Self-serve kiosks branch out to health care, fast food

August 19, 2007

At some airports, supermarkets and big-box retailers, “customer service” in recent years has meant self-serve – aided by touch-screen kiosks.

As digital kiosks become more user-friendly and capable of handling more complicated tasks, health care providers, fast-food chains and other businesses say trading face-to-face encounters for face-to-monitor transactions improves service and saves money.

Yet the complexity of human decision-making and service expectations in different industries means any possible self-serve revolution is more likely to be a gradual transition. (San Jose Mercury News)