Automated Service Kiosk A.S.K.

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Automated Service Kiosk(A.S.K.)

• CS 410
• Fall 2005
• Presented by
• Jared Miller
• Scott Washburn
• 2 November 2005

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Team Organization
Janet Brunelle General Manager
Mylène Cover Project Manager
Enrique Polanco Research and Marketing
Jared Miller Web Master Finance
Keegan Morrison Web Master Hardware Specialist
Scott Washburn SBIR Specialist Software Specialist
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A.S.K. Overview

• Define the Problem
• Supporting Information
• Define the Solution
• Market Identified
• Risks Concerns
• Funding Scheduling
• Conclusion

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Societal Problem Defined

• Poor customer service is a cause for low customer
  retention.

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Bad Customer Experience

• Anne has an old 35 mm Camera
• No one to help

• Fails to Greet, Speak, Listen, Inform, Thank-you

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Did you know?

• Poor customer service is on the top ten list of
  reasons why businesses fail.

Belmont University Center for Entrepeneurship
09/22/2005 http//forum.belmont.edu/cornwall/arch
ives/003452.html
7
Why do customers leave?
CRMGURU.com http//www.rightnow.com/resource/RN_L
oyaltyCRMGuru.html
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Customer Facts
ITESGrads http//www.bpoindia.org/research/custom
er-retention.shtml 2004 Customer Service Survey
Results http//www.amdocs.com/documents/survey-re
sults.html
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Why A.S.K.?

• Repeat customers spend 33 more than new
  customers
• It costs 6 more to sell to a prospective
  customer than to an existing customer
• Referrals among repeat customers are 107 greater
  than new customers
• Customers are 50 more likely to be influenced by
  word-of-mouth as opposed to ads

Strategiy.com http//www.strategiy.com/feature.as
p?id20051003030433
Stylus Systems, Inc. http//www.outsource2india.
com/services/customer_interaction_services.asp
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Problem Characteristics

• Customers are not aware of all of their options
• Customers leave when they cannot find items
  (confusion/lack of information)
• Not all associates are domain experts
• Associates difficult to find quickly
• Rearranged/sale item location
• Product availability

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Proposed Solution Defined/Goal

• Provide an in-store customer service terminal
  that will serve as an alternative source of
  knowledge and help for consumers with A.S.K.

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Solution Characteristics

• Product Comparison
• Map
• Detailed Knowledge Base
• Terminal Placement
• Sales/Coupons
• Predictive Analysis
• Friendly Interface
• Feedback

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Functional Component Diagram
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Project Objectives

• Design a friendly customer interface
• Produce interface with inventory database
• Design and organize queries to databases for
  product comparisons and search analyses
• Create ability to notify customer of
  sales/coupons

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Pros

• Average of 7 return on incremental sales
• Improve customer experience
• 24/7 service!
• Provide efficient help alternative
• Decreased wait time
• Improved response time
• Immediate gratification
• Better inform customers of products available
• Analyze the inquiry process
• Keep customers, increase sales, succeed! 
• Increased customer satisfaction increased sales

Kiosk Retail Kiosks http//www.kis-kiosk.com/apps
/retail-kiosk.html
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Cons

• Complexity of administration and maintenance
• Customer reluctance
• Associates might feel replaced

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What our product will do

• Compare products
• Provide product specifications and details
• Analyze queries and hits/misses
• Notify of stock availability
• Locate products
• Notify of sales/availability of coupons
• Give customers an outlet for voicing in-store
  experiences

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What our product will not do

• Replace associates
• Collect personal information from the shopper
• Act as a point-of-sale device
• Have autonomous inventory updates

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Market Defined Analyzed

• Specialty retail stores such as
• Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, etc.
• Office Max, Staples, etc.
• Beauty salon supply stores
• Military equipment stores

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Best Buy Market Analysis

• Specific target market Best Buy
• 469 million 2004 Yearly Net Income
• 830 stores in U.S. Canada
• 21 stores in Virginia
• 109,000 employees

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Competition Matrix
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Technical Components

• Touch screen monitor
• ASK software
• Thin clients
• Inventory database interface
• Internal database
• Network connection
• Server

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Process Flow
Anne Shopping for Camera
Help is limited due to poor service
Anne Starts A.S.K.
Main Menu
Compare
Locate
Find Discount
Anne Compares two cameras
A.S.K. Informs Anne
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GUI View
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GUI View (in depth example)
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GUI View (in depth example)
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Management Methods Issues

• Meetings
• Communication
• Work Distribution
• Conflict Resolution
• Overall decisions
• Balance of input

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Work Breakdown Structure
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Risks
Likelihood
Consequence
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Major Resource Issues

• Limited financing funding before initial
  contract
• Existing manufacturers meeting our production
  needs
• Adhering to the schedule
• Acquiring necessary staff and experts

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Monetary FeasibilityCost per Unit
Cost 75,000 2,000 per additional terminal
Terminals (5)
Server
Networking Components
Software
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Customer-Operated Kiosk Market Data
JBS Interactive http//www.jbsinteractive.com/opp
ortunities.html
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Forum/Expert Feedback

• Of 550 people surveyed, 85 would go to a store
  if a A.S.K. was available
• Managers at Radio Shack, Best Buy, and Office Max
  expressed interest in a product that would
  provide the functionality of A.S.K.

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• A.S.K. will greet Anne positively
• Anne wants a positive connection
• A.S.K. will record Annes needs, wants or
  problems
• Inform Anne
• Invite Anne back with incentives

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Conclusion

• Poor customer service is a problem
• A.S.K. will
• Improve customers in-store experience
• Help the store better meet customer needs

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(No Transcript)
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Backup 1 Reasons Businesses Fail
10. Over-expansion. The need to get there first
or to demonstrate revenue growth to anxious
investors leads businesses to grow too fast. 9.
Poor Capital Structure. Companies take on too
much debt Enough said! 8. Failure to Control the
Controllable Costs. Businesses spend down the
initial cash before it is flowing in at a
positive rate. 7. Failure to Prepare for
Volatility of Uncontrollable Costs. For example,
energy, materials, labor, or insurance. 6. Add
New Products or Divisions that Drag Down the
Profitable Ones 5. Poor Internal Controls and
Execution customer service, accounting
controls, theft, fraud 4. Poorly Designed
Business Model 3. Reliance on Critical Financing
that Dries Up 2. Failure to Adapt to a Changing
Market AND THE 1 REASON? Management in Complete
Denial
Belmont University Center for Entrepeneurship
09/22/2005 http//forum.belmont.edu/cornwall/arch
ives/003452.html
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Backup 2 Estimated Cost Per Unit
Dell.com http//www.dell.com
Tigerdirect.comhttp//www.tigerdirect.com/applica
tions/category/category_slc.asp?CatId1449 Cisco
http//www.cisco.com
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Backup 3 Monetary Feasibility
Salary.com Average National Salaries
http//www.salary.com/
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Backup 4 Kiosk Acceptance
JBS Interactive http//www.jbsinteractive.com/opp
ortunities.html
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Backup 5Competition Matrix
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Backup 6Scope
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Backup 7Forum Results

• Would you use A.S.K.?
• 85 of respondents (n 550) said YES
• Respondent Testimonials
•  You could change the way stores work forever
  with an idea like this. It's awesome.
• I think the best part is the item location in
  the store. I've had countless times when I went
  into a best buy or circuit city already knowing
  exactly what I wanted, but then had to spend like
  30 minutes finding it. The sales reps are
  sometimes helpful with this, but you can't expect
  them to know the exact location of everything,
  and this method would be much quicker and not
  waste a sales rep's time.

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Backup 8Time Feasibility