For years, self-service kiosks in customer-facing environments have tried to simplify the lives of both the service provider and the client, automating processes and minimising waiting times. The promise of the technology, however, hasn't been fulfilled, with most self-service customer points only offering a very limited number of interactions. Until now.
With the launch of the AsuraCPRNT, Star Micronics is changing the face of customer-facing environments. An interactive communications platform, the AsuraCPRNT combines the company's expertise in printing with peripheral management.
"There's nothing else like this in the world, and the uses for it are endless," says Frikkie Koegelenberg, Chief Commercial Officer of PDC Group, Star's local distribution partner. "The AsuraCPRNT is a receipt, ticket and coupon printer as well as a fully programmable platform that can be used to run product advertising, retail merchandising, point-of-sale promotions and many more applications for retail and other industries."
Used as a standalone terminal or integrated into any infrastructure, this unique, interactive platform can provide thousands of applications and hundreds of solutions. Standing at 380mm tall, the AsuraCPRNT offers more features and functionality than the larger, more expensive kiosks commonly in use in the same environments. At its heart is a powerful ARM processor that manages a seven-inch touch-screen and 80mm printer. The AsuraCPRNT is available with optional integrated MSR, bar code and NFC readers, making it flexible enough to meet customer needs in any industry.
The AsuraCPRNT's computing power offers the capability to display and deliver audiovisual messages on its own screen as well as external digital signage. Using the same type of interface that consumers are used to on their mobile devices, it also has the ability to drive applications and Web content to those types of digital devices, such as smartphones, merchant tablets and store kiosks.
"Think of it as a tablet collecting together all of the apps useful for your industry," says Koegelenberg. "The AsuraCPRNT has been optimised to support connection of external peripherals such as a biometric scanner, 3G/4G dongle, WiFi, camera and many others, and with four USB ports, offers almost unlimited applications.
"The AsuraCPRNT also offers the excellent basic functionality customers have come to expect from Star products, including high quality and fast print speed of 32 level grey scale printing and a compact footprint for user counter, shelf and/or kiosk integration, as well as features such as the three basic colour LED lighting, enabling it to offer multi-colour programmable visual feedback. "It is optimised to display and deliver audiovisual messages, and is so flexible it can fit into any infrastructure as a standalone computer, terminal, or indeed, server with thin client capabilities. With these types of features, there's very little the AsuraCPRNT can't do," Koegelenberg concludes.
The AsuraCPRNT will be available from May.
Share