Kiosks lower staff costs, increase order values and reduce waiting times

Self-service kiosks are nothing new, with the first automated teller machine (ATM) invented back in 1967, but the widespread use of self-service machines has been around since the 1990’s.

The big change in self-service kiosks is the move to ordering food, be that it in a takeaway, quick service restaurant or even at an event or food hall for table service, and the benefits they can bring mean many more businesses should be considering them.

What are the benefits of self-service kiosks?

Self-service kiosks enable businesses to serve customers quicker, more consistently and ultimately with less staff, but these are just a few of the many benefits self-service kiosks can bring to a business including:

Are self-service kiosks for everyone?

Using ‘Tap & Buy’ self-service kiosks isn’t for every type of food & drink business.  Customers visiting a traditional restaurant with waiting staff, won’t want to order via a kiosk or tablet-based ordering system as they value the service and experience of having their order taken in person, and being dealt with personally.

Self-service kiosk research globally has shown that customers tend to spend more money when ordering via a kiosk or table-based tablet system than they do when ordering from waiting staff; as much as 20% more, in fact, was reported by US restaurant chain Chili’s, after they installed self-service tablets.

Theories for the bigger orders via self-service kiosks include the notion that a screen doesn’t judge how much you order or eat, but a person might; along with the thinking that people are more likely to order food or drink that they’re not sure how to pronounce from a self-service kiosk, than they are to ask for it out loud from a person, and risk getting it wrong.

Are self-service kiosks worth the expense?

Like any investment the numbers need to add up and self-service kiosks are no different, increases in order values and cost savings should outweigh the purchase cost and ongoing running costs.

Depending on the size of unit and quantity you can be looking at a monthly cost in the region of £69 to £200 per month or you could buy the kiosk outright from as little as £600.

In terms of ongoing costs, the better-quality devices should have very little maintenance, other than paper (if they have a printer) cleaning and annual electrical testing. Many devices will come with 1-to-3-year manufacturer warranty, which you may also be able to extend for an additional cost.  As the old saying goes, you only get what you pay for, and with kiosks, cheap tends to mean poor quality and unreliable.  The only other on-going cost you may have is a software update / maintenance charge, which can be around £10-£20 per month, although many companies include this as standard.

By adding a single kiosk into your business you can look to increase your order values by 20% and you are likely to reduce your staff costs by as much as 25%.  The kiosks should pay for itself several times over every month!

Interested? Give us a call on 01332 418 573 and one of our App4 consultants can provide you with a fully integrated kiosk and online ordering system, that is proven to reduce staff costs, increase order values and improve customer service with faster ordering and reduced waiting times or click here to arrange a call back from one of our specialists.