Introduction

Every business talks a lot about fantastic customer service as the fulcrum of customer retention. It’s non-negotiable, more so today, where customer experience is at the heart of it all. Organizations have realized the importance of implementing technology to improve their customer services. That is why we see a lot of dedicated devices today. Many organizations are adopting single-purpose devices or converting their commercial devices into dedicated devices with tools like kiosk lockdown software. No matter which industry you consider, retail, hospitality, or banking, dedicated kiosks are great customer service touchpoints. Why have these single-purpose devices gained traction, and how can businesses make the most of them? Let’s find out in this article.

What Is a Dedicated Device?

A dedicated device is a company-owned device designed to fulfill a specific purpose. Dedicated devices are generally single-purpose employee-facing devices such as POS systems or customer-facing devices such as way finders or digital signage. Modern-day kiosk lockdown software enables businesses to turn their commercial off-the-shelf devices into dedicated devices.

How Do Various Businesses Deploy Dedicated Devices?

Most modern-day enterprises implement dedicated devices in some form or the other. These devices play a vital role in helping businesses streamline employee productivity and improve customer service.

Here are some latest examples of how various businesses deploy dedicated devices:

Why Is It Important to Manage Your Dedicated Devices?

Dedicated devices are valuable to businesses since they take care of mundane tasks and help employees focus on business-critical tasks. For example, restaurants that have implemented self-serve kiosks need not engage employees to take orders manually. Similarly, shopping malls that have installed way-finding kiosks can help customers find directions without on-site staff assistance.

However, because these dedicated devices are generally unattended, they are prone to being misused or running into errors frequently. Businesses need to manage them remotely, constantly monitor their usage, and fix any technical glitches these devices may experience.

Kiosk management software or modern mobile device management (MDM) solutions play a vital role in helping company IT admins gain control over their dedicated devices remotely. Depending on the type and OS of your dedicated devices, you can implement the right tool, such as Android or Windows kiosk software, to gain visibility of your dedicated devices.

Managing Your Dedicated Devices With MDM

An MDM software offers kiosk lockdown capabilities that help businesses turn their devices into single-purpose or dedicated devices. You can configure an MDM-enabled kiosk mode to lock your devices into a single specific app or multiple selective apps. For example, locking your Android TVs in a single video-player app can convert them into dedicated digital signage.

Managing hundreds of unattended employee or customer-facing devices can be a tedious task for IT admins, requiring frequent site visits and running constant security and compliance checks. MDM solutions allow IT admins to leverage centralized control of all their dedicated devices and manage them remotely using a single, unified console. 

Here’s what MDM-enabled kiosk management helps you achieve:

• Remote Troubleshooting

IT admins can remotely troubleshoot dedicated devices and save ample time spent on frequent on-site visits. MDM solutions allow admins to mirror the screen of remote devices on their MDM dashboards and troubleshoot issues virtually. With this, major and minor system issues can be resolved faster, bringing dedicated devices back into service quickly.

• Content Management

Unattended dedicated devices such as digital signage are largely used by businesses to advertise their brands and products. These devices must constantly run visual content that must be updated often. MDM solutions allow you to remotely push content such as videos, presentations, images, etc., on your digital signage. You can also schedule the switching of presentations for a particular time.

• Enhanced Security

Your public-facing devices are generally unattended and need protection from misuse. Kiosks promote customer interaction, meaning several customers use these devices daily. MDM solutions allow you to configure certain security policies on your dedicated devices to ensure safe use and keep the data stored on these devices secure.

You can disable the volume, power-off key, and USB slots and lock your public-facing devices in a kiosk mode to limit device usage to one or more pre-selected apps. Your employee-facing dedicated devices can be secured with the help of passcode policies to prevent unauthorized access.

• Strict Compliance Checks

MDM solutions help you leverage the wider visibility of your dispersed dedicated devices with the help of extensive device reports and analytics. You can assess device usage, device health, and several other parameters via an MDM dashboard. Keeping track of device vitals opens the doors to detecting suspicious activities and compliance violations. 

• Automate Mundane IT Tasks

MDM solutions help businesses simplify the management and security of their diverse devices and endpoints. With an MDM solution, IT admins can automate most of their redundant tasks that are tedious yet important. 

Closing Lines

Dedicated devices are the 21st-century customer service and experience endpoints, which is why they are here to stay. Managing them remotely and ensuring secure usage can unlock the maximum potential of these devices. Thus, there is a strong case for organizations to rope in an MDM solution. It is a ‘be there or be square’ scenario—the choice is yours!