Picture this: it’s 5:00 pm on Friday and you’re closing up to head home for the weekend. Your business operates on standard 8:00 am—5:00 pm business hours during the week; however, interested customers and visitors often come by in the evenings and on weekends.
While, in some cases, the lack of employee coverage outside of your standard business hours could be seen as a squandered opportunity, you made the decision a few months ago to implement a self-service outdoor kiosk outside of your office. Now, after implementing the outdoor kiosk, you’re able to provide your customers and interested visitors with the information and services they need, no matter the day of the week or time of day.
Regardless of the industry in which you operate, outdoor kiosks can be designed to take on a variety of roles—from interactive digital signage and information sharing, to ticketing and wayfinding. While the roles of indoor and outdoor interactive kiosks can certainly overlap, outdoor kiosks bring more to the table than just the obvious—the ability to be placed outdoors. When weighing your options, consider these three notable characteristics of outdoor kiosks.
Durability
As a business owner, if you’re making the investment of both your time and money to deploy an outdoor kiosk, it’s likely that you’re planning to use the solution for many years to come. Designed for permanent outdoor use, outdoor kiosks are built with long-lasting durability in mind. While the structure of an outdoor kiosk is typically rugged aluminum, the finish includes a high-quality dual stage powder coat and lexan laminated graphics, which enables them to maintain their original appearance over time, despite their exposure to the elements. Outdoor kiosks are also equipped with safety glass, strategically placed stiffeners, extra weld points, and compression locks to resist any unwelcome tampering or vandalism.
Weather-Resistance
In addition to durability, when it comes to deploying an outdoor kiosk, it’s critical that the unit is designed to withstand whatever weather conditions its location might throw its way. After all, while rain, wind, snow, or extreme heat might reduce the number of potential customers out and about on any given day, the kiosk should be readily available when the users are. Designed to incorporate a variety of unique outdoor-specific components, outdoor kiosks thrive in all weather conditions, both pleasant and adverse. For example, to regulate the internal temperature of the unit in both warm and cold climates, internal HVAC systems can be seamlessly integrated to disperse heat and air throughout the unit. Similarly, rain hoods and strategic bends can be used to effectively repel rain, snow, and other forms of precipitation.
Flexibility
Outdoor kiosks also offer flexibility—for both those deploying and those using the kiosks. Available in a variety of models, outdoor kiosks can accommodate different screen sizes, components, and use cases. In addition to their flexible design, they also allow for flexible use. Designed for 24-7 unattended outdoor use, users are able to interact with the solutions whenever it’s most convenient for them, and business owners don’t have to worry about missing out on potential customers when they’re closed—everyone benefits.
A fully integrated manufacturer, Meridian designs, engineers, fabricates, deploys, and supports both indoor and outdoor self-service solutions from our 13-acre headquarters in North Carolina. To learn more about Meridian’s outdoor self-service kiosk solutions, visit www.meridiankiosks.com/kiosks/outdoor-kiosks/ or give us a call at 866-454-6757.