Introduction
Digital transformation has brought about a rapid surge in the adoption of various technologies. Smartphones, laptops, tablets, PCs are the most common form of digital devices used by businesses. Today’s corporate world is highly competitive and demands every process to be backed with cutting-edge technology. To stay ahead of the game, businesses not only rely on off-the-shelf digital devices but also on special custom-built devices for their unique business needs. This has given rise to the adoption of Kiosks – digital devices that are built to perform single or multiple limited functions. According to a report, the self-service kiosk market which was valued at 12.05 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 is expected to reach 21.42 billion USD by 2027.
What is Kiosk Mode?
Kiosk Mode is the capability of a software or platform to restrict a digital device’s functionality to a single app or multiple selective apps to convert it into a purpose-built kiosk. This Kiosk Software is offered by Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions or some of the operating systems. It helps businesses turn commercial off-the-shelf digital devices into dedicated devices. Such dedicated devices can be of various types such as POS, digital signages, interactive kiosks, informative kiosks, etc. to perform specific tasks.
Businesses can either choose to lock their digital devices through video editor into a single-app mode which restricts the device’s usage to that specific app, or businesses can opt for the multi-app mode which allows specific pre-selected applications to run on the devices.
Both single app and multi-app modes are a part of the Kiosk Mode and present their own set of benefits for businesses.
Benefits of Kiosk Mode
Kiosk Mode helps businesses turn regular digital devices into purpose-built devices. This cuts back on the need to invest in specialized or custom-built devices. Besides this major advantage, there are several other business benefits of Kiosk Mode, such as:
- Greater control over the devices
With Kiosk Mode, businesses can define the usage of their devices without worrying about customers or employees accessing other applications and resources on their devices. With the single app mode, businesses can ensure that their public-facing devices are prevented from misuse. Similarly, with the multi-app Kiosk Mode, businesses can ensure that their employees use only the allowed applications. - Device and data security
Locking down devices in Kiosk Mode limits its usability to pre-selected apps. This takes away the risk of customers or strangers accessing business resources and information stored on the devices. It also prevents users from trying to reset pre-defined configurations or meddle with the device settings. This plays a significant role for remote and on-field employees who carry sensitive corporate data on their company-owned devices, as well as for the unattended kiosks that are prone to misuse by customers. - Lower maintenance costs
Because the Kiosk locked-down devices have specific usages, their functionalities are also limited, which presents a lesser possibility of errors and consequent repairs. For instance, a digital device locked in single-app kiosk mode to act as an information display kiosk has no users frequently touching or toggling with its settings. This makes it lesser prone to system glitches and errors. Furthermore, since the usability of the locked-down devices is restricted to limited applications, businesses experience lesser data usage resulting in lowered data costs. - Improved employee productivity
Businesses that provide their employees with company-owned devices face the risks of lowered employee productivity owing to the distractions caused by digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, etc. However, if these devices are locked down in a multi-app mode with pre-selected work-specific apps, the employees are bound to use the devices only for work purposes. This helps businesses improve their employee productivity and output. - Customizable according to business needs
Kiosk Mode presents numerous possibilities for businesses to fulfill their versatile digital needs. This simple feature helps you obtain a wide range of specialized devices for your custom business needs such as POS, digital signages, interactive kiosks, information kiosks, GPS tracking devices, and much more.
How Do Various Industries Benefit From Kiosk Mode?
Kiosks have versatile business use-cases. Right from retail, hospitality, healthcare to logistics, most industrial sectors use specialized kiosks for their diverse requirements. Kiosk Mode lets you obtain instant purpose-built kiosks to cater to these diverse needs.
Let’s look at how some of the major industries benefit from the Kiosk Mode.
- Point-of-Sale (POS) or Mobile Point-of-Sale (mPOS)
The retail industry relies heavily on dedicated POS devices. POS systems are seen in any and every store, mall, retail outlet. Even online shopping stores use mPOS for their on-the-go electronic cash collection. Retail businesses of every kind can effortlessly convert their smartphones or tablets into POS or mPOS systems with the single-app Kiosk Mode. - Digital Signages
The era of advertising with the help of paper-based pamphlets or billboards is behind us. Every major industrial sector that depends heavily on commercialization and advertising utilizes digital platforms to display its products and services. Several businesses invest heavily in dedicated digital signages. Airports display their flight schedules, restaurants display their menus and offers, hotel chains display their room availabilities, shopping malls and stores display their leading brands and discount offers, etc. Businesses can save a lot of money that they spend in purchasing dedicated devices, by simplifying adopting MDM solutions that help them convert their digital devices into digital signages. Modern-day MDM solutions for Kiosk management not only help convert your digital devices into digital signages but also help remotely monitor and manage these digital signages, push content, switch presentations, and much more. - Interactive Kiosks
A big part of the business world runs on digitalization. Almost every industrial sector has gone online with its services and offerings. Customers can try out and book their favorite products from stores, place food orders independently, book movie or flight tickets, all from interactive kiosks stationed at various outlets. Retail and hospitality businesses such as malls, museums, etc. can also place their Kiosk locked-down devices as customer self-help kiosks to find directions, explore show timings and much more. - GPS tracking devices
All the transportation and delivery-based businesses such as logistics, last-mile delivery services, at-home services rely on GPS tracking devices to either monitor their employees’ movements, track shipment, or locate the customers’ addresses. Businesses can easily obtain dedicated GPS devices by simply locking their tablets or smartphones in a single-location monitoring app. - Securing Devices for Examinations
Schools and universities can leverage the single app Kiosk Mode to prevent malpractices during examinations. Furthermore, even to ensure enhanced focus during classes, educational institutes can choose to lock their devices in a multi-app mode to allow usage of only learning apps and resources. - Patient Monitoring Devices
Healthcare has advanced considerably since the olden times when patient reports and monitoring were conducted with paper-based methods. Today all clinics and hospitals have dedicated patient monitoring devices that present accurate and timely reports and analyses of the patients’ vitals. The current world runs on software and cloud-based tools, there are several health monitoring apps and software available in the market. Hospitals can obtain instant patient monitoring devices by locking their tablets into single-app Kiosk mode.
Closing Lines
Kiosks are devices that have diverse applications in today’s business world. Businesses can save considerable costs on purchasing dedicated Kiosks by simply investing in a solution that helps them leverage the Kiosk Mode to convert existing digital devices into purpose-specific devices. Scalefusion MDM is one such software that presents comprehensive Kiosk management capabilities to its users, streamlining versatile business needs.
