Commentary

Finding the balance between digital experiences and human interaction

Every organization will find balance in different ways. But all have one thing in common: technology-backed kiosk and POS experiences supplemented by human touch when the situation demands.

Image: Adobe Stock

February 12, 2024 by Jay Burdette — Senior Director, Enterprise Process Innovation Center, Panasonic Connect

This past October marked a very important recognition day in the brand and foodservice calendar: customer experience day. Executives and decision makers across kiosk industries — including retail, restaurant and transportation — have been coming to terms with which the pace of customer experience demands are evolving. A plethora of factors across digital, social and immersive experiences are keeping operators on their toes. Leaders know that understanding and delivering on desired customer experiences is critical to business.

According to the 2023 Kiosk Marketplace Census, over the past year, self-serve technology continued to evolve and offer new ways to improve the customer experience. Two leading reasons why brands wanted to make self-service a part of their engagement experience?

Consumer tendency to leverage technology to shop and the critical need to overcome labor shortages in the near and long term. At the same time, according to PwC, over 80% of consumers want more human interactions in the future. This presents quite the conundrum for operators looking to offer efficient, engaging, and effective customer experiences.

Every operation is unique. However, for almost all, the answer lies somewhere in the middle: a blend of digital and human experiences. This is a solve that is easier said than done. So, how do operators go about finding this balance?

Thrice as nice: Improve operations, increase revenue, and level up customer experience with self service

According to Gartner's 2023 Customer Service Priorities Survey, 63% of service and support leaders say improving their operations is among their most important goals. Digital experiences in the form of self-serve kiosks provide these opportunities.

For most businesses, running either a fully digital or fully-human operated business isn't feasible — nor would it prove a wise choice. Whether we're talking the smallest, most intimate dining experiences or the largest-scale bulk order retail, both the digital and human element are needed to deliver upon the desired customer experience.

Just because an experience is digital, doesn't mean that it can't be personalized or offer up a human touch. Self-service kiosks are a good example in that they provide simplicity, choice and flexibility for consumers. Memberships, rewards and loyalty programs add to the personalization with add-ons, incentives and even after-market services such as insurance right at the kiosk.

This also highlights the importance of kiosk reliability. Once the expectation is set, consumers will demand it, and there will be little time for experiences that don't stand up. This will be an emerging area of conversation.

Many technology solutions were deployed during or following the pandemic age, and brands need to decide whether to maintain current systems or work with a trusted partner to deploy newer technologies.

Is this an area where you want to deploy workers to support, or is this something brands should work with their vendors or third parties on shoring up to avoid potential pitfalls? Is this where a human comes in?

The right kiosk solutions enable employees to engage when and where it matters most

With labor already in short supply across a number of service industries, technology isn't just a nice-to-have, it is a critical component to any successful operation.

Whether you're a business looking to maximize the potential of a current workforce or trying to offer an upleveled working experience to help with hiring, recruiting and retention, digital technologies can help.

As established, the key is getting the balance right. You don't want to leave upsell or engagement opportunities on the table, but you also don't want to overstaff or take staff away from where staff can be most valuable to the operation. Here are two examples when it comes to this balance:

1. Self-service kiosk or online ordering app, but the technology is down or the order is wrong or there are additional order considerations, such as allergies. In this scenario, the right kiosk or online ordering system should be able to support all order preferences and dietary requests.

However, to ensure peace of mind, many customers may want to talk to a human to ensure their restrictions are heard. Not offering or staffing a human to talk in person or on the phone is potential lost revenue, with studies showing that more than 50% of families with allergies call restaurants ahead of time to discuss the allergy.

One study showed that 25% of families disregard ordering takeout all together, with half of those choosing to avoid because there was no human to talk to. By taking into account all customer factors, brands can make more informed staffing decisions and put staff in positions to maximize opportunity.

2. Desk-mounted POS systems where a worker is engaging with the buyer throughout the final stages of the purchasing journey. In this scenario, the customer has likely already determined a purchase. They may have been on the floor talking to a representative, could have had their questions answered, been searching for details on their phone, or may be a repeat customer.

This is where human intuition comes in. Rather than have cookie-cutter questions on a POS system or run through the same handful of questions like a telemarketer, the worker behind the POS can feel out the situation. Did they get the help they need?

Have they been asked about additional services like insurance, deals or packages? Are they familiar with set up or do they need help shipping? These are all opportunities to upsell and improve the customer experience in a more powerful way than a POS system alone. These experiences can also influence repeat customers.

Competition is tough, so, don't underestimate the value of human connection and invest in talent accordingly

At the end of the day, self-service kiosks are here to stay — from an operational, fiscal and customer experience perspective. But it's clear that customers still crave human interaction and turn to workers when making purchasing decisions, whether for advice, peace of mind or comfort.

For operators, don't wait. If you haven't already, look at ways that self-service kiosks and POS systems can support your business and allow you to make better decisions when it comes to staffing. It also means that investing in talent becomes a top priority. Not just from a recruiting perspective, but from a training and upskilling perspective as well. The emergence of technology means that talent is able to move into more valuable positions, but they must have the organizational, communication and functional skills to support that decision. This will be a critical part of the equation in which humans and technologies work together.

Every organization will find balance in different ways. But all have one thing in common: technology-backed kiosk and POS experiences supplemented by human touch when the situation demands.

Self-Service

About Jay Burdette

James (Jay) Burdette is the senior director of the Enterprise Process Innovation Center at Panasonic Connect North America. Panasonic Connect is a B2B company offering device hardware, software, and professional services for the connected enterprise. James has near 20 years of experience working within the QSR, TSR, fuel and convenience, and retail industries, leading customers to significant business growth. Jay is a forward-thinking business strategist who is motivated by solving unique customer challenges.

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