hiring workers to keep up with the increased demands of a larger customer base.
One industry that employs almost 9 million workers is expected to grow over 10 percent in the next few years, and some brands are adding almost 5 percent of their workforces in new hires after installing kiosks as primary customer service interfaces.
Digital Kiosks Enhance Job Quality
By adding jobs in addition to investing in self-service kiosks, decision makers are proving how much value they place on real people to connect with customers, create quality products and manage facilities.
While self-service kiosks take on many of the tasks of traditional customer service workers, employers are now entrusting them with vital tasks that lead to revenue generation.
Self-service kiosks are helping customers across all industries accurately and efficiently process payments securely, wayfind through sprawling facilities, and provide attentive opportunities to up-or cross-sell products through digital signage. As a result, employees and mid-level managers are free to undertake responsibilities that require critical skills such as problem solving, creativity and personal service.
Fully configurable, multi-touch kiosks help lines move quickly and reduce errors. As the customer feels more in control of the customer service experience, positive feedback is more likely to be shared, as well as more money spent per purchase, which helps promote further trust in not only kiosk investments, but also the employees who manage and support the process.
In addition, some companies are taking maximum advantage of employee task redistribution and further investing in trusted hires by training them to do management-level work in IT, marketing, shipping or sales.
Kiosk and Workers: Partners for a Common Goal
A dynamic, side-by-side partnership of digital kiosks and employees are a solid foundation to revenue growth. One study showed that for every dollar spent on employees, there is an average expectation of $10 in profit. Further research shows that as employers trust in workers to carry out challenging, engaging and achievable tasks, businesses see twice the revenue per employee.
Coupled with the fact that some companies are realizing over ten times the return on investment in kiosks alone, many organizations are seeing 5-10 percent overall increases in their bottom lines after rolling out self-service machines. As a result, employees across all industries are buying in to their own value to the organization, which research shows raises job satisfaction ratings. In turn, these companies see 40 percent less turnover and almost 38 percent higher employee productivity.
Making the Case
Coming up in part four, “Congratulations, You’ve Got Your Kiosk Project. Don’t Screw It Up,” we’ll talk about how to manage staff concerns once the kiosks are actually purchased and installed. Even to get to that point, however, the advocate should be prepared to head off potential staff objections early. Otherwise, well-placed and ill-informed skeptics might move to kill the project without your having a chance to defend it.
- As part of your discussion with C-level leaders, vaccinate them against staff objections by sharing the arguments above. Be proactive in giving them tools to combat resistance to your plan.
- Identify staff who are influencers and informally share your ideas about kiosks and dispel their concerns before they have a chance to calcify. In the best case, they’ll become so enthusiastic about your proposal that they’ll help sell it to other team members.
The World of Tomorrow: Self-Service Kiosks
As staff and mid-level management are the lifeblood of any business, digital kiosks are becoming an increasingly important tool to help them succeed. Talent in tandem with automated customer service creates opportunities for revenue growth, expanded skillsets and a healthier workforce. Contact Olea Kiosks today to find out how our award-winning self-service kiosks can work side-by-side with your team of managers and staff.
