Happy customers are the key to a successful business model. Why? Because happy customers promote return visits and referrals, which in turn, make you money.
The concept is pretty obvious, however, making your customers happy isn’t as quite simple as it once was. Consumer satisfaction is now equally reliant on the overall experience as the quality of the product on offer, meaning businesses have been forced to reconsider and redesign their approach to customer service. As standards increase across the board, consumers are now conditioned to expect immediate answers to their questions and simple solutions to their problems. This is where self-service comes into play.
Although the concept of self-service has existed for decades, it’s only in recent years that has it evolved into the phenomenon we see today. Whether it be scanning groceries or retrieving a boarding pass at the airport, it’s very much integrated into our daily lives, often in the form of an interactive kiosk.
Sometimes referred to as a check-in kiosk, an interactive kiosk is a piece of hardware used to display information and facilitate actions, like one of those mentioned above. NewBook Self-Service Kiosks were designed specifically for the tourism and hospitality industry, created to make the front desk experience quicker, easier, and more efficient.
The Benefits of a Self-Service Kiosk
Our kiosks employ leading technology to help accommodation providers reduce operating costs, increase productivity, boost sales, and deliver a seamless, contact-free customer experience.
Improved productivity and efficiency
Much like business automation, the primary function of a Self-Service Kiosk is to minimise manual labour and help a business transition into a more streamlined, more efficient way of doing things. In an accommodation setting, kiosks greatly reduce the need for front-office staff by allowing guests to perform tasks autonomously without the assistance of a receptionist. This reduction in staff requirements means more resources become available to assist across other areas of the business, subsequently improving productivity.
Decreased costs
Despite what some old-school Sci-Fi movies may have predicted, robots are still yet to take over the world. There will always be a place for a physical team of staff, but for less vital roles, kiosks are pretty handy. They pose a convenient, cost-effective customer service solution for businesses who would otherwise need to employ additional staff members to manage things like after-hours check-ins, naturally leading to a decrease in wage expenditure.
Increased average spend per person
When serving a customer in the traditional format, upselling can come across as rehearsed or exasperating to buyers just looking to move through their interaction at more than a snail’s pace. Kiosks provide a way to unlock new sales avenues and upsell… without the annoyance. In fact, they’re so successful at this task that they can help boost consumer purchases by up to 30%! NewBook Self-Service Kiosks allow you to showcase ads and promotions, highlight add-ons, upsell activities and appointments during the booking process, and display photos. All of these seemingly small things actually play a huge part in sparking buyer interest and ultimately contribute to prompting purchases that might otherwise be overlooked in an in-person scenario.
Reduced customer friction
Consumers love self-service. In fact, 67% of them prefer it over speaking directly to a staff member because of the way that self-service appeals to their changing preferences. Kiosks present customers with the peak of convenience. They help to reduce queuing and waiting times, deliver immediate answers to questions, and offer helpful resources without any added hassle. As far as providing a seamless customer experience goes, Self-Service Kiosks have you covered.
Increased security/safety
Since the beginning of Covid-19, the way we look at self-service has changed dramatically. It’s now seen as necessity for many businesses as surveys increasingly show major shifts in the way consumers engage with brands, like drastically lower in-person engagement. Tools like Self-Service Kiosks are now helping to pave the way for businesses to reopen and operate safely with minimal human contact required whilst also appealing to the immediacy and convenience that guests demand.
Superior scalability
Self-Service Kiosks also present an extremely adaptable solution, easily scalable with the use of cloud technology. Rather than hiring more staff to perform multiple functions, NewBook Self-Service Kiosks are designed to integrate seamlessly with NewBook software, meaning new features are added regularly and updates are performed in sync with your PMS and Booking Engine.
All About NewBook Self-Service Kiosks
Using a NewBook Self-Service Kiosk, your guests can:
Check-in and out, without visiting your front desk
Want to give your guests an unbeatable customer experience? Your kiosk will simplify the check- in and out process and allow guests to manage their booking without having to speak to your reception staff.
To check-in, guests just need to enter a booking number, a member number, or scan the QR code emailed or texted to them with their booking confirmation. Their booking information will automatically pop up on the kiosk screen, and after following the prompts and checking in successfully, your guest can choose to send their arrival details via email, SMS, or simply view it on-screen. Checking out follows a similar process and is just as easy, and your guests can even choose to rebook another stay once their check-out is finalised.
Hot tip: When using a QR code to check-in, the guest can scan their code from almost two feet away without needing to manually enter any information into the kiosk and their booking details will instantly appear on the screen!
Place a booking
Making a booking on a kiosk is very similar to placing one on your Booking Engine. Guests can browse through the rate options you have set up in NewBook and make their selection using the touch screen.
The ability to place a booking without the need to visit the front desk is fantastic for guests arriving late at night or once your office has closed. When used in conjunction with our Cloud-Based Key Dispensers, our kiosks will allow your guests access their accommodation at any time, regardless of whether you have a staff member manning your reception or not.
Hot tip: Within NewBook, you can choose to require a deposit, full payment, or no upfront payment when placing a booking.
Select a site or room
Just like when placing a booking using NewBook’s All-In-One Booking Engine online, guests can select their preferred site or room from your interactive property map during the booking process.
Within NewBook, you’re able to set an additional charge for site/room selection if you choose.
Conveniently make payments
NewBook Self-Service Kiosks integrate with our all-in-one payment solution, NewBook Payments, and our NewBook Payments Integrated EFTPOS Terminals, meaning that making a payment using a kiosk is a super simple and streamlined process. The system supports a range of payment types, and all payments made are sent directly to your NewBook system.
A guest may make a payment using your kiosk when:
- Placing a booking, whilst checking in, or checking out to pay balances or deposits
- Using the Pay Account button to pay a balance or invoice, such as rent for long-term resident
Hot tip: When using the Pay Account feature, guests can choose to pay half of the amount, the full amount, or pay a custom amount if they are splitting the cost of their stay. Receipts for payments get automatically emailed to the guest, but they can also choose to view the receipt on-screen.
View a wide range of helpful property and area information
With our kiosks, your guests can bypass the front desk and access handy info without needing to speak to your staff. From commonly asked questions to local area information, there’s a stack of useful features available that can help your guests find what they’re looking for.
Guest FAQ
This is a bit like your compendium. Here your guests can find commonly asked questions, attractions, events, services (like the nearest hairdresser or laundromat), emergency services addresses and phone numbers, and destinations (like airports or train stations).
Contact Us
This is where your guests will find all your contact numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and opening hours.
Home Screen
On the home screen of your kiosk, your guests will be able to see a clock in the top-right corner that displays both analogue and digital times. Under this clock, they’ll also be able to see whether your office is open or closed and view a weather forecast for the next five days.
Gallery
At the bottom of the home screen, your guests will be able to see a library of photos or advertisements you have uploaded to your kiosk. Simply clicking on any particular image will bring it up in full size for a closer view.
View your property map
Guests can access your property map by clicking the Maps button on your kiosk. On your map, they’ll easily be able to see points of interest and find their way to your facilities and their accommodation using the easy-to-read map markers.
Book facilities and activities
Guests can use your kiosk to book activities or facilities at any point during their stay. Just like when placing an accommodation booking on your kiosk, they can scroll through the options you have listed, view pricing and times, make their selections, and pay via the kiosk all within a matter of minutes.
Hot tip: Do you offer activities at your property? Use your kiosk to advertise what’s on offer! When not in use, you can use the 31-inch touch screens to showcase your activities, facilities, and promotions. Simply upload your advertising images within NewBook and your kiosk will automatically display them when your kiosks aren’t being used by a guest.
Sign agreements
During the check-in process, your guests will be prompted to sign any forms you require, such as a guest registration form or Covid declaration. To complete the forms, your guests can simply sign their signature using their finger on the kiosk touch screen. All forms will be saved in your NewBook system as PDF documents within the guest profile, so you can print them off, email them, or refer to them whenever you need to.
Complete a check-out survey
Once a guest completes their check-out, your kiosk will prompt them to fill out a check-out survey where they can rate their stay with you. This survey will contribute to your Net Promoter Score, and any low scores will trigger automated correspondence so that your management can get in touch with the guest directly.
Access entry codes and retrieve their keys
Once a check-in is confirmed, your kiosk will automatically send your guest any relevant access codes, such as the code required for your boom gate or Wi-Fi Door Locks, or a PIN to retrieve their room key from your Cloud-Based Key Dispenser.
Purchase a gift voucher
Instead of heading online, your guests can quickly and easily generate and purchase a gift voucher through your kiosk. Simply choose which email template you would like each voucher type to apply to and your guests can browse voucher options or create an amount of their own.
Top up RFID wristbands – Coming Soon
RFID wristbands can be used to make purchases and gain access to various parts of your property. Because they work via a simple, scannable chip, they help take the annoyance out of carting around a card or wallet and ensure your guests can enjoy a stress-free stay. Your kiosk can be used to add credit onto your guests’ RFID wristbands. Once credit has been added to an account, the wristbands can be used to make purchases throughout your property, as well as on the kiosk itself to pay for activities or facility bookings.
Please note: This functionality requires a compatible POS system.
“We had a guest check-in tonight after closing and they didn’t even look at the after-hours bell or the office door, but instead went straight to the self-service check-in. I just love how adaptable people are to new tech!”
Customise your kiosk!
Custom wraps
Want to add a little something extra? Ask us about customising your kiosk to match your business’s unique branding and aesthetic using custom wraps and colours! Just supply us with your design (or a brief for our talented NewBook Creative Team to bring to life) and we’ll organise the rest. Your new, custom kiosk will be ready for shipment within just a few weeks of the design phase.
Customise your buttons
The buttons that you choose to display on your kiosk are also totally customisable. If gift vouchers aren’t your thing or you don’t need the ability to place a booking, just disable the functionality within NewBook what you include and don’t include is up to you! You can tailor the selection so that everything on your kiosk screen appears just as you want it to.
Need a way to deliver A+ service 24/7
Meet NewBook Self-Service Kiosks!
