MontegoNet Solutions of Middletown has
a product holiday shoppers can
appreciate after another season of
wandering through malls in search of a
specific store, gift idea or place to
eat.
It’s called an interactive kiosk, an ATM-like machine that dispenses
information instead of money. At four-feet tall, six-inches deep, the
kiosk can be placed just about anywhere to tell people just about
anything they need to know.
Using still images and video, the machines can provide directions,
product information and allow for purchases.
“Businesses can use this to improve customer service, offer more
products they can’t fit in their stores and actually sell products
through it,” said Thomas Smith, owner of MontegoNet.
Smith’s company is Rhode Island’s only manufacturer of interactive
kiosks, a rapidly growing market that is expected to reach the $3
billion mark nationally by 2003.
The product consists of a flat-panel computer/monitor with touch-
screen capability that is housed in a shell of various shapes and
designs. Up to two gigs of information can either be stored in the
computer or the computer can be linked to the Internet or to an
Intranet.
Uses for a kiosk include:
Handling routine customer information requests, which could reduce
personnel costs and allow sales people to focus on more complicated
requests and transactions.
Selling products that can be viewed on the monitor by using a credit
card reader and printer.
Cities and towns can use the machines at tourist centers to point out
historic sites and other attractions.
Showing products that retailers don’t have room to display in their
store.
The kiosk can also be used by companies at conventions to show off
products and make presentations.
Malls, hotels, airports, banks and various corporations are currently
using this technology.
“Just about everyone know how to use an ATM. An interactive kiosk is basically the same thing. It is very easy to understand and get around on.”-Thomas SmithOwner Montegonet
“The great thing about the kiosk is that you don’t have to develop
the content, because most businesses have the information on their web
sites. It’s just a matter of plugging that information into the kiosk,”
Smith said.
The company has sold the machines to a variety of organizations,
including department stores to be used to spotlight merchandise, the
U.S. government to map out public agencies and corporations to be used
by employees for human resources information.
For example, a kiosk featuring Ocean State Online, a newly launched
web site by Cox Interactive Media serving as a guide to Rhode Island,
will be placed in the state offices building.
MontegoNet Solutions said they decided to go after the market three
years ago because of the advances made in computer technology. Smith
said not only is the computer equipment available at lower costs, but
the majority of the population is no longer afraid of computers.
“Just about everyone knows how to use an ATM. An interactive kiosk is
basically the same thing. It is very easy to understand and get around
on,” he said.
Interactive kiosks have been around for several years, Smith said,
but they have been mostly bulky machines complete with monitor and
keyboard.
“When we looked at the potential competition out there we found a lot
of what we call refrigerator boxes. They were large and not that
appealing,” he said.
With the advent of the touch-screen computers – in which the computer
is contained within the monitor – Smith said he saw a more user-
friendly, eye-catching kiosk.
He said unlike the old kiosk models, his company’s machines do not
have keyboards. Instead the software installed on the machine can, when
asked, create a keyboard on the monitor that can be used by simply
touching the screen.
“The most difficult part is getting people over to the machine. Once
they pay attention to it, people know enough to touch the screen to make
it work. It’s intuitive. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work
with it,” he said.
Along with having computer skills, Smith had a friend in the plastics
business, who makes stands used to display posters and brochures
promoting various products.
“We thought why can’t we make an interactive medium instead of static
information, like posters,” said Smith.
So Smith and his friend Tom Patton, owner of Plastic Crafters of
Warren, decided to go into business together.
Smith installs the needed software on the monitor/computer and works
with companies in providing the needed content. A designer works with
Patton to create the shell that will hold the computer.
The kiosks cost between $3,000 to $10,000, depending on the features
requested.
Tim Kearns, the company’s marketing director, said the company has
been promoting the products through the technology that drives the
product in the first place.
“Because the systems were designed to run on the Internet and the
content comes from the Internet, it has been the natural outlet in
marketing the kiosk,” said Kearns.
He added that the company receives inquires from throughout the
world. In fact, its first sale was to a company in Malaysia. MontegoNet
has distributors in Austria and the United Kingdom.
Kearns said because the systems either run on information stored on a
disk, CD ROM or from information pulled from the Internet, the system is
very easy to install. That makes it appealing to companies.
Also, touch-screen technology runs using surface acoustic waves, a
method that has proved quite reliable. It works by sending sound waves
through the glass of the monitor, which when touched creates a ripple
effect. The computer calibrates the center of the ripple and from there
determines the point of contact.
Smith said the technology doesn’t require re-calibration, like other
touch-screen methods, making it virtually worry-free.
While the interactive kiosk has gained in popularity for a wide-array
of uses, Smith said the most exciting possibilities appear to be down
the road.
“Electronic commerce seems to be the next step. People will be
regularly walking up to the kiosk and buying something,” he said.
“Companies will choose to simply have a kiosk in a mall, instead of an
entire store.”
He said the machines seem to be a good fit for companies like L.L.
Bean, which rely on catalogs, but want a presence in a mall.
“Without breaking down walls and hiring staff, a company can reach
that market by having this technology available,” he added.
Smith also predicts a time when the kiosk replaces its cousin, the
ATM.
“In 10 years, ATM’s will no longer dispense cash. They will be
downloading credits to your smart card so instead of a money machine the
kiosk will be filling their role,” he added.
