Carthage Savings and Loan has been a trusted hometown bank of New York’s North Country since 1888. 130 years of community service certainly warrants a party, and VP of Operations Bridget Fetterly was planning a blowout – an all-day open house, followed by an after-hours soirée of culinary delights. The scheduled showpieces of the event were a beautiful new addition on the back of the Carthage office, a long overdue elevator, and an eye-catching high tech feature… but what would it be?
Enter the Monolith Large Touchscreen Kiosk: A Bold Statement Piece
Fetterly knew she was looking for something sleek and modern to advertise the bank’s products in-house. She started searching online for computer kiosks, and the Advanced Kiosks name just kept popping up. She liked our product line, but still had some trepidation about cold calling a random vendor. So she started asking around locally about us. Sure enough, both the Lewis County General Hospital and Syracuse VA Hospital were satisfied Advanced Kiosks clients. Two quality referrals convinced Fetterly to reach out via our web portal, and she was impressed with how quickly our sales consultant Charles Dockham responded.
Initially, Fetterly had something smaller in mind, but then she saw our towering Monolith Kiosk, guaranteed to catch customers’ attention. Charles explained it could be outfitted with back-to-back 55” touchscreen monitors.
“People can enter our lobby from two different sides, so a double-sided kiosk ended up being exactly what we needed,” explained Fetterly. “Plus, at almost 7 feet tall, it is quite the statement piece!”
The Usual Time Crunch & Curve ball
Fetterly was worried about getting the giant display kiosk up and running in time for the anniversary celebration. “We took too long to decide what we wanted to do, and that didn’t leave much time for execution. But Charles worked really hard. The constant communication from Advanced Kiosks was amazing,” she raved.
Just as we expect tight deadlines, we also know nothing ever goes exactly as planned. The shipping company provided the hitch this time. The Monolith was scheduled for delivery the week before the big open house; it didn’t show up until two days before. Fortunately, our technical support whiz Marshall Nye worked with the Carthage Savings and Loan staff to configure the kiosk and design the user interface ahead of time.
“I was worried, but installation was phenomenal! It really was plug and play,” Fetterly recounted.
Advanced Kiosks selected two local technicians from its nationwide network of highly trained installers to get a workout that day. The oversized crate wouldn’t fit in the new elevator, so they brought the Monolith up the stairs piece by piece. “They handled everything from start to finish and stayed until I was comfortable. Then, within an hour of installation, Marshall was on the phone walking me through the kiosk’s functionality,” said Fetterly.
The Kiosk Was the Belle of the Ball
Carthage Savings and Loan’s anniversary open house was an even bigger success than anyone anticipated. With a standing-room-only lobby, the Monolith’s giant interactive touchscreens saw plenty of action on both sides.
Marshall, Bridget and Carthage S&L’s Online Branch Manager Teri Ellis designed a three-tiered interface with looped videos playing at the top, rotating banner ads featuring local promotions at the bottom, and links to products, rates and promotions in the middle. Customers can use the interactive kiosk to access the bank’s website right there in the lobby. The links provided answer all the clientele’s most frequently asked questions, and the prominently featured Rates page has retired the old pegboard in the corner.
The Many Options of a Kiosk-Driven Future
Fetterly knows this initial kiosk configuration is pretty basic, but it’s a good starting point, and the Zamok software suite will make it easy to build functionality as use evolves. She appreciates all the case studies on the Advanced Kiosks blog because they’re a good source of ideas; you can see all the ways other people are using their kiosks.
“It was wonderful to have Marshall work hand-in-hand with us,” Fetterly said. “There are so many options, so many moving parts and ways to make the kiosk really come alive, that you need an expert to walk you through them all. It’s a challenge to use the Monolith to its ability; your mind is the only limit. I’m just excited to see where we go from here!”
First Stop: Kiosks for Kids
Thanks to popular demand, Carthage Savings and Loan knows one feature they’ll be adding to their large touchscreen kiosk soon: money management games for children. The Monolith may tower over these little digital natives, but they definitely aren’t afraid to run right up and play with it. Why not channel that enthusiasm to grow smart savers? They’re the educated customers of the future!
If you’re ready to step into the future and start educating your customers, give us a call today!
Written by Amy Robison, contributing author