The annual KioskCom Excellence Awards were handed out April 10 in Las Vegas. For the second year, former CNN anchor Bob Losure announced the winners and presented the trophies. Nanonation sponsored the awards.

Awards in 12 categories plus three special awards were presented. The winner in the category of "Best kiosk application for travel or hospitality" was presented to the Swift Workforce HR kiosk, developed by KIOSK Information Systems and Netkey.

Managing a workforce is tough, and the difficulty rises in direct proportion to its size. And it is hard enough when the employees are geographically close to one another – the challenges rise exponentially when that workforce is distributed.

That's exactly the situation Swift Transportation found itself facing three years ago. The company that started with just a few trucks in 1966 grew to become the largest truckload motor carrier in the world – today operating over 16,000 trucks and generating $2.5 billion in revenue annually.

But in 2003, HR vice president Barbara Kennedy decided that something needed to be done to keep the home office better connected to its mobile workforce. She was intrigued by the concept of a kiosk solution, and the company spent the next two years researching hardware and software options.

Representatives from the company traveled to KioskCom, where they met software firm Netkey.

"Their sales team appeared strong and confident in their ability to deliver," said Tiffany Springan, director of employee development for Swift. "They also brought ideas to the table and things for us to consider that we had not thought through. We felt they truly wanted to partner with us."

Swift's vision for the software platform was ambitious from the start, but execution took place in planned stages. Springan said early versions of the kiosk allowed drivers to check their pay history, take mandatory training classes, change benefit information and send emails to family members.

"We were thrilled with the initial response to the kiosk and began brainstorming on what else we could provide," she said. "In the end we were able to add more functionality, such as missing logs, status of equipment and permits."

V. Miller Newton, Netkey chief executive, said the rollout began with a goal of 9 to 12 kiosks within six weeks of project start, which was achieved in April 2005. The other 150 were launched a few months later.

"There are certain applications in the marketplace – airline check-in, for example – where interactive self-service kiosks are the ideal enabling technology for solving a pressing business problem," he said. "Our customers tell us that human resources is another one of those types of applications where self-service can bring significant value."

The numbers certainly bear out that notion. Springan said kiosk usage statistics hit an all-time high of 111,800 logins in June, with the number one use being driver pay inquiry. The kiosks have also become news and information portals for the drivers, delivering critical information like weather updates.

"Our kiosk continues to evolve," she said. "Our goal is to keep our drivers and technicians coming back so we focus on keeping the data fresh and current. And we have assigned concierges at each location to help new drivers maneuver through the kiosk and encourage them to use it."