Vox, Inc.

According to an article on Chicagobreakingnews.com, “Fifty new computer tourism 'kiosks' will be installed throughout O’Hare International Airport” to replace recently laid-off greeters.

The article emphasizes the economic benefits to the new system. While it is a sure way to save on expenses, there are other customer issues to explore.

Possible CE Benefits

• Since these kiosk computers can store an enormous amount of information, customers are more likely to get accurate, up-to-date information


• Many customers (like me) prefer to use self-help technology than speak to humans (notice the popularity of the grocery store self-check-out)


• Airports could potentially track the kind of information accessed by users and use that information to create better and more user-friendly communications

Questions to Consider

• Can these kiosks replace the translation services that greeters formerly provided? What languages will be offered?


• How frequently will the information be updated? Will they use the data gathered to improve future communication?


• What are the contingencies in case of an emergency situation?


• What about the environmental design? Are these kiosks easy to find and use?


• What if someone requires help or gets stuck? Is there some personal backup?


Kiosks also pose many concerns that directly affect the customer experience (as Vox President, Jeannie Walters outlines in her Woman vs Machine Blog Series). How clean are they? How secure do users feel? Where are they located within the building?

The bottom line is that providing more information in a new way can be great, but you can’t just put up a kiosk and assume that everything will be fine.