Customer Pole Devices move toward Customer Service Applications

Customer Pole Devices (CPD's) have long been considered merely bells and whistles at the Point of Sale (POS). They were seen as nice to have if extra money allowed, but were often the first item to be eliminated from the POS station when the budget limits were reached. Their main function was to display to customers information that was being displayed elsewhere and the redundancy was what made them seem to be superfluous.

Recent developments, and increased competition among retailers focusing on providing better customer service to gain an edge, have led to a reevaluation of the role of the Customer Pole Device. Applications that communicate in a more direct and useful manner with the customer are the future for these useful devices. An example of an application that has won customer approval is displaying a running total of the sale at a grocery market check out. Although most applications displayed the item and the price as the product barcode was scanned, there was always that sudden shock when the last item was scanned, and the total displayed. The "running total" eases the shock and allows the customer to pull out some items before scanning if the expected figure is being exceeded, and even better, to add some impulse items if the total is lower than expected.

With the increased use of debit cards and in store credit cards, the Customer Pole Device in the future will be even more customer friendly. Displays that greet the customer by name, and even suggest special offers specifically geared to the customer's sale patterns are examples of how the Customer Pole Device can serve to increase customer identification and satisfaction. There is no limit to the possible uses that may be found for information displays at the Point of Sale, but there is also no question that in the future they will be an expected and necessary part of the overall POS package, and not the frill they have been in the past.