Individual Customer Services on Wheels

The system is currently on trial at Dubai International Airport inside the passenger terminal before immigration. Obviously the key area where demand for official information is the highest. The immigration officer in the studio is located at the department offside the airport. He can help with immigration issues (visa etc), advise on a question.

One of the main USP’s: the operator can directly approach travelers who are searching for information. This works best in a location with high dwell time. In the immigration hall – where waiting time can be in excess of one hour – seems to be the perfect environment.

The right information at the right time can save a lot of hassle – especially for nationalities requiring visa and completing other paperwork before stepping to the counter. Until now a lot of these nationals found only out to have insufficient paperwork after waiting in line at the wrong desk for a long time.

The “beam” device used comes from US-based Suitable Technologies and starts at USD 2.000. Video-Quality on the small 17” display seemed quite good even on the show floor. The kiosk on wheels operates on WiFi as well as Cellular and offers eight hours battery life.

Digital Signage on wheels won’t substitute location based video terminals but can complement them. UAE Interior Minsitry wasn’t the only one showcasing wheel-based customer communication. The region’s largest telecommunication provider Etisalat showcased Apple iPads on wheels – a much less ruggedized version of beam.

Korean manufacturer Futurerobot showcased a more „asia-inspired“ designed kiosk on wheels product. Unfortunately the device drained his batteries before the end of the show day and needed to be pushed back to the charging dock.