Information kiosks double as training tools

External informational resources can be hugely helpful for employee training as well.

Information kiosks provide a vast amount of data about big-ticket products - such as cars and appliances - curated by either the OEM or the retailer. This content is helpful when used to inform today's independent and educated consumer base. However, it has another use which may help businesses - such a kiosk could become a key part of sales force training, teaching staff members the kind of in-depth information they will need to impress shoppers and guide them on the path to a purchase. The same features that are so appealing to consumers can serve as important internal educational components, creating a unified and positive sales environment.

"Salespeople will gain knowledge of both products and the systems they use to sell them."

Internal training via external messaging
Today's customers are tech-savvy and react well to self-guided technology with great interfaces. Dealership sales professionals entering the workforce come from the same pool of individuals and therefore may find themselves absorbing the information presented through a kiosk as part of their training. Furthermore, some of these devices can receive updates every time a new product comes to market, allowing such employees to add to their stockpile of knowledge immediately. With ample detail about every possible option and feature, as well as a responsive display that is easy to navigate, a kiosk can easily take the place of less interactive training components.

When sales professionals are on the showroom floor, they can use touchscreen informational kiosks side-by-side with customers to help them make decisions. If the workers receive their training with those same devices, they will gain knowledge of both the products they are representing and the systems they use to sell them. The technology on the sales floor can be deployed as either large screen kiosks meant to attract customers, PC-sized monitors ideal for collaboration with the staff or handheld tablets employees carry with them. If they are all united by one software system, the user experience with one type will extend to the others.

Kiosk-based training in action: Photo courtesy of Joe Reth/Sun Toyota

Incorporating the same kiosks seen by consumers into sales training also ensures sales personnel are selling the dealership and auto brand with a consistent message and talking points in mind.

Any disconnect between the way products are sold by staff members and represented in customer-facing materials could cause hesitation, especially due to the large amount of research individuals perform on their own via dealer and OEM websites. If all parties work from the same content, there will only be one perspective, the one the brand owner chooses. Shoppers today count on both online and in-person channels, and uniting them all into an omnichannel can create a smooth path to purchase.

A useful resource
While salespeople are the employees best suited to receiving in-depth training via customer-facing kiosks, these devices can become reference points company-wide. From the top down, kiosks can assist in familiarizing every member of the team with the products for sale as well as the best way to communicate the offerings. Having that type of information handy is extremely helpful, and since the materials should already be on hand to educate consumers, there is no need to create a separate system for the edification of employees.