Pay As You Go

NCR Corp. (Dayton, Ohio) has introduced its Xpress Payment Kiosk, which allows shoppers to pay their bills while they're shopping.

According to NCR, the payment kiosk is especially applicable to convenience stores, many of which generate up to 70 percent of their revenue through self-service devices. NCR says the kiosk will allow retailers to deliver greater service without adding staff. It cites a survey recently conducted on its behalf by the Opinion Research Corp. that says consumers believe kiosks will enhance customer service.

Consumers access the machine by scanning a bar code on their bill or entering a personal access code. The touch-screen kiosk shows consumers their bills, accepts their payments, credits their accounts and prints receipts. It will accept cash, checks, credit or debit card payments into a secure enclosure.

The NCR software records all payments, including cash denominations. The company offers professional services consulting to help retailers and participating service providers — such as local utilities, phone companies, cable TV, etc. — with workflow processes, user-friendly screens and software customization.

NCR says the Xpress Payment Kiosk can run multimedia product advertising or store promotional messages when not in use for bill payment. It also can be programmed to collect direct customer feedback through on-line flash surveys.