< PreviousTouchless technology can lead to reduced employee sickness and downtime, improving overall productivity and profits. • Seamless, fast interactions Touch technology requires the consumer to view and understand how to use a display screen or kiosk. If it’s not presented in a simple enough format, the customer has to spend time to figure out how to use the interactive kiosk, what buttons or areas to press next in order to follow the flow of information to achieve the desired results. Voice user interfaces enable users to issue a voice command to launch a program and navigate a display screen. For example, in an airport, a traveller can walk up to a ticket kiosk and say, “print my boarding ticket”. The booth, operating with technology that utilises an ASR engine, combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning, can respond with questions to get the necessary information to complete the transaction, such as “please say your ticket number”. Such an interaction takes only moments to complete. • Improved customer experience Interacting with a kiosk using hand gestures or voice speeds up ordering or finding information, freeing up time for consumers and employees alike. VIRTUAL LEARNING If the interactive kiosk is not presented in a simple enough format, the customer has to spend time to figure out how to use it to achieve the desired result 30KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINEVIRTUAL LEARNING 31 KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINE Fast-food restaurants McDonald’s and Good Times Burgers in the United States have already employed voice-automated ordering at drive-thru restaurants. The touchless technology has sped up the ordering and payment process, which frees employees to devote time to other duties such as cooking, cleaning, or dealing with more complicated orders. The AI-driven touchless technology improves both customer and employee satisfaction. • Increased revenues Touchless technology that enables fast, customised service leaves customers happy and improves employee performance, satisfaction and retention, affecting the bottom line. The touchless technology that enabled Good Times Burgers to shave seven seconds off wait times also improved upselling. AI can be programmed to upsell 100% of the time, while human employees upsell only 40% of the time. Contactless solutions that keep employees healthy and on the job stabilise a company’s operations and improve profit margins. Improvement of interactive transactions While touchless technology is still in its nascent stages, many viable contactless solutions can turn existing and new kiosks into touchless experiences. Many are simply a matter of plug-n-play, while others may require minor modifications. These touchless solutions offer consumers and the industries that serve them, benefits that will improve interactive transactions to make life and business more accessible and better overall.W e take a look at the top COVID-19 tech trends and how they will remain part of our lives in the future, post-pandemic. Is remote working and virtual reality training the future? Remote working was clearly one of the biggest COVID-19 tech trends. The number of people remote working took a quantum leap as we were forced to stay in our homes and continue working as normal where possible. Hybrid office and remote working models are likely to continue following the pandemic. The pandemic has disrupted cultural and technological barriers that prevented working from home in the past, creating a social shift in workplace expectations. McKinsey predicts that over 20% of the global workforce could be working remotely three to five days a week. This would have a significant impact on local economies, transportation and general spending. Virtual training took precedence in the education and corporate world, with the widespread adoption of online activity fuelling this. While some may be concerned about effectively emulating an in-person learning experience when training remotely, virtual reality training can deliver exactly that. Virtual reality training helps to create a live, synchronous virtual environment and has been used in healthcare and medicine, engineering and auto manufacturers, and many more industries. A report from PwC in 2020 forecasted that around 23.5 million jobs across the world will be COVID19 TECH TRENDS Digital transformation is a conversation that is and was taking place before COVID-19. Businesses want to know how to become more competitive, reactive, and efficient, and how services for users can be improved. McKinsey’s global survey of 889 executives reported that COVID-19 certainly accelerated digital transformation by several years in some sectors and many of these changes are expected to remain in place long-term. ADAM POMEROY AR/VR PROJECT MANAGER LUMINOUS GROUP 32KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINE FOUR SURPRISING WAYS COVID-19 HAS FORCED THE WORLD TO INNOVATECOVID19 TECH TRENDS 33 KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINEusing augmented and virtual reality by 2030 for training, meetings and customer service. Virtual reality is cost-effective, practical and a safe place to learn new skills. Contactless payments The COVID-19 pandemic changed how we pay for things. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that we avoid cash and use contactless. Contactless payment has been a popular option for many years and has now become the preferred way to pay for the majority. So much so that research has reported that 54% of shoppers would change to a retailer that provided contactless payment. From start to finish, this technology has gone more mainstream, with mobile and contactless payments becoming the norm. It is predicted that this will become the standard method to pay, with faster, convenient and secure checkouts that will dictate consumer behaviours. Virtual reality tourism The concept of virtual reality tourism would have likely been a futuristic one. Nobody would have ever predicted we would be staying in our own countries all year with airline companies struggling to stay afloat. That’s leaving plenty of us frustrated with a holiday itch to scratch. More and more of us are turning to virtual reality to relieve this demand for travel. Virtual reality travel experiences are possible through headsets that give users realistic access to places like Antarctica and the pyramids in Egypt. Currently, virtual reality is used to help travellers decide where they want to go. It allows COVID19 TECH TRENDS It is predicted that contactless technology will become the standard method to pay, dictating consumer behaviour 34KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINECOVID19 TECH TRENDS 35 KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINE More and more of us are turning to virtual reality to relieve our demand for travel customers to take 360-degree tours of resorts, directly book their flights, and choose seats on planes and specific hotel rooms at home. The world needs sustainable tourism, and this is becoming a viable option to cut down emissions. This can also help preserve historic sites that are being damaged through mass tourism. Although virtual reality tourism isn’t intended to replace the experience of real-world travelling, it can help keep interest alive in locations abroad. 3D printing and laser scanning Logistics and supply chains have been disrupted during COVID-19, resulting in shortages of goods. 3D printing has been adopted rapidly in many instances during the COVID-19 pandemic, with factories manufacturing on-demand resources for essential services like personal protective equipment and ventilators for healthcare. The market study firm CONTEXT commented: “The demands made of printers in all price ranges increased as they were used to create pandemic-related items ranging from PPE to nasopharyngeal swabs. “While this could not fully compensate for lost demand from closed markets (such as consumer products, education and the dental and automotive industries), it clearly demonstrated the flexibility of the technology, showing how it can be leveraged to help overcome supply- chain disruptions and could, in future, be so used across many industries.” The flexibility of 3D printing shows the value this can hold across industries. It allowed organisations to act quicker than other manufacturing technologies in the production process, removing the need to rely on complex supply chains that were disrupted. It would be a wise investment for the future. COVID-19 has innovated tech in many different ways. It has changed everything from the way we do mundane things like pay for goods to how essential services are facilitated through specialist 3D printing equipment. SMART TECH RETURN 36KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINE36KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINET he UK’s largest hospitality firms recently signed a letter urging the Prime Minister to commit to a reopening of indoor hospitality on 17 May to save the sector. However, a government spokesperson said: “We cannot be complacent or lose sight of the risks this virus poses.” The government is concerned that as restrictions are eased and people start moving around again, the transmission of the virus can occur. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government was doing everything it could to ensure people could return to events and travel “as safely as possible”. With indoor venues opening up, safety is still of paramount importance, and there are several regulations to which hospitality businesses must adhere. Here, smart, connected technology can help indoor entertainment offerings achieve compliance and improve customer and employee safety—both now and into the future. Here’s how smart technology can be applied in different sectors of the hospitality industry. Indoor pubs and restaurants Pubs and restaurants with outdoor seating were allowed to open in April, but this left many indoor venues unable to open their doors. Now, indoor pubs and restaurants are hoping to reopen in May and start recovering the profits they lost while doors were closed. Smart technology solutions can help owners improve health and safety and get back on their feet. Prevent overcrowding Occupancy monitoring sensors connected to a central control dashboard can alert hospitality managers when a certain area in the pub or restaurant is close to capacity. They can then put in measures to control access to that area and prevent overcrowding. This not only reduces the likelihood of transmission but also provides a better experience for customers, reducing the need to squeeze past or be close to other people in tightly knit bar areas. Prevent unnecessary contact Digital technology has already disrupted the food industry, with restaurants opting for online ordering and food delivery. As pubs and restaurants reopen, technology will continue to impact the guest journey at multiple touchpoints. Examples include contactless ordering, contactless payments and dynamic online menus. THE SMART TECH RETURN FOR INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENTS On May 17, Britain’s phased reopening plan allows for areas of the entertainment industry to reopen. Soon, cinemas, bowling alleys, indoor arenas, indoor adult group sports, exercise classes and theatres should be available to the public once again. MATTHEW MARGETTS DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING SMARTER TECHNOLOGIES 37 KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINE SMART TECH RETURN 37 KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINEThese systems can provide multiple benefits, including: • Peace of mind for customers • Additional guest spend • Less margin for human error • Better tracking of guest purchasing habits to inform optimisation and decision making • Data becomes available to pub and restaurant managers at their fingertips, allowing on-the-fly decisions to be taken around stocking the best-selling beers or menu items to maximise sales within the hour. Cinemas, bowling alleys and theatres Contactless payment In an age of reduced contact, the exchange and handling of cash, debit cards and credit cards have become a concern for many members of the public. As entertainment venues reopen, they should look to contactless payment options for customer safety, peace of mind and convenience. Mobile wallets and other contactless payment methods are gaining widespread use, and the days of the wallet could well be numbered. No-touch access control technologies Reducing touchpoints in public entertainment spaces includes lowering the need to touch high- touch surfaces such as elevator buttons, taps and door handles. Smart sensor technology can be applied to almost any surface to help automate movements and action according to occupancy and function. For example, smart tags and sensors placed on entrances and exits can test for the presence of a ticket and open doors or barriers automatically without the guest needing to touch any surfaces. Sporting venues and concert arenas Crowd control Smart temperature detection systems and kiosks can help venues manage guest flow and SMART TECH RETURN Long after the pandemic has passed, technology will power hospitality businesses enhancing the guest experience and building sustainable success for the future 38KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINESMART TECH RETURN 39 KIOSK AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE MAGAZINE ticketing. Thermal detection cameras can be placed at the entrances to sporting venues and concert arenas to take the temperature of guests entering the venue, test for the presence of masks and control access depending on these factors. The functionality can be extended to scanning a digital barcode as a ticket. Instead of checking for these things manually, a smart system provides a far more safe and efficient way to control crowds coming into a venue. Clearing the air Venue ventilation is a key consideration when trying to reduce the spread of the virus. In fact, improved ventilation and testing before and after events is one of the approaches being tested for mass gatherings and indoor events in the UK. A smart air quality monitoring system can test for the levels of various gases, humidity, temperature and other factors to ensure that these are kept at optimal levels within an area. If sub-optimal conditions are detected, the system can be linked to the venue’s HVAC, windows, doors and other air control systems to automatically adjust the settings and thus the air quality. Automated water hygiene monitoring Many sports venues and concert arenas have been vacant for the last few months, which means that water systems have been lying dormant. This increases the risk of Legionella bacteria proliferating in a venue’s water system and infecting people once the system is back in use. Typical Legionella prevention measures include flushing every outlet at regular intervals and testing the temperature of the water to ensure that it’s not sitting at optimal conditions for Legionella to grow. These records must be kept for at least five years. To do this manually is a time-consuming and resource-heavy process. Venues reopening in May should look to automated water temperature testing and flushing systems to streamline the Legionella compliance and monitoring process. An automated system flushes outlets and tests water temperatures in real-time without the need for manual intervention. The data is transmitted to a cloud-based dashboard which stores records and automates regular reports to help venues demonstrate duty of care. A technology-driven future for hospitality Over and above the required health and safety benefits of smart technology, the Internet of Things (IoT) helps to propel hospitality venues into the 21st century, with new technology streamlining operations, reducing costs and improving the guest experience. Long after the pandemic has passed, technology will power hospitality businesses forward in an increasingly competitive market, giving businesses the tools they need to reach their guests in the right way at the right time, enhancing the guest experience and building sustainable success for the future.Next >