Self Service Kiosk Case Study – The British Library

Gardiff touch screen self service kiosks are fully integrated with our EPOS systems, with centralised product, pricing and stock management. They aim to improve staff productivity, customer flow and waiting times, complete with operational reporting, and real time sales analytics on-site and on the cloud.

The Brief

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and the largest library in the world by the number of items catalogued, some 200 million plus items. Graysons manage the catering services at both of the British Library’s locations, the iconic St Pancras site in London and the Boston Spa reading rooms in Lincolnshire. The Library receives 1.6 million visitors per year. The 150 seat public restaurant, snack bar, members’ room experience, and staff dining areas generate a substantial demand for scalable, efficient and variable food and drink led service models.

The client wanted to continue to provide a high-quality selection of food and beverage while increasing efficiency and enhancing social distancing compliance. They needed a solution to reduce queueing times and speed up service while becoming more efficient and reducing potential contact between customers and staff.

The Gardiff Self Service Kiosk Solution

We used a combination of Gardiff’s flexible self service kiosks and ordering app alongside our existing countertop EPOS solution to improve customer flow and guest experience. This enabled fast automated order and payment processes which substantially reduced queuing times and increased social distancing. The customer branded self ordering kiosk terminals have a modern, ergonomic design along with a secure, steel casing to ensure excellent return on investment. Management of the touch screen kiosks is maintained in the existing epos system, allowing all products and pricing to be maintained centrally.

The Delivery

Given the tight deadlines and budget requirements, it was essential that Gardiff project managed the delivery of the solution to the highest standards. Over the course of one weekend, Gardiff’s engineers installed four 21.5″ self service kiosks with integrated card payment terminals across the London and Lincolnshire sites. Our engineers provided onsite training and go-live cover to ensure the confidence of the on-site catering team, and enabled an improved customer experience.

The Customer Benefits from the Gardiff Self Service Kiosk Solution

Gardiff’s expertise has enabled Graysons and the British Library to optimise the overall customer experience by allowing staff to focus more on customer service and reduce queueing times. The increased customer flow, prompted product upselling, staff productivity and reduced operating costs significantly improving the bottom line. The return on investment from the self service ordering kiosk has been achieved several times over in the first year. Graysons and The British Library now benefit from access to real time sales and data via Gardiff’s cloud back office service providing management with an instant view of sales trends and stock analytics.