Why Self Service? What are The Benefits?

In this blog: Read about the advantages of self service technologies for organizations looking to implement these technologies.

Consumer behavior has changed drastically as the world has seen exponential technological growth over the past decade; people have adapted to and rely on technology for simple tasks like purchasing goods and services.

Many industries have leveraged this new desire of consumers to be self reliant and implemented the use of modern technology in their service delivery strategies. Self service has become the most sought after service delivery channel for consumers today.

Advantages for Consumers

Self service technologies like SIM dispensing kiosks and cash deposit machines present clear advantages to the consumer:

1. No more queues/reduced wait times
2. 24/7 access to services
3. Instant & accurate service delivery
4. Multiple payment options
5. Access to additional services like bill payments
6. No human interaction necessary

Advantages for Organizations

The list goes on and on for users of the technology, but why should organizations implement this technology? What are the benefits for companies that invest tens of thousands of dollars into this technology?

Reduced Costs

A self service kiosk costs thousands of dollars, how is that cost savings you may ask. Well, yes, you do pay a lot upfront, but in the long run kiosks are well worth it. Lets say instead of opening a new telecom service center at a new location, you just install a kiosk or two in that location. Here are all the costs you'll save:

• Rent (recurring)
• Property insurance (recurring)
• Utilities (recurring)
• Employee trainings
• Salaries (recurring)
• Furnishing & equipment
• Maintenance (recurring)

Sell More

Besides these quite clear savings, self service will also help you sell more of your product or service. By creating an omnichannel experience for the consumer by offering multiple digital & analogue channels of service delivery, businesses can attract a larger customer base.

Self service kiosks are also great at upselling and cross selling additional products and services so much so that self service increases average order value by nearly 40%. The more you invest into self services, the more dividends it will pay in the long run.

Increased Productivity

When foot traffic is split between physical and digital channels, employees suddenly have more free time and can focus their efforts towards more meaningful tasks instead of doing the same monotonous job behind a counter.

A great example of this is banks. When banks install cash and check deposit machines to automate deposits, tellers are no longer spending majority of their day facilitating these deposits and can tend to more demanding tasks like servicing higher profile clients or troubleshooting problems. In any case, employees' time is freed up and more work is done.

Besides productivity shooting up, employees end up learning new skills now that they have more free time and are required to perform more demanding tasks that test their skills and knowledge. These added dimensions to existing jobs give employees more meaning and motivate them to work harder.

Proper self service implementation, in the long run, leads to greater productivity and job enrichment for existing employees.

Quicker Service Delivery

Instant service delivery via self service is not just an advantage for consumers, but for businesses as well. At quick service restaurants, customers queue up behind ordering counters and wait ages as the undecisive person in front makes up their mind about their order. This costs both, the customers and the establishment, a great deal of time.

And for businesses, time is money; the more time spent servicing one customer, the lesser customers you are able to serve in a day. Self service ordering kiosks came about and revolutionized omnichannel service delivery for the QSR industry.

With customer traffic split between counters and kiosks, fast food restaurants are now able to service a greater number of people which means more sales and higher revenue.

Customer Empowerment

When you offer customers service delivery through self service kiosks, they become independent and take control over their transactions. They want to solve their problems and find solutions by themselves without calling for customer support.

This is especially true for large retail establishments that offer self service checkout options. Customers feel empowered when they don't have to rely on staff for checking out their groceries. This creates an enhanced customer experience and helps retain and draw in more customers.

Data Driven Decisions

The best part about using digital service delivery channels is all the data you end up collecting about your customers and products. For example, telecom operators can get a lot of data from SIM dispensing kiosks like how many customers are opting for a certain service or how much customers are spending on average at the kiosks.

Personalized Experiences

What can companies do with this data? Companies can develop algorithms to help personalize each customer's shopping experience like never before. Customers will be recommended additional products and services based on their previous transactions creating a very personal shopping experience. This helps nurture lasting customer relationships and loyal customers.

With data from kiosks, companies can also make important product related decisions like deciding where to invest more money. They can study the data to see what customers prefer at the time and invest more towards similar products and services. Alternatively, this can also help decide which products and services to discontinue.

Self Service, a Necessity

Investing in self service is a necessity in today's business climate, especially with the ongoing global health crisis; you never know when you may have to shut down your stores. Beyond that, self service is also necessary to remain competitive in your respective industry. Customers are looking for companies that offer an omnichannel experience.

Azimut Self Service

Azimut is a self service solutions provider that focuses on bringing you the best end to end solutions available in this ever growing industry. Azimut is a part of the Wavetec Group, serving some of the largest banks, telecoms and mobile financial services providers in North America, Africa, and Central & Southeast Asia.

Reach out to our sales team today to equip your business with the right tools to gain a competitive edge over the rest.