Kiosk Innovation in the Public Sector

Touch screen kiosks have been used widely by public sector organisations to give information to the public. They typically provide a wide range of functions and services to meet the needs of the local community. They often focus simply on access to the organisation’s website. In the best examples, a special touch screen interface version of the website is developed. In the worst examples, the website is presented without any adaptation to the needs of the general public - thus completely missing the benefits offered by a touch screen. But many public sector organisations are now taking fuller advantage of what kiosks have to offer. And some are even stretching those capabilities into new areas. Here are some examples.

Health Service
Many GP surgeries now greet patients with a kiosk in the reception area. A simple touch screen allows a patient with a pre-booked appointment to announce their arrival. This reassures the patient that their place in the queue is secure and saves the time of the receptionist. Some hospitals have also followed this route: King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Police
Several police forces in the UK have trialled information points in police stations and even in shopping malls. Avon and Somerset Police were early adopters of kiosk technology - using kiosks from NeoProducts. But they and other constabularies are now looking at allowing the public to report minor crimes on kiosks. This, of course, saves police time, but it might also appeal to citizens who prefer not to go into a police station and who do not have access the internet at home.

Public Sector Housing
The Choice-Based Letting (CBL) approach has fundamentally improved the service offered to those seeking public sector housing. The HomeFinder service in Coventry is a good example of this. The Whitefriars Housing Association in Coventry has used kiosks from Neo to make CBL available to the public in their local offices. This takes the process of searching for a suitable property away from a housing advisor - allowing the prospective tenant to browse the database him or herself on the kiosk.

Social Benefits
The local authority offices that handle claims for social benefits tend to be extremely busy. They already use ticket-based queueing systems to marshal claimants who arrive sometimes with and sometimes without an appointment. One leading council is working with Neo on a more sophisticated version of this. Claimants will be directed towards a kiosk to announce their arrival. If they have an appointment, they will be directed to the correct location within the office. If they do not have an appointment, they will be issued with a ticket and directed the correct queue. This is again intended to save staff time but also to demonstrate to claimants that they are being dealt with quickly and fairly.

Public Employment Services
Still one of the best examples of the use of kiosks in the public sector is for job-finding. Most public employment services in the developed world now offer job search on kiosks. Neo supplied kiosks to one of the first systems in Australia. We also supplied kiosks to one of the biggest systems for Jobcentre Plus in the UK.

The public sector is now going beyond using kiosks simply to give information. In some cases it is leading the way for the private sector. The need for massive savings in public expenditure in the wake of the global recession will surely encourage more public bodies to use touch screen kiosks in exciting new ways.

Kiosks are the Future

So thinks HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard. He says: "The best service in the world is yourself" and goes on in his blog to cite the rapid growth of petrol pump and check-in self-service kiosks as a model for the future.

"If you go into a fast food restaurant, which I'm very familiar with, I'm always annoyed if I can’t make my own soft drink. I want to be able to do my own perfect mix. And when they make it behind the counter, it’s not going to be the way I want it. Now, Coca Cola is testing a new kiosk that is essentially a touch-screen computer that allows you to make your own custom beverage."

"In the next few years, even at mid-priced restaurants, you will most likely place your order and pay for your meal at a kiosk. At mid-prices and below, it’s hard to track and retain servers because there’s just not enough tip income. Or you have a server who has to cover too many tables. And it will be so much easier to have a kiosk where people can place and pay for their orders, and the server just brings you your food and beverage."

He concludes by saying that kiosks will not undermine good service: "isn’t it a service if someone puts in a machine that allows you to do something better and more quickly?". I agree with him, it surely is. NeoProducts has piloted food-ordering kiosks with MacDonald's in Australia.