Do You Kiosk? Kiosks, they`re everywhere!

Whether you’re getting cash at an ATM, checking in to an airline, or enlarging a picture at your local drugstore, kiosks are the choice for a world where “self-service” is becoming the norm. The best kiosks are fast, flexible and convenient.

That’s true in the workplace, too, where the OnBoard kiosk is used in many organizations. OnBoard kiosks are usually touch-screen panels located near the entrance of a facility. They offer a quick and convenient way to check in and out of an office or meeting-room reservation. You also can use them to make a “Just-In-Time” reservation, make a One-Click reservation, cancel a reservation, or locate people and resources.

Fast and easy "check in."

The most widely used kiosk function is for mobile workers to check into a reserved workspace. With a “quick identification” process and the press of a button or two, people can indicate their arrival and rout their telephone to their reserved workspace.

The OnBoard kiosk provides several methods for quickly identifying yourself. In one, you can “type” your login/password on a simulated keyboard on the screen. In another option, the kiosk will scan a barcode that you could keep with your wallet purse or key chain. The barcode could be issued by your company or be one that you use at your local drug store or supermarket. Other quick identification methods include RFID (radio frequency identification): Just wave your RFID card close to a sensor and you’re logged in. These advanced techniques, which are quick, easy, and inexpensive, make a simulated touch screen keyboard seem almost quaint.

Once you identify yourself, you simply check in and log out. If you have phone routing, then your phone will be transferred to your reserved workspace.

No reservation? No problem!

Let’s say you arrived at the office without a reservation. Then the kiosk becomes your one-stop shopping device to make a “just in time” reservation and to check in. The kiosk will show you available desks on a floor plan for your selection, or it could execute your “one click” reservation.

Finding your way

A popular use for a kiosk is “wayfinding” or, more simply, locating a person, an office or a conference room on a floor plan. This is better than an electronic directory, because it shows not only a person’s office number, but displays a floor plan that highlights the desired office along with a “you are here” indicator so you can clearly see how to go “from here to there.” This feature is particularly helpful to visitors, or for anyone looking to find the conference room where their meeting is located.

Who`s in?

A new kiosk feature is the “Who is in” screen. With a simple touch of the screen you’ll see a list of all the people who have reservations for that day in the facility, and their status: checked in or not. No more guesswork. You’ll know if your co-worker has arrived or not.

An accompanying article talks about OnBoard’s eleven languages and the kiosk is no exception. Each kiosk can be configured with a default language, but once a person logs in they will be able to use the kiosk in the language named in their personal profile.

Flexibility means the ability to tailor the kiosk to suit your specific needs. Each kiosk can be tailored to include or exclude any of the functions described above.

Do you kiosk? If not, give it some thought… a kiosk can make a huge improvement in workplace operations and employee satisfaction.