Self-service spending is up

According to ePaymentsnews Network, US-based consumers have spent $548 million on the self-service payment systems in 2007, a sum which has increased by 19% as compared with the 2006 sales, a report points out.

The report titled "The Self-Service 'Buy-and-Pay' Market: Kiosk, Vending and Foodservice Trends in the US" and published by consumer market research provider Packaged Facts also says that a 17% compound annual growth rate is expected to boost sales to $1.2 trillion by 2012.

The report predicts that self-checkout kiosks will witness a rise in the share of transaction volume from 30% to 35%, while vendings share will remain in the low single digits in spite of an expected improvement in the annual growth from 3% in 2007 to 8% by 2012.

Call center self-service increasing

The use of automated self-service tools in call centers has surged over the past decade, to the point that only 50% of users ever interact with a human being, says VNUNet.

In 1997, 90% of contact centre calls were handled by an operator but today that figure has fallen by almost half. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and web-based systems now respectively account for 15.5% and 13.7% of all transactions.

Cost savings have been a primary driver behind the switch, according to Dimension Data's global benchmarking report for the sector. The average self-service operation costs a business £2, compared with £17 for one handled by a human agent.

Application Lynx implements Oracle

Application Lynx, a provider of HR and payroll solutions, has implemented the Oracle Human Capital Management solution, part of the Oracle E-Business Suite, at Bradford & Bingley, states ComputerWeekly.

The project involved the implementation of the Human Capital Management HR Self Service, Learning Management, and Daily Business Intelligence modules.

They will enable Bradford & Bingley's HR department to support the HR business requirements for more than 3 000 staff across the UK.

Author: Vicky Burger @ www.itweb.co.za

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