Self-service evolves with technology

The 24-year-old Grand Rapids, Mich., resident is all about helping herself, which makes her a big fan of self-serve, touch-screen machines.

“I look for one wherever I go,” Johnson said shortly after using a kiosk to order and pay for postage at a Grand Rapids post office. “I’d rather do it myself — get in and get out.”

Plenty of folks share Johnson’s sentiment. Devices that let you help yourself with the touch of a screen are spreading, from movie theaters to airports to government agencies. Folks not only can buy groceries and check into flights, they also can renew license plate tags and send express mail.

“People have become comfortable with it in the private sector, and now they want it in the public sector as well,” said Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for the Michigan Secretary of State’s office.

More than 600,000 self-serve kiosk machines are in use in North America, and retailers and public agencies add more every day, said David Drain, executive director of the Self-Serve & Kiosk Association.

“It started with ATMs and pay-at-the-pump 30 years ago, and in the last five years has just really taken off,” Drain said.

The Michigan Secretary of State’s machines, which are in their second year at some offices, have racked up more than 75,000 transactions in the past year from folks looking to avoid lines.

The same goes for the post office. Use of machines that give 24-hour access to mail services is up 15 percent from last year, with about 58,000 transactions logged in the Grand Rapids area.

Experts say today’s fast-paced, technology-driven lifestyle will only fuel demand for self-serve options.

“It puts the customer in the driver’s seat,” said Tom Scott, a spokesman for the Michigan Retailers Association.

And many times, the machines also offer something even better than convenience and control — 24-hour access.

“I can’t think of how many times I needed something postmarked by a certain day and waited until the last minute,” said Gina Haisma, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service in Grand Rapids.

The same goes for license plate tags.

It took Caledonia, Mich., resident Bill Switzer less than a minute to renew the tags for his Chevy Impala at a machine outside the Secretary of State’s office at a shopping mall. The kiosk was a good option because Switzer’s tags were set to expire in a few days and he had waited too long to mail his renewal slip.

“I prefer it to going inside or waiting in line,” he said.

However, sometimes Switzer prefers the real thing. “When I go to the grocery store, I like personal service,” he said.

So will these machines eventually replace people?

No, but there’s no denying they save money, Scott said.

“Putting in a kiosk doesn’t mean you’re going to eliminate a job. It just means you can have (an employee) do something else,” Scott said.

Kiosks also reduce lines, which is always an issue at the budget-crunched Secretary of State’s office, Chesney said.

Chesney said her office is in discussions with other state departments to expand service options on the machines. In the future, customers possibly could get car tags, renew a hunting license, register to vote and register a boat all on the same machine.

“We’re looking at having as many options as possible,” Chesney said. “If it can be done (on a machine), we want customers to have that option.”