The following is a preview excerpt from our 2009 Self-Service Consumer Survey, to be made available later this month. –Ed.

The self-service industry has come to a crossroads of customer service and technological innovation.

Over the past two decades, banks and airlines have led the way with ATMs and kiosks, with retail, medical, hotels and ticketing embracing self-service technology in ever greater numbers. Now, we are close to the tipping point of full adoption of self-service technology, similar to where we were in the mid-1990s, when the Internet and e-commerce became inextricably linked to consumer behavior.

The primary evidence of this arrival is that customer requests for self-service are increasing throughout most service-transaction industries. Kiosks are no longer a fad but rather a requirement for many (albeit not all) customers.

None of this is lost on hospitality professionals.

"The depth and range of self-service solutions in the hospitality industry has grown over the last year," said an article in Hospitality Technology. "Consumers are more interested and motivated to use self-service kiosks, and both hotel and restaurant operators are making significant strides in respect to rolling out solutions. While self-service solutions still have limited availability in hotels and even fewer restaurants, the number of rollouts planned will increase markedly over the next four years."

The customer speaks

The same reasons that make self-service popular elsewhere also apply to its applications in hospitality. Consumers want more choices and convenience, and benefit from shorter lines, less waiting and faster service. Control is another big factor. Some consumers just want the choice to do it on their own and maintain control over the experience. While these systems will never replace personalized customer service, they are flexible and offer an increasing number of consumers fast and reliable service. Service companies, then, need to offer guests the option to initiate a transaction and not stop at the reception desk, if that's what they choose to do.

"Hoteliers are seeing that self-service will become an expectation for consumers and therefore a critical component of their business strategies," also according to the above report.

Among technology options, mobile is showing significant promise. "It’s clear that mobile is the gateway to how airlines will interact with their customers in the future for almost anything," said Henry H. Harteveldt, a vice president with Forrester Research. As airlines led the way with kiosk deployment, we can predict that customers will be increasingly demanding mobile technology at the hotel.

A survey performed by market research firm TNS in December 2007 states that when given a choice of checking in to a hotel up to 24 hours prior to arrival via the Internet or a mobile device, 36 percent of respondents preferred the PC, 20 percent preferred the mobile device and 24 percent expressed no clear preference. Hoteliers wanting to move guests to mobile check-in may consider including top-rated options such as "upgrade room" and "choose room based on floor maps," the respondents indicated.

Getting it right

Self-service technology has now passed the "nice-to-have" and early-adopter stages. An ever-increasing number of customers expect transactive, interactive, efficient and elegant user-friendly technology to be available during the full cycle of customer interaction. It should be implemented from the first remote touchpoints through transaction completion.

Key issues to consider for successful self-service transactions are:

• Kiosk deployment. Ensure that the units are available where customers want them, at as many touchpoints as possible.
• Increased functionality. Adopt the most comprehensive units as possible and retrofit currently deployed kiosks with the latest functionality.
• Wireless. Wireless kiosks will increase your customer capture as they provide the flexibility to adapt to changing customer patterns. In short, you can put them where you need them, when you need them there.
• Web and mobile access, with barcode functionality
• Mobile messaging and marketing. Develop a mobile message strategy to bring the customer into the transaction at the earliest possible touchpoint.

Notwithstanding the appeal of the kiosk and the novelty of mobile technology, hospitality professionals should not neglect the Web.

Web check-in provides guests the ability to remotely use a computer or mobile device to check in to the hotel. This is a direct evolution of the customer hotel experience. Customers worldwide are becoming more and more connected via PC, laptop and mobile phones. The customer has already shown increasing adoption of Web check-in for airline boarding passes. Also, according to a study by Compete Inc., hotel guests want and expect branded Web sites to provide a better "total travel experience." Further, one-third said online check-in was significant to them.

"Service enhancements that are geared to making the pre-arrival experience easier for business guests, such as online check-in, continue to be important guest satisfaction factors," said Linda Hirneise, hotel practice partner for J.D. Power and Associates. 

Peter Slifka is a business consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in operations and corporate disciplines. Most recently, he focused on the self-service initiatives for the Starwood Hotels, implementing kiosk programs for Sheraton, W Hotels, Le Méridien, Four Points, Aloft & Element brands.