 SIXT
CONTROLS GERMAN CAR TRAFFIC WITH MULTIMEDIA KIOSKS
The renowned 'German efficiency' is clearly
evident in the use by Munich-based car hire company, Sixt, of
multimedia kiosks as a means of improving its customer service
and rapidly expanding its business base throughout Germany, and
imminently, across the rest of Europe.
Today, the Sixt CarExpress kiosks are available
in all German airports, heavily branded in the company's orange
and black livery for fast customer identification. Easily operated,
the kiosks enable customers to hire cars quickly, at any time
and from a wide variety of locations.
Sixt customers use a customer card as a means
of identification at the kiosk. Each card incorporates a magnetic
stripe and individually assigned pin number and customer ID details
for security purposes. On identification and clearance, the customer
then chooses their preferred car and destination airport, where
the vehicle should be ready for collection. A code on the printed
transaction receipt allows the customer to pick up the keys for
the hire car at the relevant airport. Alternatively, the collection
can be made via a key-safe integral to the multimedia kiosk.
Returning the vehicle requires a similar process
and a customer invoice is produced by the CarExpress kiosk automatically.
In developing the multimedia kiosks, Sixt had
some clear design objectives. Touch screen technology was to be
adopted as the easiest and most acceptable method of transaction
entry. Major brand OEM components were to be used to ensure compatibility
and comprehensive technical support during solution development;
and the printer used for transaction slips and invoices had to
be proven in its provision of long-term, jam-free performance
as well as professional output and minimum engineer attendance.
The fully integrated multimedia kiosks afford
a totally self-service operation. For the printing aspect of the
solution, a Star Micronics TUP400 receipt printer is included,
providing graphics competency on rental agreement output. The
Star printer was however chosen primarily because of it paper
management. The TUP400 does not present the invoice/agreement
to the customer until it has finished printing and cutting - thereby
overcoming inevitable jams caused by impatient customers pulling
at the 'receipt' prior to the print job completion. The presenter
incorporated into this particular model also prevents damage to
the printer caused by small children/vandals trying to poke items
into it.
Sixt measures the success of its CarExpress
multimedia kiosks by their escalating customer use. Higher car
rental 'sales' are complemented by shorter waiting times at the
traditional Sixt car hire service counters. Customers can hire
and return vehicles 24 hours per day, seven days per week, rather
than being tied to normal business hours and the company says
that the kiosks are instantly accepted as the preferred choice
by customers because of their ease of use, speed, flexibility
and clarity of information provided.
From Sixt's viewpoint, reduced transactional
costs (time and resources) are as equally beneficial as the increased
sales volume and the multimedia kiosks provide an easy route for
Sixt's expansion of its car rental service into Austria, Switzerland,
France, the Netherlands and the UK. The multimedia kiosk also
fits well with the company's business strategy for using technology
to improve business efficiency and customer service, with online
Internet bookings and an extranet for leasing firms adding to
the gamut of solutions dedicated to real electronic traffic control.
Background Information on Star Micronics
Founded in 1947, Star Micronics is one of the world's largest
printer manufacturers and has facilities for worldwide production,
marketing and support. Employing over 2500 staff and achieving
turnover in excess of £250 million, Star Micronics has developed
a POS printer portfolio that spans thermal and dot matrix printers
and mechanisms, designed for barcode, ticketing, receipts and
labelling. Star's proven technology is also being utilised to
develop reader/writer systems for visual, smart and magnetic stripe
cards and to install print mechanisms in multimedia kiosk environments.
The Star Micronics' range is available internationally via a distribution
channel comprising distributors and dealers.
For further information contact:
Annette Tarlton or Claire Smith
Star Micronics EMEA
Tel: + 44 (0) 1494 471111
Email: Marketing@Star-EMEA.com
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