Remember when you used to stand in line at the airport to check your bags with a ticket agent? Now you are more likely to check your bags yourself at a self service kiosk or ATM. You know the drill, you pop in a credit card number, the system identifies who you are and checks the database to retrieve your flight. You then confirm everything, or key in some changes, such as an upgrade on your seating. Or how about the grocery store? Have you had less than 15 items and found yourself moving over to the self-service checkout lane? That's an ATM too.
ATMs Are Ubiquitous
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are as much a part of the consumer experience today as banking itself. The first ATMs were set up by Barclays in the United Kingdom in 1967. Soon they migrated to America. Banks loved them for their cost savings, because each machine replaced two tellers. No wonder then that industries as diverse as travel and retail are turning to ATMs for cost savings and consumer convenience.
Acceptance on the part of consumers however too decades, and in fact there is still some resistance, particularly among the older generations. Still, more space is being devoted to self service check outs at CVS, Wal Mart, and other retailers. Even the smallest airlines are switching over to self check in stations. A survey by the International Air Transportation Association in 2009 revealed that more than half of all travelers would rather use a self-service option than speak to a human. This is due to convenience and the perception that it speeds the wait in line.
ATMs and Convenience
While there are benefits for merchants for setting up self service kiosks, not the least of which is saving money and keeping customers happy, there are downsides. These include the risk of confusing consumers with hard-to-use interfaces. If customers are dissatisfied, the company's brand can be tarnished. Revenue can be lost. The four biggest challenges then are:
Reliability
Usability
Security
Meeting regulations
What has the ATM industry taught everyone? Keep machines up 99% of the time. Make the screens touch pad easy. Give help options and go back options. Equipment manufacturers are spending a significant amount of time with user testing and even automated testing using software programs to simulate the average, or perhaps below-average-in-intelligence consumer.
Also, the whole iPod effect means people don't want to have to read a manual or help screen to do what they want. They just want it to be intuitive.
Dan the Mann writes about personal finances and dating. He blogs about debit and credit cards in his spare time.
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