This article originally published in Self-Service World magazine, Jan/Feb 2006.
My hometown, Louisville, Ky., is celebrating the national recognition of two of our University of Louisville football players. Louisville is not really known for its prowess in collegiate football, but this year we have something to toot our horn about. Elvis Dumervill, senior defensive end, was named an All-American. He also received the honor of being named the country's top defensive player, along with being named Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year. One player receiving these kind of accolades would be a great accomplishment for most schools, but Louisville's sophomore quarterback Brian Brohm also was recognized as the Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Year. We certainly have a lot to cheer about here in Louisville.
What does this have to do with the Self-Service & Kiosk Association, you ask? Well, every successful person has certain qualities that set them apart from the rest of the crowd. They prepare well, have big dreams and are willing to do whatever is necessary to realize them. We have lots of people in our industry who fit into this mold. One of those special people was recently elected to our association Hall of Fame.
Alex Richardson, married, with one son (9), grew up on Miskel Farm in Leesburg, Va. In preparation for his business endeavors, Alex received a BA in physics and economics from Connecticut College and an MBA in marketing and finance from Yale University. He has more than 20 years experience in building value in enterprise, high growth and start-up technology companies. Some of those include Target Stores, JC Penney, Starbucks, Microsoft and many others.
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| Alex Richardson (center), pictured with Alan Fryrear (left) and Greg Swistak (right), received the Hall of Fame Award for 2005 at the Self-Service & Kiosk Association's annual meeting, held Oct. 18, 2005. |
As chief executive officer and founder of Netkey Inc., Alex pioneered the development of a new enterprise soft ware market for the management of self-service devices and created the organization to capitalize on it. He led the effort to raise $20 million in venture financing to make it all happen. He is coholder of two multichannel tech patents. Before founding Netkey, Alex prepared well. He served as president and director of marketing and sales of Lexitech Multimedia and spent brief times at Oglivy & Mather Advertising and with U.S. Representative Christopher Dodd (now a U.S. senator). He is a member of the National Ski Patrol and has been involved with Special Olympics International since 1987. Alex is presently managing director of Selling Machine Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in supporting automated retailing and kiosk business solutions. Alex is truly an All-American of our industry and deserves membership in our association's Hall of Fame.
An interview with an industry All-Star
I caught up with Alex recently, and he was gracious enough to allow me to ask him several questions about self-service.
How did you become interested in the self-service/kiosk industry?
"Business is about solving problems for your customers. Since my early training in consulting and marketing at Ogilvy & Mather, I've been working on how to make the cash register ring at retailers, consumer product brands, banks and government institutions. "Though it seems obvious today, it was only a few decades ago when most of us wasted precious personal time in lines — waiting and waiting — for some store associate or employee to perform our computer or POS transaction. "After experiencing this situation at a variety of stores and agencies, I came up with the concept of turning the monitor around to allow the consumer to control the transaction through self-service, and help stores to reduce headcount by eliminating the bottleneck.
"The early challenge was the question of how to transform archaic computer database requests into simple, consumer-friendly screens that sped up the transaction. My early Ogilvy TV experience helped in this arena since I focused on how to transform computer transactions into a friendly, multimedia rich, TV-like experience."
What applications excite you today?
"With the rapid growth of technology and media, today's consumer has been trained to be a multichannel shopper. Massive change is occurring in the retail/consumer ecosystem. Typically, retailers used catalogs or newspapers to build awareness about a company's products. Web sites were used to nudge consumers from a consideration to a preference. Then, consumers got in their car, walked into the store and stores closed the sale.
"Black Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) and the dramatic increases in e-commerce sales illustrate the massive change that is occurring. Consumers now look at shopping comparison Web sites to learn about products and retailer offerings, then they drive into the stores to get a first-hand look at the products and go back home or to work to complete the transaction on the Web site."
How do you see the future growth of the self-service industry?
"Consumers want seamless access to their information anytime, anyplace. The next generation of consumers expects self-service everywhere they go, yet integrated with their Web-and-wireless lifestyle. This new generation lives on the Internet and can multitask.
"The next challenge for the industry will be how to address the needs of this consumer. For example, how can retailers prod the consumer into making the transaction at the store at that moment versus driving home to make the transaction at a competitor's site? The ability to understand and target information will be the difference between success and failure for any industry player.
"The fastest way to accelerate your success in this arena would be to turn off the computer, get out of the office and visit 20-30 retailers. Count the number of seconds it takes for the average coffee-and-doughnut shop to deliver a cup of coffee. See if the checkout clerk at most stores makes eye contact, smiles or complains about a coworker. Yes, innovative retailers do exist, but I have yet to find a consistent level of good retail service that couldn't be helped by one of our industry solutions."
Is the kiosk as we know it going to continue to play an important role in self-service?
"This is the most critical time in our industry. Large enterprise firms considering the use of self-service platforms need to see a vibrant marketplace of suppliers and competitors in order to feel comfortable that their current and future needs will be met. Our industry association gives them a central spot to view and review our offerings as well as see how other comparable firms deploy applications. CIOs have myriad technology roadmaps to consider. Our association helps them make self-service a priority in their e-commerce building blocks."
List by importance the self-service industries you think will show the fastest growth.
- Retail
- Travel/Hospitality
- Gaming
- Financial
- Government
How big a part is software development going to play in our industry?
"Kiosks are becoming just another customer-facing technology, integrated with CRM and another core building block of e-commerce. The spotlight is becoming brighter for these projects since the C-level executives, who see self-service at work in a variety of locations, are now demanding that kiosk projects be upgraded in the technology roadmap. Software is a key part of this solution, but will be tightly integrated with the enterprise hardware and consumer device."
What are your predictions for future software development?
"Though large firms will continue to use large system integrators, I'm seeing more projects being developed in-house by the current in-house Web development team. I also see a rapid growth in open source kiosk software applications."
Self-Service & Kiosk Association Advisory Board nominations
During the month of December, the Association will accept nominations for six two-year positions on our Advisory Board. These board members represent our membership by making suggestions for programs and initiatives, serving as a sounding board for ideas, reviewing the management and operations of the Association, and electing from the 12-member board officers to handle the ongoing business of the Association.
Board members should be knowledgeable professionals in the industry or significant users of self-service technology and strategies. Board meetings are held twice each year, once in conjunction with the annual meeting of our membership. Board members often participate in or lead committees, as well, but that is not a requirement.
Please consider carefully and nominate those who could contribute to our leadership. Send nominations to nominations@selfservice.org.
