Kiosks are unmanned online information centres strategically placed at various public places. They are called ‘interactive touch screen kiosks’. As a self-contained unit, it is a combination of software and hardware to integrate all media tools, comprising video, text, graphics, and quality sound. It includes a touch sensor and a monitor on which the sensor is fitted. The user has to touch the appropriate sensors as per the options provided visually on the kiosk monitor. The user is then guided through different interactive screens to the information requested. The railway station kiosks help passengers know the reservation status of their tickets. The kiosk comes into action at the passenger’s touch. The passenger puts up his enquiry by touching the numbers constituting the ticket PNR number. The reservation status is then displayed on the display panel. Hence, the passenger is not required to go to the reservation office, which can be a few miles away in big cities.
Most of the insurance companies have also set up kiosks at strategic locations. For example, LIC has installed kiosks at more than 150 places covering its divisional headquarters. These kiosks contain information on the policy status and product information regarding various types of products. These facilities can be used by individuals not owning computers and not having access to the Internet. These are operational 24 hours a day and there is no requirement for any supervision like the bank ATMs. The policyholders can also access various types of information through the Interactive Voice Response System they are subjected to when calling customer care.
By—Dr. Prof. Rajesh Ganatra,
Ph.D., UGC NET, M.Com
SKIPS – MBA Colleges in Ahmedabad
