National Express choose Chip & PIN To Herald New Self-Service Culture

Now that high street retailers have implemented Chip & PIN payment systems, many are looking to extend their recently upgraded infrastructures to enable them to launch new methods of selling and serving their customers. Chip & PIN allows the secure verification of payment cards and authentication of cardholders for the first time. Businesses can now accept sales without the need for costly staff to be involved in each sale and transaction. The financial services sector has been the pathfinders for self-service banking. They have seen significant benefits including those of increased customer service, convenience and business efficiency. One company familiar with the benefits of self-service is National Express, the UK’s leading scheduled coach company. National Express chose the Key Technology Solutions stylish Strata kiosk to trial touchscreen payment technology for use in its unattended locations within four of the company’s busiest coach stations. The Strata kiosk is designed to create maximum impact within a busy environment, the kiosk is constructed from formed toughened glass and epoxy coated steel, the unit is edge lit to give a modern look combined with the robustness required in the public arena. Plans exist to rollout the service to further sites across the UK.

The touchscreen kiosks enable plastic card payments to be made quickly and securely, reducing the potential for losses from fraudulent transactions. For National Express, anti-fraud benefits aside, the kiosks offer increased customer convenience, new services, shorter queues and the potential to increase staff productivity.

“National Express is moving with the times and embracing new technologies to improve the customer experience,” commented David Goldstraw, Customer Service Director for National Express. “The kiosks are very stylish and have been designed to be easy to use with state of the art touch screen technology. We are confident that they will soon become as familiar to customers as booking on the Internet”.