Remote Proxy Terminal Emulating Self-Service Kiosks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The implementation of self-service terminals in facilities often requires on-site employee support due to user-operability issues, which undermines the potential manpower savings of these systems.
Innovation Solution
A remote customer support operation proxy system and terminal that allows support operations to be performed from a centralized location, using a proxy terminal to emulate self-service terminals and assist users who cannot operate them, thereby reducing the need for on-site staff.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If self-service terminals are implemented to reduce labor costs, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to user-operability issues requiring on-site employee support
Solution Approach 1:
A remote support terminal acts as an intermediary between users who cannot operate the self-service terminal and on-site employees. The remote support terminal receives operation signals from the self-service terminal, displays them, and allows remote operators to input operations on behalf of users, eliminating the need for on-site employee presence while maintaining system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote support terminal creates a copy of the self-service terminal's display content and transmits it to a remote location. This allows users who cannot operate the terminal to see what is displayed and what operations are needed, enabling remote assistance without requiring physical presence at the self-service terminal.
2Reliability
If on-site employees are stationed to support self-service terminals, then reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased labor requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The remote support terminal serves as an intermediary that connects on-site self-service terminals with remote support centers. Instead of requiring employees to be physically present at each self-service terminal, the system transmits operation signals and display content to remote terminals where employees can provide support from a centralized location, reducing on-site labor requirements while maintaining support availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions customer support from a two-dimensional on-site presence model to a three-dimensional model that includes remote spatial dimension. Support employees can assist multiple self-service terminals across different locations simultaneously from a single remote terminal, expanding the coverage and efficiency of customer support operations.
3Productivity
If multiple self-service terminals are deployed across facilities, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases requiring multiple support terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The remote support terminal is designed with multi-functionality to connect with and support multiple different self-service terminals across various facilities. A single remote terminal can receive operation signals from numerous self-service terminals, display their content, and input operations for different terminals, eliminating the need to deploy separate support terminals at each location and reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an embodiment, a remote customer service proxy system is provided to permit remote personnel to perform reception processing operations for many different locations and businesses. The system includes a communication server connectable to a reception systems at different remote locations, a proxy server, a proxy-side support terminal connected to the local network, and a proxy terminal, each connected to a local network. The proxy-side support terminal receives, via the communication server, a request for customer service from a customer reception system and identifies a self-service terminal corresponding to the customer reception system sending the request. The proxy terminal receives the identity of the self-service terminal, executes a reception system program corresponding to the identified self-service terminal, and outputs, via the communication server, a reception system completion notification to an output device corresponding to the identified self-service terminal.