Ticket printing is becoming among the most popular
applications of self-service technology.
Staffing a window gets expensive, especially
off hours, and nothing says "don't waste
your time, come back later" like a long line
out of a ticket booth. Using kiosks to
create multiple points of purchase has been
a sound crowd management strategy for years.
At their most simple, these kiosks are
designed to take money and give tickets, to
this end will consist of:
- Kiosk Body - Usually freestanding but wall mount kiosks have been used.
- Ticket Dispenser or Printer
- Payment Acceptor - Credit Card Reader, Cash Acceptor, Coin Acceptor, and very rarely a Change Dispenser.
Additional features include:
- A keyboard + trackball is only used when you want the customers' details, like an email address. Touch screen input for large amounts of data (like names and street addresses) don't work very well; Most people are used to keyboards for data entry.
- A secondary overhead monitor can be used to advertise the new showing in a cinema or food specials.
- Barcode or QR Scanner to work with printed offers and mobile devices
As is the case with most kiosk
applications balancing desired features with
specificity and ease of use is most
important. Below are examples of
kiosks designed with that balance in mind:
|
Cinemas are the most common places for self service kiosks for tickets and coupons.
Hotel lobbys are a good second.
