Retailers thinking about deploying kiosks or digital signage shouldn't wait any longer, according to panelists on Customer Engagement Technology World's (CETW) "Avoiding Death by Omission: A Survival Guide for Self-Service Projects." However, they also agree that the key to a successful implementation is a lot of communication, planning and thought.

"Keep asking yourself why you are going to do this," said Michael Chase, vice president of marketing and content at St. Joseph. "If you don't keep asking and asking yourself you won't start with the right foundation blocks, and as you walk down that channel and haven't started with the right things, you're gonna miss things, so, 'Why, why, why.' Don't just do it because everybody else is doing it."

The other panelists were Sheridan Orr of Meridian Zero Degrees, Mark Ionescu, CEO of Ionescu Technologies, and Greg Clore, vice president of information technology for Dave & Busters.

What do you want to say?
The group said jumping on the self-service bandwagon without having a plan in place to create and update content can actually drive customers away. Simply slapping the company website or logo on a digital sign or a kiosk won't cut it.

"I've yet to hear of phenomenal results from that approach," Ionescu said.

Content must be fresh and efficiently delivered to consumers in a way that is often different from internet and television marketing.

"A lot of people think, 'I want customers to browse and search my website,' but very few people on-the-go want to stand in front of the screen that long," Ionescu said. "If they're looking for directions or a coupon, how long does it take for them to get there? Our goal has always been three taps on the screen."

Communication is key
Another way a self-service project can end badly is lack of communication internally. Marketing departments must work with their IT departments to ensure success.

"There's nothing worse than getting through a whole project and then IT goes, 'Oh no, we don't do that on our network,'" Orr said. "You want to understand what IT needs out of this and how you can overcome hurdles."

Clore agreed, saying that whoever starts the project must include the other departments from start to finish.

"It's important to get marketing involved from the beginning because it's the look and feel of the brand," he said. "You're putting out something that's guest facing."

And Chase feels the same way about working with IT.

"At some point, marketing is going 'IT's our worst enemy. They won't let us do this.' But what they're really doing is making you check all the boxes which people don't like to do," he said. "So getting a good implementation really means having all the decision makers agree with how it's going to go across all channels."

Choosing the right partners
Ionescu said it's also important to choose outside partners wisely and to research what's necessary to pull off the project.

"There are efficient and effective ways to implement self-service, but chances are that you will face significant challenges, and if you don't, if you're working with people who just say, 'Yeah. That'll be fine, that'll be fine,' it will not be fine," he said. "Planning has to be done. Make sure you are working with someone who asks you questions, who doesn't just say, "Sure, we can do whatever you want.'"