What is Kiosk Mode: How to Use it for Business Productivity

Modern businesses are leveraging various technology and applications to drive productivity and sales. For customer-facing industries, one of the best ways to garner more interest and help in providing instant access to purchase decisions is by deploying kiosks. Configuring digital devices into kiosk mode to benefit enterprises is the key task to driving the anticipated growth in sales and traction.

With Scalefusion kiosk software, transforming Android and iOS devices into kiosks is simplified. Businesses can effectively turn Android tablets into kiosks and configure them into interactive kiosks running business-specific apps and websites. Scalefusion simplifies managing kiosks effectively to optimize performance and secure them against misuse and unauthorized access. 

In this blog, we shall be covering some crucial queries related to kiosks, such as what is a kiosk, kiosk definition, what are the different types of kiosks, what is kiosk mode, what are the various types of kiosk modes and what are kiosk mode management types offered by Scalefusion. 

What is a Kiosk?

Kiosk Meaning

Kiosks are stand-alone, mounted digital devices that help users to accomplish tasks at their own pace with an interactive digital experience. Kiosks are used to accelerate processes and transactions without the need for humanitarian assistance and are found almost across all industries. These are essentially self-service machines that run on a minimalistic hardware configuration. 

Kiosks are mostly used in public spaces as way-finders, digital signage, or self-operated mPOS systems. These devices are accessed by multiple stakeholders and are not physically managed by any employee. 

Kiosks are generally found in retail stores, airports, hospitals, school campuses, company cafeterias, conferences, and other places. According to the requirement, kiosks are also interactive. For, e.g. self-service access to products or services, automated check-in systems, surveys and others are for displaying information like showcasing catalogs.

What is a Kiosk Used for?

• For self-check-in kiosks at airports
• For food ordering at self-service restaurants
• For way-finding in hotels, museums, shopping malls
• For online shopping and product finding within retail stores

4 Types of Kiosks Taking Over the Market

Depending on the use case and the nature of the business, there are several deployment types of kiosks.

1. Information Kiosks

Information kiosks are mostly used to educate the user and provide specific static information. Most commonly, the information kiosks are deployed at shopping malls, theme parks and museums as way finders. They are locked to run a single application and can also be interactive kiosks where users can touch and pinch elements within the app on the screen. Information kiosks are also used in hospitals to display patient information. In retail stores, information kiosks can help provide information related to products and availability. In transport hubs, kiosks are used to display timetables and schedules.

2. Internet Kiosks

These kiosks can be computers, laptops, tablets, or iPads that run a browser with an active internet connection. Internet kiosks are used to facilitate browsing access in public places. Most commonly, you can find internet kiosks at airports, transport hubs and hotel waiting areas.

3. Self-service Kiosks

These are interactive kiosks used to complete tasks such as ordering food in self-service or takeaway restaurants, paying bills, making appointments, paying bills and filling forms. While the most commonly used self-service kiosks are ATM machines. Other common kiosks are used for self-check-in at airports, purchasing parking tickets

4. Digital Signage Kiosks

These kiosks are used for advertising in public spaces, hotel and hospital lobbies, common areas in offices, events, expos and trade shows. Digital Signage Kiosks are configured to play videos, audio, presentations and images. 

Benefits of Kiosk for Enterprises:

• Kiosks can be customized to specific business needs, such as advertising, providing information or accomplishing tasks
• Kiosks enable the attractive presentation of the complete product line or service range
• Kiosks garner user attention and enhance customer experience
• Deploying kiosks helps in reducing labor costs, getting more things done in lesser time

What is the Kiosk Mode?

While it is easy to understand kiosk types since they are widely observed all around us, knowing what is kiosk mode is imperative. In this section, we’ve shed some light on the common query of what is kiosk mode. Kiosk mode essentially implies a device is locked to single or multiple applications to act as a kiosk. These applications can be configured by the enterprise IT admins.

In a kiosk mode, users can only access applications and websites the company’s IT teams allow, preventing the kiosks from any other use except for business. 

Running devices into kiosk mode gives total control of the device to the IT admin, who can configure the content displayed on the device, ensure that the device is used only for business, and curb excess data costs by restricting access to non-business websites.

How Does Kiosk Mode Work?

The default device launcher is controlled using an MDM solution in Kiosk mode. The device’s launcher is completely replaced by a new launcher customized by the IT admin. The apps, app drawers, allowed websites, hardware and software keys, display settings, and the notification center are configured by the IT via the MDM server.

A kiosk mode can be enabled with the help of MDM software. Scalefusion empowers IT admins to enroll their kiosk devices and configure them into single or multi-app kiosk mode. Using Scalefusion, administrators can also configure kiosks to run into one browser mode with restricted access to whitelisted websites.

How to Use Kiosk Mode to Boost Business Productivity

Now that we’ve explained what kiosk mode is, we will look at the diverse types of kiosk modes. Scalefusion enables IT admins to turn Android tablets, iPads, iPhones and Windows computers into a kiosk. With Scalefusion, administrators can configure single-app or multi-app kiosk mode or also configure a kiosk browser to provide a restricted browsing environment on kiosk devices.

4 Types of Scalefusion Kiosk Mode

Type 1: Single App Kiosk Mode

Run the device into a single application. These applications can be downloaded from the App Store or Play Store. IT admins can also publish enterprise apps in single app kiosk mode. Users can access only one application.

Type 2: Multi-App Kiosk Mode

Run one or more pre-approved applications on the device. Just like single app mode, administrators can push applications from App Store, Play Store, or Enterprise store. Users can access only allowed applications.

Type 3: Kiosk Browser Mode

Essentially a single-app mode kiosk, the allowed application is a browser. IT admins can whitelist websites, and users can only access this set of websites on the browser.

As you learn about kiosk mode, it is also important to understand which is the best kiosk mode type suited to your business. 

Let’s have a look at Scalefusion features for Android, iOS and Windows devices to setup into single or multi-app mode:

Android Kiosk Mode

When Android devices- smartphones, tablets, POS devices, custom devices and rugged devices are locked down to work as a kiosk using an MDM, the mode of operation is known as Android kiosk mode.

• Publish apps from Play Store or enterprise store
• Disable hardware keys such as volume and power buttons
• Control peripherals such as screen brightness, volume
• Enforce full-screen mode, screensavers and branding
• Restrict notifications, hide the bottom navigation bar and disable the notifications bar
• Allow only whitelisted websites with Scalefusion Browser.
• Control Browser settings such as clearing browser cache, enforcing incognito mode, restricting users from typing in the address bar and preventing back button access
• Publish content and presentations for advertising kiosks
• Remotely lock, reboot device, check for compliance violations
• Track battery and data usage
• Remotely cast screen to troubleshoot device issues, on selected devices remotely control device screens

iPad Kiosk Mode

For business or educational purposes, when iPads are configured to work as a kiosk with the help of an MDM, the mode of operation is known as iPad kiosk mode.

• Publish apps from App Store or an enterprise store
• Disable device rotation, hardware keys such as volume, sleep and wake buttons
• Allow only whitelisted websites with Scalefusion ProSurf Browser
• Publish content and presentations for digital signage kiosks
• Control Browser settings such as clearing browser cache, hiding the navigation bar, restricting forward or backward navigation, enforcing incognito mode and full-screen mode
• Remotely lock, reboot device, check for compliance violations
• Track battery and data usage
• Remotely cast screen to troubleshoot device issues

Windows Kiosk Mode

In schools and businesses, when Windows laptops, desktops, and tablets are locked down to operate strictly as kiosks, this mode of operation is known as Windows kiosk mode.

• Choose allowed apps from pre-published apps
• Publish new apps from Windows Business Store or an enterprise store
• Push content files, videos, images, audios, and presentations for advertising kiosks
• Allow only whitelisted websites and configure browsers
• Remotely mirror screen to troubleshoot device issues
• Remotely reboot the device, track battery usage, check for compliance violations

With cutting-edge mobile technology, mobile devices have become affordable to deploy in bulk in the organization; plus the advantage of small size and its handiness, the enterprise is taking the risk of investing big on achieving good results with enterprise mobility. Scalefusion can help them achieve their return on this investment by offering various features like Kiosk Mode to solve business problems and streamline their processes.

With the rapid growth in enterprise devices, it’s necessary to manage and secure their devices more effectively using Device Management software. Manage Devices more relentlessly not only for Android & iOS devices but also for Windows.