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Essential kiosk features to look out for in 2024

More businesses will want to adopt kiosk management solutions in 2024. A unified endpoint management expert explores the critical kiosk features needed for businesses in 2024.

Image: Adobe Stock

January 24, 2024 by Abhinandan Ghosh — Senior Content Editor, Scalefusion

Kiosk software, also called a kiosk app or kiosk solution, is used by businesses to serve multiple purposes. The best kiosk software is the one that offers businesses different options to lock down devices. These devices can be customer-facing or employee-facing, and their functions may vary depending on their usage. Devices running on kiosk mode require kiosk lockdown software (or kiosk management software) to secure and optimize their performance.

The digital transformation wave is bound to strengthen in 2024, and more brands will want to adopt the best kiosk management solutions. So, here's a look at some of the crucial features of kiosk software necessary to manage kiosk devices.

But before we dig into the features, let's learn a bit about the importance of kiosks and how they operate.

How kiosk management software works

Kiosk management software, solutions or tools are the best way for businesses to streamline customer interactions and employee productivity. A typical kiosk solution works by locking devices into kiosk mode via a dashboard or management console. Kiosk mode is of two types — single-app and multi-app.

As the name suggests, single-app kiosk mode locks a device into only one dedicated application. Common examples of single-app kiosk mode devices include digital signage, wayfinders and self-check-in kiosks.

Multi-app kiosk lockdown, on the other hand, allows devices to run more than one application. The applications are based on the jurisdiction of IT admins and chosen as per the intended purpose. For example, restaurants can lock specific interactive menu tablets in multi-app mode for use by customers as well as staff. Another common use case of multi-app kiosk mode is the devices used by frontline workforces like delivery executives, transit drivers, nursing staff, etc.

Importance of kiosk software

Kiosk management tools offer several advantages to businesses while automating IT tasks and saving time and resources. Some of the advantages that underscore the importance of having the best kiosk management software are:

Robust security with peripheral control and no unauthorized access.
Improved employee productivity (minimized distractions).
Remote device management.
Better customer experience and service.
Reduced data costs.
Increased device lifecycle.

Key features: What lies ahead in 2024?

Improved security. With threat actors at prowl all the time and becoming shrewder by the day, kiosk security needs to get stronger in 2024. Many kiosks are standalone devices and could easily become sitting ducks for cybercriminals. Kiosk solution providers must incorporate tighter security measures to protect the kiosks and their confidential data. Creating stringent passcode policies for kiosks is an excellent place to start. This can include more periodic changes of passwords and a predetermined length and complexity. Implementing role-based access control for kiosks will also become more commonplace. RBAC ensures only admins can access the kiosks and control their functions, apps and content.

UEM/MDM-based control. A lot of UEM/MDM solutions today offer kiosk management features. Expect this number to grow further in the future. For businesses, leveraging such solutions can lead to a more holistic approach to kiosk management. This is because UEM- or MDM-based kiosk management extends the admin capabilities. From bulk enrollment, provisioning, OS-based profiling, patch management and much more, there are plenty of benefits in managing kiosks via UEM/MDM software. In 2024, future-ready businesses will want to move more into the endpoint management space for their devices.

Increase in cloud-based management. As more businesses adopt kiosk devices for employees and customers, things will move further into the cloud from on-premise management. Cloud-based kiosk management saves a lot of time and effort as everything can be controlled remotely from a dashboard. Yes, in case of hardware issues, on-site visits are imperative. But in most cases, cloud-based kiosk solutions help businesses reduce on-site costs as the admin need not be present physically to resolve issues. Imagine a chain of restaurants with more than 100 kiosks distributed across branches. On-premise management of so many kiosks will mean a lot of money going into their maintenance. A centralized, cloud-based approach ensures even just one admin can manage and control all these 100 kiosks, bringing down maintenance costs by huge margins.

More integrations. The ongoing integration of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing has the potential to elevate the functionalities of self-service kiosks. This results in enhanced user experiences, personalized interactions and increased transaction efficiency. Expect kiosk integrations to gather more momentum in 2024. Intelligent kiosks will soon be the buzzword. For instance, a kiosk detects secure Wi-Fi automatically and connects to it seamlessly. Omni-channel integrations will prosper in the kiosk sphere of the future, too. Incorporating self-service kiosks into comprehensive omni-channel strategies is expected to facilitate smooth transitions between online and offline interactions. This cohesive integration aims to deliver customers a uniform experience across diverse touchpoints.

Getting industry specific. It's horses for courses as far as the kiosk scenario is concerned for 2024 and beyond. Industries with prominent kiosk usage, including retail, hospitality, healthcare and transportation might benefit from personalized self-service kiosk solutions designed to meet their unique requirements. For instance, healthcare kiosks could facilitate patient check-ins, while retail kiosks may prioritize providing product information and enabling purchases.

Cost flexibility and scalability. Pricing isn't a feature. That's correct. But it's one of the fundamentals in opting for any solution. Businesses in 2024 will seek kiosk solutions that offer better scalability and cost flexibility. Rigid pricing and device structures are bound to fade away sooner rather than later. Kiosk solution providers must offer more scalability as businesses add or remove kiosk devices from their inventory. The pricing plans must be flexible enough so retired kiosks aren't billed for. Last but not least, kiosk vendors will need to improve their tech support and offer issue resolutions with very quick turnaround times.

We have put together the essential kiosk features to look for in 2004. Before you opt for a kiosk management solution, assess your business needs thoroughly and create the purpose roadmap for devices. Book demos, talk to experts and existing users and seek scalability and flexibility. Make sure your final choice ticks all the boxes of kiosk solution needs.