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July 23, 2024

Developing Secure Custom Software in a Cyber Threat Landscape

Businesses tend to rely on various software-based solutions and digital technologies in order to achieve higher operational efficiency and performance. The custom software development is a method to tailor-made software solutions as per business’s unique and exclusive needs. Businesses can also invest in custom software development to level up their defense against the increasing cyber threats and growing security concerns. The cyber security has become the biggest concern for present day businesses and customers alike. The custom software development enable businesses to incorporate various innovative and personalized features to align the app with their needs. Similarly businesses can also incorporate advanced security measures and protective features to elevate the security of their software application.

The custom software development offers more flexibility and control in designing and development process which enable businesses to incorporate a range of security features throughout the development process. This help businesses to deal with increasingly sophisticated and ever evolving security threats. The cyber security is crucial to protect digital assets as well as any business’s reputation. If a small data breach occurs which compromises even least important internal data, even this could have done staggering damage to the business’s reputation. Because the customers will instantly loose trust if they find their favorite brand got data-breach. In this blog we will discuss how custom software development helps elevating the security and strengthen businesses against cyber threats.

Developing Secure Custom Software in a Cyber Threat Landscape

Understanding the Cyber Threats Businesses are Facing Regularly

The cyber threats businesses had to deal with are evolving, from phishing, to DDoS attacks, malwares, SQL Injection and highly sophisticated ransomware, these all are a few of most common threats. With the passage of time the techniques and tools used to perform such attacks have become highly sophisticated and advanced. Moreover there are cyber-attacks related to IoTs and in some cases there are insider attacks. The insider attacks are mostly unintentional where an employee or contractor who have access to sensitive data got attacked. Whatever the case is the cyber threats are increasing greatly and becoming more challenging day by day. Apart from these there are several other cyber threats that businesses need to handle such as cross-site scripting, identity-based attacks, and much more.

For example, where the cloud is transforming digital landscape, the security challenges are paramount due to distributed ownership, authority and various other aspects. All these threats are increasing the chances of getting compromised. Furthermore as the AI is rapidly progressing and infusing into almost every digital technology it could. The malicious actors are also seem to exploiting the AI to enhance their attacks. In such situations the custom software development can provide an extra layer of security due to its flexible approach towards structure, technology platforms and control over each and every aspects of the software development and operation. The custom software development also enable businesses to utilize proven coding practices, frameworks, platforms and software stacks to boost security.

Understanding the Cyber Threats Businesses are Facing Regularly

How Custom Software Development Help Boosting the Security of Digital Assets

The custom software development empower businesses in building software solution from ground up, where this enable businesses to incorporate innovative features, it also help building better security features. The bespoke approach always offer better flexibility and control which enable the developers to introduce more security features and build multiple layers of security to deal with the exclusive and unique challenges and vulnerabilities. Here are some key aspects of custom software development which help enhancing and improving the security of the applications:

Custom Software Development: Secure Coding

The secure coding doesn’t represent a framework or tool but in fact it is a practice and technique which complies the programmer’s decisions while creating source code and building the software applications. Although the secure coding techniques ensures that the programmer or coder minimize the possibilities of having vulnerabilities in the software program. As industry standard or best practices you can effectively implement the OWASP Secure Coding Standards or SEI CERT Coding Standards within your custom software development project. Secure coding doesn’t mean using specialized programming languages, for example, the secure coding mandates “default deny” permission approach, and it means all the permissions are denied until specified otherwise.

Here are a few crucial areas to consider and understand for secure coding:

Security by Design: The security by design refers to the two areas, one the security is the top priority during the entire software development life cycle. Second it refers to prioritizing the security over the design aspects. For example, the CSS and JS needed to be secured in case of web-based software application.
Strong Passwords: The password and login credentials are the most common area users got exploited. Therefore including two factor authentication and adopting encrypted password storing methods could greatly enhance the security. Implementing strong and long password with enabling protection on wrong attempts and two factor are essential for present day software.
Access Control: Often the developers doesn’t realize but the access control can significantly elevate or compromise the security of your software application. It is a standard to have implemented the “default deny” approach which means all the permissions will be denied until granted. This could make data protected and access to it difficult for the malicious actors.
Error Logging: The error logging and error handling are the two most effective practices to improve the software security. The errors refer to the bugs in the system and the bugs result in vulnerabilities. Hence closely monitoring the bugs, error logs and managing the errors could lead to great improvements in software and strengthening its security.
Environment Configurations: If your custom software is managed in multiple environment such as production and development or staging environment. It is crucial to align both and always keep both up-to-date. The software, frameworks, operating systems, services, and everything should be up-to-date and all the patches should be applied to date.
Threat Modeling: Threat modeling is a multi-stage process involving various techniques, tools and mainly the deeper analysis of the software. The objective of threat modeling is to identify the areas or aspect of your custom software which are more susceptible to exploitation. This will help you upgrading the software and enabling highest security measures within your application.
I/O Validation: The input/output validation is crucial for every custom software application. It is crucial to deploy encoding methods at the outputs and strict validations at the inputs throughout the custom software development lifecycle. The inputs and outputs are the two crucial areas hence need to be secure and well protected.

The secure coding practices are essential to elevate the security of your customized software applications. The software development team has to choose the right platforms, software stacks and above all the mindset to prioritize the security throughout the entire software development lifecycle.

Custom Software Development: Secure Coding

Custom Software Development: Strong Data Encryption

The data encryption is something that has become almost essential in present day. It is crucial to utilize encryption algorithms at various levels. This helps ensuring strong encryption at both stages, data in transit and data at rest. The data in transit means the data in transmitted into server and user interface/device and the data at rest means the data that is being stored at the server or at the user device. Furthermore the end-to-end encryption is also widely used in modern software development, it ensures the data/information transmitted between two terminals, devices or server and client is encrypted and only the recipient has the decryption key.

The encryption is implemented by a very sophisticated encryption algorithms and mathematical operations which generates a random encryption key and that key is so complex that it could take trillions of years for a classical computer to test all the combination to unlock it without having the right encryption key. Therefore the encryption can provide a great protection against even some advanced level cyber-attacks. There are several encryption methods and strategies which can be implemented during the custom software development lifecycle.

Custom Software Development: Strong Data Encryption

Custom Software Development: Third-Party Tools and Resources

It is a common practice in the custom software development to use the third-party tools, resources, libraries and elements to expedite the development process. However, where this speed up everything it also increase the vulnerabilities. Using third-party tools, resources, libraries and other design elements could compromise the security of your customized software application. Most of the time developers tend to find free resources online at various forums and website – which often are posted by other developers and are not properly optimized for security. This is why using such resources, libraries and tools could make your application vulnerable for cross-site scripting, malware attach, SQL injection, etc.

It is always important to carefully inspect the third-party components, codes, resources and elements. Moreover it is crucial to carefully consider the front-end and back-end related tools to ensure perfect alignment and no loophole. Both the design and algorithms should be carefully inspected before using them and after integrating them a critical review/testing should be done with security in mind. Furthermore it is important to understand the vendor of these components to ensure regular upgrades, patches and protection support by the vendor.

Custom Software Development: Third-Party Tools and Resources

Custom Software Development: Insider Threats

The insider threats are always a concern for any enterprise. Most of the times it is not attentional, sometime employees, contractors or the people who have access to the software get attacked by cyber criminals and resultantly enable them access to the sensitive data of the organization. Traditionally the employees or contractor who have access to the system either access it outside of the organizational network or either their computer got attacked by malware. These malwares can silently stay on a computer quietly transmitting data to their source from a hidden backdoor. When the cyber-criminal acquire enough information they try to access the organization’s data.

Businesses often focus on outsider cyber-threats while undermining the importance of insider threats. With the custom software development you can build various checks and controls to prevent or effectively minimize the insider threats. You can also customize your software application to further reduce the impact of an insider attack, whether attentional or unintentional. You can have multi-factor authentication, personalized profiles with limited access to data and much more. The custom software development offer more space to minimize and handle the insider threats.

Custom Software Development: Insider Threats

Conclusion

As the internet and digital solutions are integrating within modern day business landscape the need of security and number of cyber-attacks is rising. Businesses of all industries, sizes and types are in a constant pressure of dealing with the cyber-security. These day’s businesses are heavily relying on digital solutions and software application in order to effectively run their daily operations. These software solutions where boosting efficiency and productivity are also causing various security threats. These software applications are evolving day by day, the cloud computing, IoTs, AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning), and integrated information infrastructure have completely revolutionized the software solutions.

Where these software solutions are becoming more advanced and impactful the cyber-attacks are also evolving and becoming much more sophisticated and impactful. The cyber-criminals are utilizing cutting-edge technologies and state-of-the-art tools to exploit the vulnerabilities for their malicious intent. We have witnessed some large-scale world-wide cyber-attacks involving malware, ransomware, and other sophisticated attacks. This poses a serious threat as any such data breach could potentially ruin a business’s reputation and brad image. Therefore businesses are now taking interest in custom software development which provides more control and flexibility at the software development cycle and enable businesses to incorporate highly advanced security features.

The custom software development lifecycle enable businesses to adopt secure coding practices which involves prioritizing the security from the very first step up-till the end of the development lifecycle. The custom software development allow businesses to implement strict password policies, implement multi-factor logins and secure authentication. Furthermore the custom software development allow the developers to take necessary measures and build features which not only help preventing the data-breach but also help them to contain and minimize the impact and effect of the any such data-breaches.

In this blog we have discussed briefly about the cyber-threats a business is facing on daily-bases and we have also discussed how the custom software development can help businesses to make their software and application more secure and well-equipped to deal with present day cyber-threats. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help to build a highly secure and effective customized software application for your business or organization, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

July 1, 2024

Self-Service Kiosks for Effective Queue Management

We all are accustomed to queues, whether we are at a bank, at a bus station, or at an airport, the waiting lines are common. However, for service sector the customer waiting lines and customer flow management is one of the biggest challenge. Think of waiting in a poorly organized queue, you are not sure of how much more time you have to wait. There are people who are jumping the lines, which makes you more anxious. Suddenly you notice the next queue is moving fast, which further frustrate you. Even in some cases you end up waiting in wrong lines, and have to go back to the correct line. All these are common issues with traditional manual queuing practices.

Therefore businesses tend to deploy modern digital queue management systems. The modern queue management systems usually use interactive self-service kiosks for ticket dispensing and customer registration. However, businesses usually doesn’t leverage the full potential of an interactive self-service kiosk. Mostly businesses use interactive self-service kiosk to welcome and greet customers. Typically these kiosk allow customer to choose the right service they need and that is it. The queue management system analyze the customer choice and print a ticket accordingly. This also help queue management system to automatically route customers to the right service counter.

However, an interactive self-service kiosk can do much more, in this blog we will discuss how a self-service kiosk can boost the performance and impact of your digital queue management system. Furthermore these interactive self-service kiosks are very flexible with customization, which makes them ideal companion for bespoke queue management systems.

Self-Service Kiosks for Effective Queue Management

The Evolution of Interactive Self-Service Kiosks

The interactive self-service kiosks have started as humble vending machines. However, with the passage of time these machines started improving. The real evolution kick started with the advancements in the touchscreen technology. Later on various multination manufacturers have started investing in R&D which gives rise to various specialized peripherals and internet connectivity. This have completely transformed the interactive self-service kiosk industry. Now a days if you are living in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi or any other region of UAE, you would be familiar with these interactive terminals. Whether it is for mobile top ups utility bill payments, or smart airport check-ins these interactive self-service kiosks are popping up everywhere.

The primary reason of wider adoptability of interactive self-service kiosks is their ability to deliver unmatched customer experience. The customers also enjoy the convenience, control and easy access offered by interactive self-service kiosks. Furthermore with the rise of IT and communication technologies, smartphones and social media, everyone has become more familiar with technology. Businesses have started investing more resources in digital technologies and digital customer experience management. The interactive self-service kiosks can offer multitude of features such as:

Customer Identification – Bio Metrics Scanning, Emirates ID Card Scanning, Facial Recognition, etc.
Customer Registration – Data Input, Document Scanning, Passport Scanning, Barcode/QR Code Scanning, RFID, etc.
Payments – Cash Deposit, Change Return and Cash Recycler, Coin Acceptor, Credit/Debit Card, POS, Online Payment Gateways, Contactless Payments, Digital Payments, etc.
Multi-Lingual Intuitive UIs – The self-service kiosk UIs can support any language regional or international which enhance customer experience
Printing & Scanning – Apart from Ticket printing, interactive self-service kiosks can print and scan QR Codes/Barcodes, Receipts, Vouchers, Documents, Stickers, and even identity cards
Security and Authentication – The interactive self-service kiosk can utilize OTP SMS, Email-based verification, Facial Recognition, Biometrics and several other ways for secure and instant authentication and identification

These all features enable an interactive self-service kiosk to quickly identify a customer and collect as much data as needed. A typical sing-in using Emirates ID, Biometrics or Facial recognition can take less than a minute from greeting customer to dispensing their ticket number for the queue. This is what makes them more effective and efficient. When the customer arrives at the service counter, their details and other information relevant to their query are already made available for the service agent. Such innovative features help boosting the performance and impact of a digital queue management system.

The Evolution of Interactive Self-Service Kiosks

How Interactive Self-Service Kiosk Makes Queue Management More Effective?

The interactive self-service kiosks are widely used with modern day’s digital queue management systems. A queue management system is a tool businesses utilize to streamline customer flow. It is a combination of software and hardware exclusively designed to implement the queuing policies. This provides businesses great advantage in managing visitors. The customers and visitors sign-in to a queue management system via interactive self-service kiosk. The kiosk allow them to choose the service they need, which help the system to direct them to the right service counter. The interactive self-service kiosks has become a standard in modern queue management systems. It is due to their ability to offer multiple features which further enhance the efficiency of the queue management system.

Personalized Customer Experience

When a digital queue management system is equipped with an interactive self-service kiosk, businesses can collect valuable information. This information could range from simple language and service selection to a full-fledged customer registration process. The interactive self-service kiosks comes with touch screen interfaces. These intuitive UIs (user interfaces) are designed to simplify the customer journey. Customer can choose the language of their choice. Further they can choose the service from service list, which allow the queue management system to put them in right waiting line. This prevents any confusion or mistake which are common in manual queuing methods.

Businesses can also integrate various identification methods, such as Emirates ID scanner, passport scanner, RFID, Biometrics, etc. This allow them to quickly collect valuable data. Furthermore the queue management system can also relate the customer with the customer database and fetch all the available details. This ability enable businesses to identify the customer persona, and help them deliver a personalized experience at service counters. The interactive self-service kiosk management software provides service agent dashboards which help agents in various tasks. Furthermore these kiosks can be integrated with other system, pushing relevant information beforehand to the service counter, enabling quicker service delivery. These features greatly enhance customer experience and make queuing more effective and efficient.

Reduction in Customer Wait Time

The primary objective of a queue management system is to streamline customer flow, enhance customer experience and reduce customer wait time. The customer wait time is one of the biggest reason of poor customer experience. As the interactive self-service kiosks has ability to understand customer needs by allowing them to select the relevant service. They can also prevent common human errors by effectively eliminating confusion from the system. The customers can directed to their relevant service counter, they are assured the just treatment and they get the highly accurate estimation of their time to service. All these features help reducing the frustration and improve customer experience. In a government service sector or a multi-channel service environment these interactive self-service kiosks are even more effective.

An interactive self-service kiosk can take as much information as needed to expedite the service delivery process. The customers can scan their documents, or input their data via interactive touch screens. The kiosk management system help customers achieving their tasks with easy-to-understand on-screen prompts and guides. The customers can scan QR Codes, Barcodes, payment slips, etc. which greatly improve the service delivery mechanisms and reduce per service delivery time. Because all these information are relayed directly to the customer service counters, which greatly help service agents. It speed up the service delivery and help reducing the wait time collectively for everyone. This also help enhancing the performance and productivity of the service staff, as they can focus more on their primary tasks. Furthermore the interactive self-service kiosks can share the work burden by automating data collection and by enabling customer to input their data by themselves. These features can greatly reduce the customer wait time and help improving the entire queuing process.

Digital and Cash Payments

One of the biggest advantage of interactive self-service kiosk is its ability to collect payments. There are several businesses who require customers to make payments or pay for their remaining dues. Whatever the case is an interactive self-service payment kiosk can greatly improve the queuing process. They customers who are opting for the queuing token can also make payments at the same self-service kiosk. Above all the interactive self-service kiosk can instantly update all the relevant systems and databases which means the payment will instantly reflect at the service agent’s dashboard. This expedite the service delivery process and also prevent customers from getting into the hustle of making payments through a different channel.

Similarly the self-checkout kiosks are also interactive self-service payment kiosks. In a typical retail environment we all experience long queue, especially at the weekends and during the peak hours. However, the number of cash counters or service counters are limited. This is where an interactive self-service payment kiosk can be deployed as an alternate service channel. These kiosks are specialized as per business needs and are equipped with necessary devices or peripherals which enable a self-service checkout. Whether it is scanning the items, scanning their RFID tags, or acquiring product information, all can be provided through these specialized interactive self-service payment kiosks.

With an alternate service channel in place, the footfall at traditional counters can be reduced. This help reducing the wait time of all customers while significantly improving the queue management system.

Conclusion

The interactive self-service kiosks have completely revolutionized the traditional queue management systems. The modern digital queue management system vastly rely on these kiosks for customer sign-in and ticket dispensing. However, an interactive self-service kiosk’s abilities are not limited to ticket dispensing. In fact it is a technology marvel offering a wide spectrum of innovative and intuitive features which resultantly boost the queuing performance. These interactive self-service kiosks offers various features such as Emirates ID and passport scanning, RFID, intuitive touch screen UIs, payment options and much more. All these features are designed to automate various workflows and processes which effectively reduce the service delivery time. Once the service delivery time is optimized it will impact on the wait time or all customers, effectively reducing it.

One of the biggest advantage of interactive self-service kiosks is their ability to customize according to the business needs. This makes them ideal for literally any industry, whether you are a banks, hospital, university, government agency or an airport, you can customize these kiosk as per your exclusive needs. An interactive self-service kiosk not only boost queue management system but it has ability to collect valuable analytical data based upon user’s interaction. This data further help businesses to analyze their policies, workflows and customer journey, which resultantly help improving the queuing process and customer experience in the long term.

In this blog we have discussed how an interactive self-service kiosk can effectively boost the performance and impact of a queue management system. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help to build a bespoke interactive self-service kiosk and queue management system for your organization, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

June 25, 2024

Impact of Queue Management on Customer Satisfaction in Retail

For every retail business managing higher customer influx or long waiting lines at cash counters is one of the most challenging task. Long waiting lines not only results in unpleasant customer experience but also have toll on your staff performance which eventually further undermine the customer satisfaction. As UAE is a very diverse and vibrant country and retail businesses operating in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and other regions of country knows their customers comes from all around the world, which demands a highest possible standard of customer service to ensure customer satisfaction. The UAE is also home to multiple retail chains, with thousands of small, medium and large retail businesses operating all across the country.

Why Retail Businesses Need a Modern Queue Management System?

The competition has risen to the sky and due to this competition and higher customer demands the queue management at retail businesses have become more challenging than ever before. The traditional queuing techniques have become ineffective and retail businesses are needing modern digital queue management systems to overcome such challenges. A modern queue management system is not just a token machine but it is a highly sophisticated and smart software-based solution which synchronize various software and hardware components and provide more control over customer flow which help businesses in delivering a satisfactory customer experience.

The importance of customer satisfaction is paramount in retail industry as the customers usually have multiple options in their easy reach and the long waiting time is one of the biggest cause of the customer churn. Furthermore the operational efficiency is another big concern at retail businesses which is hindering customer experience and costing businesses a lot in precious sales. This also have negative impact on businesses image and reputation. The customers who felt poorly at any retail store tend to avoid it in future which can have devastating effects on overall business’s success and long term growth. In this blog we will discuss how a modern queue management system can help retail businesses transform their customer journey and help them achieve higher customer satisfaction.

Why Retail Businesses Need a Modern Queue Management System?

What is the Role of AI in Modern Retail Queue Management Systems?

The modern queue management systems heavily rely on smart algorithms and sophisticated AI (artificial intelligence) which help collecting and analyzing valuable analytical data in real-time. Before we discuss the technology it is also important to understand the waiting psychology. When customers are waiting in the long queues, they got confused and frustrated, one of the biggest confusion is the perception of waiting time. The perceived wait time is always higher than the actual wait time. It is due to the natural psychological reaction our brain has when we are waiting without having much control on wait time. This frustrates us and it feels like we have spent more time than what we actually did. This is the wait time perception and this have huge impact on customer satisfaction.

The modern queue management system helps retail businesses to streamline queues, with the help of physical stanchions, belts, and digital signage, the customer can get distracted from waiting, while without any worrying of line jumpers or getting any sense of confusion. Furthermore the retail queue management system is equipped with modern AI (artificial intelligence) which gets live feeds from CCTV Security and specialized surveillance cameras. This camera feed is relayed to an AI (artificial intelligence) engine which analyzes the video in real-time and provides feedbacks on estimated wait time and even it is capable enough to analyze the staff performance in real-time and alert branch manager if any interruption occurs. These features greatly enhance the decision making abilities of the management and help them elevate the customer satisfaction.

What is the Role of AI in Modern Retail Queue Management Systems?

The Queue Management System Drives Automation

One of the biggest advantage of a modern queue management system is its ability to drive automation and digitalize various internal workflows. Several workflows and human resource management tasks can be digitalized and automate using the queue management system. The queue management system comes with a server-side software application. The queue management software provides advanced administrative controls which empower the management and help them take quick and accurate decisions which help streamlining the customer flow and help minimizing the customer wait time especially during the peak hours. Here are a few features which help retail businesses to enhance customer satisfaction:

Virtual Queuing: The queue management system offers interactive kiosks and integrated smartphone applications. The customers can use these to sign-in to the virtual queues, which gives them freedom to roam around the store while waiting in a virtual queue. This minimize the stress of waiting and help improving the customer experience.
Integration of Self-Checkout: The self-checkout retail kiosks are a great tool to enhance customer experience and elevate satisfaction. The queue management systems are very flexible towards integration and help businesses integrate self-service checkout kiosks which enable customers to checkout without requiring any help from staff resulting is expediting the service delivery.
Dynamic Lane Control: The queue management system infused with the people counting technologies and AI (artificial intelligence) can automatically monitor and count the volume of customers in real-time. This allow the queue management system to automatically open or shut service lanes as per the needs. The staff can also be notified if a new lane or service counter had to be open to ensure a smooth customer flow.

The modern queue management system not only help minimizing the customer wait time but it also help improving the decision making and overall operational efficiency. The queue management system at retail businesses are effectively improving the staff performance but empowering management with more advanced data collection and analytical tools which help them in improving their decision making.

The Queue Management System Drives Automation

The Queue Management System Boosts Operational Efficiency

The queue management system is a very smart application it has various sources and tools which enables it to collect valuable analytical and system usage data. The modern queue management software are infused with AI (Artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) which makes it even more effective and impactful. The queue management system also helps management implement their queuing polices with more precision and accuracy. It offers valuable features for self-service while enabling accessibility for enhanced customer experience. The modern queue management system can be integrated with various sensors that physically track the volume of customer flow and when infused with AI integrated people counting and tracking tools it can even track the movement of the customers within the premises of your business and help you understand the customer flow.

These insights are valuable and help management understand the customer flow which highlights the areas of improvements. The ability to offer virtual queues and automated lane controls further empower the management in their human resource planning. The queue management system not only collects data in real-time but it also keeps the data repository helping management track various patterns with at most accuracy and help them understand the customer flow at any given day or time of the day. Furthermore during busy occasions or any festivity or during the seasonal sales the management can accurately understand the customer influx and customer flow which help them effectively and productivity utilize the human resource in hand to achieve the higher operational efficiency.

The Queue Management System Boosts Operational Efficiency

Conclusion

The queue management have evolved tremendously over the past two decades, from humble paper pencil to the modern day queue management systems which are empowered by the most modern and sophisticated AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) technologies. The modern day queue management systems offer flexible customization which makes them ideal for various industries and applications. Especially in the retail industry where the customer demands are high, the markets are extremely competitive and the customer wait time is one of the biggest concern for businesses, a modern queue management system has become absolutely essential.

The queue management systems that are designed and customized for the retail industry are equipped with specialized software and hardware components that ensure smoother customer flow, optimum staff performance and elevated customer experience. Features like advanced analytical data collection, virtual queues, dynamic lane control, AI-based customer flow tracking tools and advanced administrative controls help management not only enhance customer satisfaction but it also help them boost the operational efficiency. The management can effectively utilize the human resource in hand with better productivity which directly impact operational performance and results in elevated customer experience.

In this blog we have discussed how a modern queue management system can be leveraged to enhance customer waiting experience while effectively boosting productivity and overall operational performance. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help to implement a bespoke queue management system for your retail business, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

June 19, 2024

Leveraging Big Data in Custom Software Development

With the advancement of IT and the in-depth integration of digital solutions in our lives, the business landscape has completely transformed. Especially over the past two decades. Now a days’ people are talking about AI and Robotic taking over traditional production facilities and other business activities. This is the evidence of profound impact of digital and information technology on traditional business operations. The entire digital and computer technology revolves around data, the data in fact is the bloodline of these modern technologies. The software solutions have a program or source code, which dictates its functionalities, these software collect, store and analyze the data which translates into their functionalities and features.

These functionalities simplify human-user’s work and drive efficiency. When it comes to software solutions there are two ways, the COTS or Commercial Off-the-shelf Software and the custom software development. The customized software solutions tend to be more productive, impactful and easy-to-use and integrate. Therefore businesses are opting for custom software development instead of going for ready made solutions. In this blog we will discuss the role of big data in custom software development and its impact on user experience.

Leveraging Big Data in Custom Software Development

What is Big Data and what is its Role in Custom Software Development?

The concept of big data is very simple to understand, it is a very large volume of data which contains, structured, non-structured and partially or semi-structured data which also keep increasing. With the first generation of software or traditional software application, collecting, storing, and analyzing data at such a large volume, diversity, and velocity is not possible. This lead businesses to either adopt to specialized tools, or build intermediary apps to bridge this gap.

However, with traditional software development practices businesses won’t be able to achieve and from cost prospective it is also not desirable. Hence businesses need to integrate big data within their custom software development to ensure ultimate performance, productivity and cost-efficacy. In this blog we will discuss how big data can completely transform your customized software and help you achieve superior efficiency.

What is Big Data and what is its Role in Custom Software Development?

The Role of Big Data in Custom Software Development

The big data is often misunderstood, most of the businesses doesn’t realize how beneficial it could be. Think of a large library which I full with hundreds or thousands of shelves filled with millions of books, digital copies, audio records, news peppers, research papers and what not. The big data is similar, it is an ocean of information containing precious treasure of insights which help businesses acquire deeper and accurate understanding of market trends, customer preferences, and insight which improve their decision making ability and help them align their solutions, services, products and interaction as per customers’ needs, desires and expectations.

The big data is not just a specific data but a blend of both structured and unstructured data which makes it difficult to analyze it and extract required insights from it. However, when the big data is integrated within the customized software application development process, it help developers understand customer needs, market trends, areas of improvements and much more. This insight is extremely crucial in building successful customized software application which can deliver unparalleled customer experience while driving superior operational efficiency, performance and profitability. This makes big data absolutely essential for modern day software applications.

The Role of Big Data in Custom Software Development

Data-Driven Decisions Enhance User Experience

In today’s highly competitive market landscape businesses needs innovative tools and software solutions which can help them delivering exceptional user experience. The experience matters more than it ever before. The big data can help developers and project managers to closely analyze the customer behavior. This insight provides them superior understanding of customer pain points, their needs and desires. Furthermore this data also provides them a clear understanding of existing features which are more frequently used by the customers and which are rarely used. This helps them design and include more intuitive features which perfectly align with customer needs.

The biggest advantage of big data is that businesses can utilize multiple sources and compile large volume of data efficiently. This helps them develop highly efficient and impactful software applications. The primary reason of developing custom software is to achieve higher alignment with customer needs. The custom software development process can greatly benefit from insights acquired from big data analysis and help businesses boost internal processes and workflows as well which drive performance. The user experience not only help improving customer interaction but even if a custom software is designed for internal usage, the big data have can effectively boost productivity and performance of the software.

Data-Driven Decisions Enhance User Experience

Big Data Fuels Predictive Analysis for Better Decision Making

The big data comes from various sources including social media, existing software applications, employee portals, intranet applications, customer portals, websites, interactive kiosks and even from physical sensors and devices installed at customer centers, ware houses, etc. This is what makes it superior and at the same time very complex. The big data where provide insights of users’ needs, it also help businesses understand market trends, operational processes and internal workflows. This insight help businesses develop customized features within their customized software application to achieve higher efficiency.

The predictive analysis is a very crucial tool for modern day’s fast-paced markets and ever increasing customer needs. The predictive analysis help businesses to be ready for future and help them accurately forecast various future events. This forecasting help management understand the emerging needs and provide them enough time to prepare themselves for the coming challenges. For example, businesses can effectively predict when a software application or a feature they are using is about to lose its impact and efficiency. This is easy to figure out all you need is adequate system usage data and see the trends for that specific feature, if it is losing popularity consistently you can predict that in coming 6 months or so more users will stop using this feature and so on.

Big Data Fuels Predictive Analysis for Better Decision Making

Big Data Helps Personalizing the Software Solutions

Not so long ago businesses were not focusing on performance management, but with the rising competition and ever increasing customer demands, businesses need out of the box approach to obtain higher operational efficiency and better cost-optimization. This can only be achieved if a business is able to leverage the full potential of its resources, whether it is human resource or whether it is IT infrastructure. Now a days, the traditional workflows and business processes have become obsolete and being replaced with more technology oriented and digital processes. The software applications and tools are the primary driving force to achieve higher operational efficiency.

Big data helps businesses collect more in-depth insights and streamline data analytic processes. This help both business leaders and the custom software development team to acquire a clear understanding of user needs, their problems, challenges and it also help management identify the slow/inefficient processes. The custom software development helps businesses utilize this insight acquired from big data to customize the features and internal business processes to drive efficiency and productivity. The software features, content and information can be planned as per the previous usage and user needs which can greatly increase the impact of the customized software application.

Big Data Helps Personalizing the Software Solutions

Big Data Offers Better Scalability and Continuous Improvement

Scalability and continuous improvements are the two most crucial aspect of any custom software development project. Whenever businesses decide to implement a new software solution they consider the scalability and potential of making improvements in future. Businesses need software solutions which evolve along with their needs, as businesses tend to grow over the time, hence their needs are expected to grow, whether it is simple growth in users, or a bit more complex in terms of application and features, the scalability is an essential factor to consider during custom software development. The big data help businesses and developers to analyze the performance of the software application in multiple scenarios and it helps building features which ensure higher performance and impact.

The big data collection and analysis help businesses determine the features of their custom software applications as well as how these functions and backend processes will work. This is a huge leap toward success and help businesses make informed decisions. Once the software is developed, now businesses and the software development team can leverage the big data to understand the impact and efficacy of their software application. The continuous improvements help businesses avoid disruption, and effectively deal with upcoming challenges. Furthermore as the user base increases the software might need modifications and enhancements which all can be improved by leveraging the big data.

Big Data Offers Better Scalability and Continuous Improvement

Collecting the Right Type of Data for Custom Software Development is Crucial

The biggest problem with big data is that it is too big, businesses can often end up relying on expensive analytical tools, and even in case you are using inexpensive or open-source tools, you might require help of specialized experts who can process this data. Hence it is extremely important to understand what kind or type of data is beneficial for your custom software development project. It is extremely important to distinguish the data which is relevant to the areas and subjects you want to understand. Here are some key points that you should consider while analyzing the big data for your custom software development:

Identify the areas and subjects you want to understand
Categorize your data as primary, relevant and unrelated
Never skip automated data sources such as APIs, Log Files, system usage stats
Always collect feedbacks from the actual users whether they are your customers or employees
Always keep the data from external and internal sources separate
Verify every data source and validate the authenticity of the data
Always keep your data stored in secure and well protected manner
Always use standard analysis techniques
Compare your findings with industry benchmarking and other relevant applications

Furthermore it is important to keep your data repository up-to-date all the time. Furthermore when you will collect your data it would be in both structured and unstructured forms, moreover inconclusive data noise also has to be filtered out. It is important to well-organize your data to get accurate insights.

Collecting the Right Type of Data for Custom Software Development is Crucial

Conclusion

The custom software development is rapidly gaining momentum, even medium and small sized businesses are also investing in custom software applications. It is due to their ability to fully align with user’s needs which helps businesses achieve maximum performance and efficiency. Furthermore the custom software development offers easy integration and superior scalability which makes them very cost-effective over the longer period of time. The big data is something which is usually misinterpreted as something very expensive and exclusive to large enterprises, government and international organizations.

However, that is not true at all. With the advancement in technology and latest programing framework now the big data collection is much more convenient and accessible. The big data provides deeper insight to customer behavior, market trends and at a wider spectrum which help businesses and custom software development teams to effectively understand customer needs. Whether you are building a software for your customers, or whether it is for internal use to enhance the operational efficiency, the big data can greatly improve the application in terms of intuitiveness, performance and efficiency.

Embracing big data for software development and predictive analysis can greatly enhance the application features and elevate the user experience. In this blog we have discussed how big data can be utilized to streamline custom software development process for superior results. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help to build a customized software application for your business, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

June 11, 2024

Revolutionizing Campus Services with Student Kiosks

The interactive self-service kiosk industry is rapidly expanding its scope in multiple industries. The educational institutes and establishments are eagerly seeking solutions to boost efficiency and efficacy. Similar to any other typical kiosk the student kiosks are also a computer terminal consisting of various devices and peripherals enabling students, teachers, parents, guests and new comers to perform various tasks conveniently and efficiently. The student kiosks or student information kiosks are not only offering quick access to various services but also improving the workflows and processes which greatly enhance student experience.

The student kiosks act as a mini administrative office offering a ton of services and easy access to information along with sing-ins, scanning, printing and in some cases payment services too. The student kiosk are typically installed on various places at the campuses, so more people can access them conveniently. The traditional campus services involve tedious processes majorly based on paper-pencil based systems, long queues and administrative bottlenecks which undermine the student experience.

Although universities, colleges and schools are proactively managing their front offices, receptions and administrative offices, but the large influx could be very frustrating for both the students and the staff as well. The student kiosks on the other hand offers instant access to various services with highly organized information structure and above all the digitalization brought automation and efficiency which enhances student experience. In this blog we will briefly discuss how student kiosks are completely revolutionizing user experience.

Revolutionizing Campus Services with Student Kiosks

What is a Student Kiosk?

The student kiosks are interactive self-service kiosks which hare widely used all across educational institutions in UAE. Schools, colleges, universities and libraries in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and all across the country are proactively seeking technologies to improve educational system. There are various different types of informational and transactional student kiosks or campus kiosks are widely used to provide instant access to information or to deliver various services via self-service experience.

These interactive self-service student kiosks are not only facilitating students but also offering various services to teachers, faculty, administrative staff, and even guests which can greatly improve the overall business productivity and performance.

Student kiosks or Campus Kiosks offer simple and easy registration process, ability to access student portals, internet access, and easy access to university resources, well-organized information repository, and a multitude of features. Furthermore the student kiosks or campus kiosks are very helpful for the visitors, newcomers and guests, offering them required information, navigations and way finding, and various other services.

These kiosks are strategically placed in various places across the campus, such as at class rooms, near administrative offices, common areas, libraries, cafeterias, etc. The university administration can also utilize these kiosks for sharing information, making announcements, and for general communications. These features greatly enhance student experience and also help optimizing operational efficiency.

What are the Key Advantages of a Student Kiosk?

With the rise of technology businesses and customers have adopted modern ways to interact, same is applicable at universities, schools, colleges and other educational institutions. Traditionally these establishments have large facilities, sometime even navigating them could be difficult for visitors and guests. Similarly if a student has to visit an admin office which might located on the other side of the campus and he/she has to attend a class at the other coroner. This will disturb their schedules, and it is common for students to skip the classes or be late due to such matters. However, when all these services and information are provided at kiosk located at easily accessible spots within campus, the students can easily access it.

Here are some key advantages of student kiosks:

Streamlining Registration Process

The registration is one of the most crucial process, often student and parents find themselves stuck in these complex administrative processes. A student kiosk or campus kiosk offers various features such as ability to take student data, scan student documents, and integrate the data with other relevant systems. The student kiosks offers intuitive user interfaces with on-screen instructions, which take students, parents and any user through the required process. The students can easily scan their documents, IDs, and even QR Codes/Barcodes which ensures highest level of security and convenience.

Even the most modern campus kiosks also offer payment facility enabling student to pay for their enrollments or other dues. Furthermore for the students who are already enrolled, they can print their documents, schedules, timetables, assignments, and much more. Students can also update their information, apply for schedules, check available laboratory slots, and much more through these student kiosks. Furthermore the student kiosks or campus kiosks can be linked with the central information systems of the organization to offer more up-to-date information and data.

Enhancing Accessibility

The modern day educational system have completely transformed, now a day’s the accessibility and inclusivity are the two crucial aspects of any educational establishment. Now a days the educational culture is more inclusive and accommodating, especially in UAE where there are a lot of international students are studying, the need of an inclusive and diverse educational culture is even more. A campus kiosk or student kiosk is well-equipped with advanced features such as multi-lingual user interfaces, artificial intelligence (AI) and smart algorithms which ensures an excellent personalized user experience.

Furthermore these kiosks are also equipped with the features that caters to the needs of students and users with disability or special needs. Furthermore these kiosks can also offer voice-activated features, screen readers and various other such features which help users with special needs. By enabling enhanced accessibility and inclusivity features universities, colleges, schools and other educational establishments can foster a culture of inclusive and highly student-friendly educational environment.

Improved Campus Services

In a typical university, college or school environment the organization offers a multitude of services, which often are accessible through the administrative offices or dedicated service counters. One of the major drawback of traditional service mechanisms is that these channels are subjected to long waiting and several administrative hurdles which undermine student’s experience and also cause many problems. The student kiosks or campus kiosks or also known as student information kiosks are digital solutions, which digitalize various internal processes, it integrates with other IT infrastructure and synchronize various different system and databases.

These abilities coupled with various hardware features enable educational institutions to streamline their internal workflows and business processes, resulting in elevated student experience and simplified service deliver mechanisms. When campuses transitioned from manual to digital and automated management practices, their operational efficiency can greatly improve, resulting in improved campus services delivery and excellent user experience.

Flexible Customization and Integration

The student kiosks, campus kiosks or any other student information kiosks are all running on a backend application which is a kiosk management program that manages the data, information and everything at the kiosk. The kiosk management program is installed on a server and it manages all connected student kiosks automatically. It further provide a control panel or administrative dashboard providing control of various kiosk features, functionalities and information. This system is developed on cutting-edge technology platforms, which enable organizations to customize them as per their unique business needs and challenges.

Furthermore the student kiosks can be integrated with the third-party system, solutions and business tools. It can seamlessly be integrated with student information system, financial system, educational system, database and central information system. The integration allow student kiosks to communicate with other systems and cater up-to-date data and information. Furthermore the internet access, student portal and access to campus resources, or various other campus services can greatly elevate student experience.

Higher Operational Efficiency

Every university, college, school, library or educational institution have faced one of the most common challenge which is about operational efficiency. Especially when the new classes are starting, or during new enrollments, or during exams or any other such activity. The human resource is limited, the long waiting lines are evidence of the inefficiency and poor performance in the traditional management practices. From organizational point of view the student kiosks or campus kiosks are a great digital transformation tool which not only benefits students but also greatly benefits the educational institutions.

A student kiosk serves as a mini administrative office, offering a multitude of services via an excellent self-service experience. This not only improve service delivery practices but also enhance internal business processes and workflows. The digitalization of internal workflows and business process automation help boosting operational efficiency and also the staff performance. Where it offer convenience to students, parents, faculty and guests, the campus kiosks or student kiosks can offer great features to administrative and management staff as well, resulting in a significant increase in performance and efficiency.

Analytical Data Collection

The student information kiosks or campus kiosks comes with a specialized kiosk management software application which has in-built smart algorithms and data collection tools. The student kiosk management software collects valuable analytical data and system usage stats which can be processed and analyzed with in-built analytical and reporting tools. The data help management understand the system usage trends, student and other user’s behavior and analytical data from various touch points. This data is very helpful in personalizing the user experience as well.

For example, the student might be performing a certain set of tasks, and they might be interested in a certain type of information, hence these can be made more accessible and understandable to enhance student experience. Similarly the user experience for other user groups can be greatly enhanced by collecting analytical data. Furthermore the analytical data collection and customized reports help management take informed decisions. This data is also very helpful in improving and enhancing user experience and adding innovative features for better performance and higher efficiency.

Cost-Effective Solutions

The student kiosks, campus kiosks or student information kiosks or any other educational kiosk is a great tool to optimize and minimize the cost. These solutions offer higher returns over a long term usage. Usually these kiosks can last for many years without requiring any upgrade or modifications. However, the longevity and flexibility are the two main trait of any customized kiosk solution. The student kiosks might have slightly higher initial cost, however, in the long run these kiosk can significantly reduce operational cost. Offering alternative service channels, reduce the workload of the staff hence offering better human resource management.

Reducing human resource cost without compromising service quality is a great advantage. In fact the customized interactive self-service kiosks offer even better service quality and elevated user experience. These kiosks require very less maintenance and could operate 24/7 without requiring any rest time. Furthermore the student kiosks can be customized and upgraded in order to support emerging needs down the road which make them relevant for many years. The operational cost of student kiosks is also very low which make them ideal for educational institutions.

Future Trends of Student Kiosks

The rapid adaptation of the student kiosks all around the globe shows a promising future for the student kiosks. Furthermore the technological platforms are also developing rapidly which is evident of more innovation, modernization and effectiveness of the student kiosks in coming days. The information management platforms are revolutionizing with the unprecedented advancements in AI (artificial intelligence) and mobile technologies. Similar will going to enhance student experience along with a wide spectrum of business advantages. The wireless communication has completely revolutionized various aspects of digital experience.

In the coming future the personalized experience will be dominating the digital interaction, hence advanced data collection methods, analytical tools and IoTs would be dominating the student kiosks, enabling students to get instant access to the required information, simplifying registration and enrollment processes, enhancing payment process, enabling new methods to conveniently access campus resources and much more. All these features will not only revolutionize the student kiosk but such features will make them essential for modern educational institutions.

See Also: Why smart kiosks are the future?

Conclusion

A student kiosk is a digital computer terminal equipped with various software and hardware tools that enable students, parents, guests, and faculties to perform certain tasks via self-service experience which are traditionally done through admin office or relevant service desks. The modern student kiosks also offer printing, scanning and payment facilities supporting various tasks and enhancing user experience.

The student kiosks, student information kiosks or campus kiosks all are the same thing, these are customized solutions designed to enable convenient and easy access to information and services. These kiosks digitalize various internal processes and work flows, which reduce the dependency on the traditional and paper-based slow administrative processes, adding value to student experience and overall operational efficiency.

The student kiosk are placed strategically all across the campus premises, enabling easy reach and quick access to information and services. Furthermore the campus kiosks are a great tool to welcome guests, newcomers, parents and visitors, offering them vital information and access to various services and resources. Furthermore the integration of advanced payment features enable easy enrollment, payment for various services and even for tuition fees, etc. All such features are great at enhancing user experience. The student kiosks are also great at offering personalized experience to various user groups, catering them with the services and information according to their needs and behavioral patterns.

A customized interactive self-service kiosk is a very cost-effective solution, the operational cost and maintenance requirements are also very low and the student kiosks can operate 24/7 non-stop offering more flexibility and easy access. The scalability, customization and upgrades are also very inexpensive which makes them relevant for many years and even afterwards these kiosks can be repurposed too which ensures excellent ROIs.

In this blog we have discussed what a student kiosk is and what key advantages it can offer for students and the organization. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help to develop a customized student kiosk for your university, school, college, library or educational institution, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

June 3, 2024

Designing User-Friendly Self-Service Kiosks [Guide]

The interactive self-service kiosks have been deeply integrated in modern service sector, helping both businesses and customers. In some industries the self-service kiosks has become essential part of customer services. For example, the ATM machines are the most widely used interactive self-service kiosk, and they have become an essential part of the customer service. Similarly we also see self-check-in kiosks at the airports, although they offer excellent experience but are not considered mandatory.

It means different industries and service sectors have different needs. However, one thing is common among all which is that every industry is adopting these modern technology marvels to enhance and elevate customer experience and to raise customer satisfaction.

The interactive self-service kiosks are also great at achieving higher operational efficiency which makes them more valuable. If you are living in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi or any other region of UAE, you would have seen these flashy screens everywhere, these interactive kiosks have gained huge popularity and this trend is getting stronger every year.

As the software and hardware technologies keep improving the adoptability of the interactive self-service kiosks is also increasing. Now a days, these kiosks can offer most complex services involving, customer identification, documents printing/scanning, making payments and much more. In this blog we will discuss some crucial aspects of designing user-friendly self-service kiosks to ensure satisfactory customer experience and to boost operational efficiency.

Designing User-Friendly Self-Service Kiosks

User-Friendly Self-Service Kiosk Designing Process

The designing process of an interactive self-service kiosk is very simple. It starts with requirement analysis and once the objectives are clear you can move toward the actual designing process. Usually businesses acquire services of a reputed interactive self-service kiosk provider in Dubai and they built the kiosk as per their needs. However, it is also crucial to understand the nitty-gritty of the designing process to build a user-friendly kiosk. Businesses often overlooked this part and in order to save time and cost they prefer selecting any ready-made design with a little bit of customization in the software and hardware.

This could work sometimes but if you want to leverage the true potential of an interactive self-service kiosk you should be able to customize both the software and the hardware as per your unique business needs. The design of the kiosk and the UIs depends on the purpose of the kiosk. In order to design a user-friendly self-service kiosk you must also understand different types or categories of these kiosk machines as well. Here are a few major categories of the kiosks based on their purpose and design:

Information Kiosk
Payment Kiosk
Registration Kiosk
Self-Checkout/Check-in Kiosk
Retail Kiosk
Queue Management Kiosk
Wayfinding Kiosks
Document Processing Kiosks
Government Services Kiosk
Outdoor Kiosks

The list goes on and on, there are a lot more which can be categorized as unique but most of the time all interactive self-service kiosks are just a combination of features borrowed from above listed categories.

User-Friendly Self-Service Kiosk Designing Process

Furthermore all interactive self-service kiosks are available in both indoor and outdoor versions. The outdoor kiosks are equipped with special weather proof features which make them able to withstand the harsh environment and natural elements. Moreover the self-service kiosks also have certain features which are associated with their application. For example, if you are building an ATM, then you must have to add CCTV cameras and other security features in it. If you are designing an airport check-in kiosk then it must be able to print boarding pass or scan passports and other relevant features.

See Also: Why smart kiosks are the future?

Here are the steps of designing a self-service kiosk:

Set Objectives: Clearly define goals and purpose of the self-service kiosk
Self-Service Kiosk UIs: Start building the UIs of the kiosk (it is crucial to determine the screen size)
Determine Peripherals: It is important to shortlist all hardware peripherals and components
Kiosk Drawing and 3D: Design the Kiosk using 3D tools and prepare engineering diagram with all dimensions and details along with a 3D model
Chose Vendor: Chose a reputed vendor to produce the required kiosk – the software and hardware both should be developed by a single vendor for better performance
Produce PoC: Start with a PoC or limited quantity at the beginning
UAT: Deploy the full system both hardware and software and perform a through UAT
Full Production: Once the UAT is done, make changes if required and go for full-on production

Furthermore all interactive self-service kiosks are available in both indoor and outdoor versions.

Designing a self-service kiosk and designing a user-friendly self-service kiosk are not as that different. However, designing a user-friendly self-service kiosk involves considering various factors that elevates the user experience and enhance the operational efficiency.

Here are some crucial factors that you should consider during the designing process to build a highly user-friendly self-service kiosk:

Designing the UIs (User Interfaces)

The UI or user interface is the soul of a self-service kiosk, no matter who good the physical design is, what tools and gadgets are added to it, if the UI is not user-friendly then everything else is pointless. So the UI (user interface) is the most crucial component to work on while designing user-friendly self-service kiosk. The UI (user interface) must have simple and easy navigational structure, minimum steps to perform a task and it should have on-screen prompts and instructions to guide the customers through the process.

As in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and all around the UAE there is a large population of expats is residing so adding multiple languages is important. It also depends on your services too, most of the time Arabic and English suffice but sometimes as per your targeted audience more languages such as Urdu, Hindi, Bengali or other regional languages can be added too.

One of the most important factor to consider while designing a user-friendly UI is to understand your targeted audience. Consider following factors while studying your audience:

Age Group: One of the most important factor is the age of your targeted audience, whether you are targeting teenagers, adults, or senior citizens. Different age groups interact differently and have different preferences, considering these aspects is crucial.
Language: Language is one of the most important aspect in user experience. If you offer your customer’s native language or multiple language and let them chose the language which they understand the most, it will simplify everything for them.
Technology Proficiency: Furthermore it is crucial to understand if you targeted audience is comfortable in interacting with smart technologies? This will help you to prepare appropriate designs and prompts which aligns with customers’ needs.

Once you acquire adequate understanding of your audience and targeted groups, the next important aspect is to design the UI screens for all workflows. Considering the following UI features will help you building the user-friendly self-service kiosk:

Clean and Clear Design: It is extremely important to use the white spaces wisely and keep the screen uncluttered to make all buttons and information more visible. Always use high-contrast colors and adequate font size and font typography.
Simple Navigational Structure: The navigational structure should be simple, avoid building complex information structure. The on-screen prompts and tips should be logical, short, simple and in easy-to-understand language.
Use Visual Cues: Chose words and visuals carefully, sometime the words could be a barrier, however, the visuals are universally understood. Use a blend of words and visual iconography to represent different functions and ensure consistency throughout the entire UI.
Touch-Friendly Structure: The UI must be properly optimized for the touch screens. This means tha the placement of the icons, the distance and gaps between different design elements should be logically set to support touch screen interaction.
Multilingual UIs: The multilingual UIs have great potential to elevating customer experience. However, when a multilingual UI is designed the UI should be able to adjust as per the language structure to keep it simple and easy-to-understand.
UI Feedback: The UI feedback is when a user tap on the screen or give an instruction the interface provides feedback, which acknowledges user’s command. The UI feedback should be visual such as changing the color of the button or auditory such as a beep.
Audio Instructions: A good UI must have audio instructions for people with special needs. Both text-to-speech and audio instructions are a great way to improve accessibility. The voice commands or audio instructions can greatly elevate customer experience.
Clear Messaging: Whenever a task is completed the UI should display a proper and clear message such as the ID card is scanned, or the payment is received, etc. Same is for the error messages, the error message should be descriptive with instructions to fix it or an appropriate solution.
Review and Confirmation Steps: For every crucial step a review and confirmation screen should be added. For example, after a multi-step data inputs, the final review and edit features should be provided or upon making payment the confirmation screen should be added.

The user-friendly UI is one of the most important and impactful aspect of self-service kiosks. It is the gateway to access all features, hence the UI should be carefully crafted and designed keeping the audience and best industry practices in mind.

Once you acquire adequate understanding of your audience and targeted groups, the next important aspect is to design the UI screens for all workflows.

Designing the Self-Service Kiosk Body

The self-service kiosk body is also important as the users must have to interact with the kiosk and depending on the features and peripherals installed on it. One of the most common mistake is the placement and size of the touch screen. The touchscreen size and placement could empower the UI or it could completely undermine the effectiveness of the UI causing frustration among the users. The UI should be optimized as per the screen, but if you have more features to display in the UI then the screen size should be capable of properly rendering the UI.

Furthermore various hardware devices such as Emirates ID card scanner, POS machine, cash acceptor, receipt printer or dispensers all should be placed at appropriate height and should be easily accessible. The visual aesthetic and branding should also be presentable as the kiosk shape and colors help building a good first impression. Moreover the screen should be adjustable, and special features should be added to make the kiosk more accessible. Security features such as CCTV security cameras and strong body frame also help improving customer experience.

Bridging the Gap for Human-touch

Typically the self-service kiosk lacks human-touch. The automated instructions on screen, the navigational structure and all user-friendly elements can greatly elevate customer experience, but there could be some customers who might not be as that comfortable with self-service experience. Sometimes customer could stuck on a particular step, and sometimes some workflows are complex in nature which might make it difficult for some customers to perform certain tasks at the self-service kiosk. This could seriously hinder the performance and will undermine your efforts to deliver a satisfactory customer experience.

The modern day interactive self-service kiosks comes with specialized features which provide direct access to customer support and service teams. For that IP phones, intercoms or even onscreen chat assistants are added to provide instant support. The customer support team is usually linked with the kiosk management system which enables them to perform certain tasks for the customer from a remote location. This bridges the gap for human-touch while ensuring excellent and satisfactory customer service through the self-service kiosks.

Leveraging the Advanced Hardware Devices

An interactive self-service kiosk is a combination of software and hardware components. These hardware devices, peripherals and various components plays crucial role in customer experience. Using older or sub-standard devices will definitely undermine user experience however, using modern and advanced devices with latest features will not only improve user experience but it will also help you develop innovative features in the self-service kiosk. Here are some commonly used devices:

Touchscreen: There are tons of different types and qualities of touch screens. Instead of using older single touch screen you can use multi-point touch with IR or capacitive touch with adjustable screen position for better user experience.
Receipt Printers: There are tons of different types of printers that are used in different self-service kiosk applications. Instead of using a low-cost printer, which are slower and the customers has to rip the receipt you can use a modern receipt printer which automatically cut the receipt and prints faster.
Document Printer: Instead of using a typical monochrome printer you can use a colored printer and even in color printers you can use a high-quality printer which prints faster and has high quality color prints.
Document Scanners: Instead of using a traditional document scanner you can provide facility to plug-in a USB stick to copy documents to the kiosk, which will save time and it will also make the job easier for the customers.
Payment Options: Instead of providing only cash payments, you can add credit/debit card based POS. You can also include multiple payment methods such as online gateway, digital payment, mobile payment and contactless payment for better customer experience.
Card-based Sign-ins: If customer sign-in is required, instead of asking them to input their username and password or OTP you can enable Emirates ID card based sign-ins. You can include QR Code scanners, RFID scanners and more intuitive methods to simplify the sign-in process.

These are just a few most commonly used hardware devices, peripherals and components in self-service kiosk based solutions. Similarly whenever you are choosing a hardware component you should explore better options and alternates which can help you enhancing the customer experience.

Leveraging the Advanced Hardware Devices

Conclusion

Designing a self-service kiosk is a fairly simple and straightforward process however, if you really want to design a user-friendly self-service kiosk which can deliver exceptional experience, you should carefully consider various important aspects of both software and hardware during the designing process. The advancement in the technology played a crucial role in the wider adaptation of these interactive self-service kiosks. Most of the businesses are overlooking these crucial aspects of designing process which ultimately result in undermined customer experience. The UI is one of the most fundamental and impactful component, therefore it is important to ensure your UI is equipped with all advanced features that not only simplify user journey but also elevate their interaction.

Similarly the backend software and the hardware is also important. Businesses often overlook the importance of hardware components and focus more on the UIs and kiosk design. However, it is also important to choose the right hardware device which not only get the work done but also do it in a user-friendly manner. In this blog we have discussed the designing process of self-service kiosk and enlist all crucial elements that a business should consider in order to design a user-friendly self-service kiosk. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help to design a bespoke user-friendly self-service kiosk for your organization, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

May 28, 2024

Mobile Queue Management: The Rise of App-Based Solutions

The smartphone app-based mobile queue management systems are gaining popularity due to their advanced features and ability to meet the needs of the modern more tech-savvy population. The UAE is a technologically one of the most advanced nation in this region. Businesses operating in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and all around the country are always eager to modernize their digital solutions and customer service practices to gain competitive advantage and to optimize their operational efficiency.

For service sector the large customer inflow is always a big challenge, for that businesses adopt to various technologies and solutions to maintain acceptable wait time and optimum customer experience. A digital queue management system is an extremely effective digital transformation tool. The modern day digital queue management systems are powered by smart algorithms and AI which make them more effective and efficient.

A queue management system streamlines customer flow, it is fully integrated within existing IT infrastructure and central information management system. Businesses can not only minimize customer wait time but they can also offer innovative features to enhance customer experience and to improve service delivery mechanisms. The queue management system optimize the entire customer journey, adding value to customer experience and it also help improving branch performance.

The mobile queue management is a latest form of digital queuing, it integrates a dedicated smartphone application which aids queue management system and it also offer more features and convenience to the customers. In this blog we will briefly discuss mobile queue management and its key benefits.

Mobile Queue Management: The Rise of App-Based Solutions

What is Mobile Queue Management System?

When it comes to the Mobile Queue Management System, people often think that it is a smartphone application that is exclusively designed to support queuing processes and typical queue management systems. That is true at some extent, however, it is not entirely about a dedicated mobile queue management application.

The mobile queue management system supports smartphone apps, QR code based queuing, SMS queuing and even WhatsApp queuing, all are part of a Mobile Queue Management System. The queue management systems have evolved a lot over the time, initially starting with humble paper pencil, later with incorporating basic digital devices and then matured into a full-fledged digital transformation tool.

In past few years the rise of contactless queuing results in a lot of modernization and innovation. The mobile queue management system is the result of that evolution. It incorporate several remote channels in the queuing process, offering unprecedented convenience, enabling customers to sign-up remotely for virtual queues and empowering both customers and the service agents with various innovative features.

The mobile queue management system is superior as it supports virtual queuing where the customers are not required to be physically present in the premises to be eligible for the queue. Furthermore the mobile queue management system provides real-time updates to customers and send them timely alerts and notifications which help improving customer interaction.

How Mobile Queue Management System Works?

A queue management system has two parts, one is its hardware part which usually has an interactive self-service ticket dispensing kiosk, a digital signage and an audio announcement system, the usage of digital counter name plats is also common. The software included a server-side queue management software application which is the brain of the system, it also have many components such as UI at interactive self-service ticket dispensing kiosk, digital signage management tools, and administrative dashboards. The service agents are provided with specialized dashboard which provides them necessary information and control over the customer flow.

The mobile queue management system contains additional components, such as dedicated queue management system mobile apps, QR Codes, and integration with other communication channels such as SMS and WhatsApp, etc.

QR Code Based Queuing: The QR Codes can be generated from within the queue management system which can be pasted in places where most of your customers can see them. The customer will have to scan it and it will take them to the online sign-up page which generate a digital ticket for them and other queuing information and updates can be provided at the same page.
WhatsApp Queuing: The WhatsApp number can be provided through website, social media or any other channel which take users to an automated WhatsApp chat and let them sign-in. The service agents can also access this chat if necessary and provide updates to the customer or allow them to talk with support team through the same chat.
Dedicated Mobile Apps: A dedicated queue management system smartphone application is provided to users which they can download from Android Play Store or Apple (iOS) App Store. Customers can sign-in to the application, then they can book an appointment or sign-up for the queue from within the applications. Several other features can be provided through dedicated mobile apps for queue management system which help empowering customers and elevate customer experience.
SMS Based Queuing: The customers are provided with a dedicated number for the SMS which is automated and help businesses collect basic information, it also issue the e-ticket through the SMS and help customers sign-up for the virtual queues. The customers can also get alerts and updates through the SMS and the SMS are also used along with other queuing methods to send alerts, instant updates and notification through the SMS.

From all of the above mobile queuing components the queue management mobile applications are the most advanced and impactful. The mobile application not only facilitate virtual queuing but it also offers a multitude of innovative features which further help businesses and customers.

How Mobile Queue Management System Works?

What are the Features of Queue Management Mobile App-Based Solutions?

There are two types of queue management mobile app-based solution, one is integrated mobile app and the second is the dedicated queue management system mobile app. The integrated mobile app is not exclusively designed for queue management system, although it could have all the features but the integrated app has other purposes too. Both solutions are fully customizable and allow businesses to incorporate all the features they want. Both app-based solutions are just like an extension to the on-premises digital queue management system and the primary objective is to allow customers to sign-up remotely via the smartphones.

This features enable businesses to greatly reduce the customer wait time, in fact it can literally be reduced to none. The long wait time is one of the most crucial factor in customer service which undermine customer satisfaction and make them unhappy. Here are some key features of queue management mobile app-based solutions which benefits both customers and businesses.

Mobile Queue Management: Remote Sign-ups and Virtual Queuing

The virtual queuing is a modern form of queue management which enable businesses to let customers and visitors sign-in in a virtual queues, this means the customers can be considered in queue without being physically present in the waiting line. This is a remarkable feature and it offer a lot of freedom to customers and visitors which greatly elevate their experience and raise customer satisfaction. The remote sign-ups or sign-in is a feature that allow customers and visitors to remotely sign-up for a queue without being physically present on business premises.

The remote sign-in and the virtual queuing allow customers to sign-up for the queue while they are on the way to customer service center or even before that. The customers are also not bound to wait in the waiting areas, they can spend time anywhere else, and arrive only when their ticket is called. This empowers customers and it also help improving their waiting experience, with virtual queues and remote sign-ups the customers only have to wait for minute or two at maximum, and this can also be avoided which is a great advantage of mobile queue management.

Mobile Queue Management: Appointment Booking and Visit Scheduling

Another remarkable feature that mobile queue management offers is the ability to integrate appointment booking system and visit scheduling tools. A queue management system is a very smart solution with advanced data collection and analysis tools. The queue management software has in-built smart algorithms and AI (artificial intelligence) which enables it to analyze the real-time data with context of historical data. This enable the queue management system to predict the expected footfall and wait time at any particular day or time. When the customers are booking appointment from their queue management system mobile application this data can be provided to them to let them make informed decisions as per their needs.

For example, if every last Wednesday of the month is the least busy day, or the footfall reduced during the noon, this information can help customers choose the right time for their appointment. In case if the customers fail to arrive or know they won’t be able to reach in time, they can immediately reschedule to the next available slot or to another day and time form within the mobile application. These features enhance customer experience and raise customer satisfaction.

Mobile Queue Management: Appointment Booking and Visit Scheduling

Mobile Queue Management: Branch Locator

The mobile queue management offers various innovative features such as the branch locator. That is a very useful feature and it helps customers and visitors to find the route/location map to the nearest branch. Businesses with multiple branches in a city could guide their customers and visitors to a particular branch as per their needs and current circumstances. For example, if a branch is full, and is expected to remain full, then the customers and visitors could be redirected to the next branch even before they initiate the sign-up processes, they can be asked to choose the branch nearby.

The information can be provided in an interactive UI where they can see all available branches on a live map along with basic information such as the timing, current pending tickets, and expected wait time, etc. Furthermore the in-built smart algorithms can also suggest customers which is the closest branch or which branch has the quickest expected wait time and so on. The appointment booking module and the ticket-scheduling features can be integrated within the branch locator to enhance customer experience. The branch locator feature is excellent for banks, pharmacies, healthcare, retail and government offices.

Mobile Queue Management: Enhanced Customer Experience

The biggest advantage of having a mobile queue management system with smartphone app-based solution is the elevated customer experience and higher customer satisfaction. For any business the customer satisfaction is the most crucial factor in their success. In service sector the major cause of customers’ unhappiness is the longer wait time and inefficient service delivery practices. A modern digital queue management system with mobile app-based solutions can greatly improve these two factors.

It not only reduce the wait time but it also help minimizing the impact of perceived wait time and it offers more freedom and control to customers over their interaction which raise their happiness. The dedicated queue management system mobile applications offer several intuitive features to simplify and enhance customer experience while empowering them and giving them more control. It also provide more control and flexibility to the service staff which boost their efficiency and further improve customer experience.

Mobile Queue Management: Enhanced Customer Experience

Mobile Queue Management: Better Human Resource Management

A digital queue management system can completely transform your customer service centers and open up new horizons for innovation and improvement. The mobile application based queue management solutions not only elevate customer experience but also offer valuable features which empower service staff and boost their efficiency. The staff can have more control over customer flow and they can get updated information in their dedicated service agent dashboard. The branch managers and even the head office can get live queuing data and updates which help them effectively utilize the available staff.

When the customers have choice to sign-in virtual queues, they tend to arrive on time of their call, which reduce the workload of the staff and also help preventing crowd formation. More customers waiting in waiting areas cause more distraction for the staff and undermine their efficiency. However, with limited number of customers in the waiting areas and more control over customer flow the staff can work under fairly balanced workload which boost their morale and greatly improve their performance enabling businesses for better human resource management and it also reduce human resource cost.

Mobile Queue Management: Better Human Resource Management

Mobile Queue Management: Business Intelligence Data Collection

Business intelligence data is one of the most important factor in planning and decision making. Modern day businesses heavily rely on data to take important strategic decisions and without a strong and solid data analysis the decisions could easily go wrong. Therefore businesses always strive to collect analytical and statistical data which they can incorporate in their decision making process. A modern queue management system with mobile app-based solution is equipped with smart data collection tools and AI which makes it a great source of valuable business intelligence data.

The management can effectively monitor the customer flow, they can track staff performance and KPIs, along with analytical and statistical data from each and every customer touch point throughout the entire customer journey. Businesses can collect customer feedback and also identify the bottlenecks and pain points to resolve them for better customer experience. The queue management system mobile app enable businesses to request for customer feedback at the end of each interaction or even afterwards. The business intelligence data and customer feedback can be a great asset for a business.

Mobile Queue Management: Business Intelligence Data Collection

Mobile Queue Management: Scalability and Customization

A queue management system itself is a very flexible tool towards customization and scalability. Every business grows over the time so does their needs, challenges and business processes. A queue management system is built on very flexible software stack which makes it very convenient and cost-effective for a business to scale them up or customize them to meet the emerging needs and challenges. The queue management system software is a server-side application which has ability to integrate with other software, applications, solutions, databases and central information system.

The integration allow queue management system to talk to other systems and help businesses incorporate innovative features which enhance customer journey and also have positive impact on overall operational performance. The queue management system mobile apps are typically hybrid apps which are easy to maintain, customize and upgrade. Even if you are using native apps, you can always modify them to add new features, customize existing UIs and much more. The ability to scale and customize makes queue management system with mobile app-based solutions ideal for modern businesses.

Mobile Queue Management: Scalability and Customization

Conclusion

The rise of mobile app-based queue management solutions is a significant milestone in customer service industry. The modern queue management systems with smartphone apps have completely changed the way businesses were managing their customer flow and branch performance. In fact a modern day queue management system is a full-fledged branch transformation tool which can greatly boost the branch performance and elevate customer experience while saving a lot on operational cost.

In the competitive markets such as Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and other regions of UAE where the customers are normally very tech-savvy and the digital interaction is highly regarded as the sign of better quality the modern day queue management system equipped with smartphone application can gain you a great competitive advantage. It is not only about making an impression but in fact it has become an essential for optimum performance and efficiency. The customer flow management is one of the most critical factor in customer experience and the customer experience is extremely important for a long term and sustainable success.

The mobile app-based queue management solutions are equipped by smart algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) which make them superior and it also help businesses incorporate innovative and intuitive features for their customers and visitors. The queue management system mobile application can deliver a satisfactory customer experience while optimizing customer journey and enhancing staff performance.

In this blog we have briefly discussed what is a mobile app-based queue management solution is and how businesses can leverage its advanced features to drive performance and customer excellence. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help to develop a bespoke mobile application-based queue management system for your organization, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

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