As a seasoned consultant in the self-service products industry, with over five decades of experience in Shenzhen, China, and as a leading supplier of information kiosks, I have witnessed the triumphs and challenges of deploying self-service kiosks globally.

Successful deployment of self-service kiosks can significantly contribute to a business's success. However, poor planning and downtime can lead to a negative customer experience, ultimately driving away valuable target customers. Often, deployers prioritize the kiosk itself over the customer's convenience and comfort, which is crucial for the success of self-service kiosks.

Based on my observations, here are some reasons why self-service pilots fail:

1. Miscommunication between the client company and the OEM kiosk deployment company.
2. Overloading a single kiosk with too many software apps, leading to a poor user experience.
3. Inconvenient placement of kiosks, making them inaccessible to users.
4. Lack of experience in mass rollouts and deployments.
5. Poor browsing mechanisms and slow transaction times.
6. Inadequate lighting and sound arrangements.
7. Complex designs and internal mechanical issues.
8. Using desktop peripherals instead of specialized self-service components.
9. Privacy screen visibility issues.
10. Initial difficulty in using the kiosk.
11. Slow browsing and searching features.
12. Choosing the wrong operating system.
13. Inadequate antivirus updates.
14. Challenges in multi-vendor kiosk environments.
15. Lack of remote monitoring and diagnostics.
16. Power management issues and backup power solutions.
17. 
    

According to market analyst reports, the self-service kiosks market is mature and growing rapidly. OEMs have realized that quality is crucial for larger rollouts and must provide robust, user-friendly kiosks that engage customers and enhance brand equity.

We Felehoo invite other members who have deployed kiosks in their marketplace or have plans to do so to share their experiences and insights. We also open to consulting with clients who have faced challenges in their kiosk deployments.