Just like you, your kiosks have had a busy year. And if you happen to be a retailer, a restaurant owner, a hotel operator or a leisure venue, your kiosks and your staff will be ending the year working harder than ever through the peak festive season.
Unlike people, machines don’t need a break to rest and recuperate. Our self-service kiosks are built to stand up to hours and hours of heavy use, day in, day out. That’s part of the job description for a public-facing self-service IT point.
But what kiosks do need is their own version of TLC. Being durable doesn’t mean they don’t need looking after. Wear and tear is par for the course. But if you neglect to do the basics of cleaning, regular check-ups, repairs and maintenance, wear and tear will lead to minor damage, faults and glitches. And if you don’t address them, minor faults will eventually deteriorate into major issues. Before you know it, your kiosk isn’t working half as well as it should and you’re landed with a big repair bill.
So on behalf of all those hard-working kiosks out there – and your bottom line – we’d like to recommend you make a New Year’s resolution to ramp up your kiosk care in 2026. Here’s how to do it.
Prioritise preventative maintenance
The best way to fix a problem? Stop it happening in the first place. Preventative maintenance means running regular checks on equipment to nip issues in the bud before they have a noticeable impact on performance (by which point, you’ve got a repair job on your hands).
With kiosks, daily cleaning is an important part of preventative maintenance, as it avoids the build up of dust and debris that can eventually find its way into the chassis and wreak havoc with sensitive interior components. Cleaning also protects your touchscreen, which will build up grime quickly from daily use.
External wipe downs work wonders. But don’t forget the insides of your kiosks, too. Routine physical care is essential to prevent common issues caused by dust, wear, and tear. Every couple of months at least, visually inspect all the components for obvious signs of wear and tear, and used compressed air to blow away any dust that has accumulated.
Use remote monitoring and management (RMM) software
Even the most experienced kiosk engineers cannot spot every fault through visual inspection alone. If you really want to get on top of preventative maintenance, performance and diagnostics tools such as RMM software are a game-changer.
Diagnostics software has several huge benefits. One, it identifies hidden issues based on how your machine is actually performing. Two, it raises alerts in real time so you can take immediate action. Three, it can monitor the health of multiple devices at once. And four, depending on the specific tools you use, it can often fix IT-related issues automatically. Or, if you choose a managed RMM option, alert or book a technician who can fix the issue on your behalf.
Be proactive about software updates and security patches
Not all threats to the longevity of your kiosks come from heavy use and physical wear and tear. Cybersecurity is a major maintenance issue with all connected devices. It’s not just a case of setting up firewalls and installing antivirus software. Threats evolve, and you have to stay ahead of them. And that means keeping on top of software updates and security patches.
All too often, businesses either assume that updates take care of themselves. Or forget about them altogether. Both can leave your kiosks vulnerable. Establish a schedule for checking for updates, bug fixes, security patches etc. And make sure they can be installed without interrupting normal operations, for example overnight.
Kiosk care doesn’t have to be a major headache. By following these steps you will go a long way to keeping your self-service endpoints functioning at their best for as long as possible. Here’s to wishing you and your kiosks a happy, healthy and productive new year!
