Case Studies Using Biometric and Fingerprint keyboards from Key Source International - POS and retail

Business challenge:
A major Call Center-based business confronted a challenge in upgrading their DAS telephone center to a level capable of handling 300,000 calls per day -with fewer operators and faster throughput. Our client needed keyboards with a minimum of 150 keys meeting CWA* ergonomic requirements, along with long-lasting mechanical switch technology. They turned to KSI after seeing the keyboard we created for another major call center in New York.

Keyboard Solution:
Designed for maximum throughput, our model KSI-9002 incorporates defined key stations and custom scan codes ready to interface with the new DAS system. A new plastic housing accommodates the 160 key stations, meeting the ergonomic requirements of the Communication Workers of America.

Impact:
This keyboard, combined with the new computer workstations, allowed the company to handle nearly a half a million calls per day, employing 20% less staff and completing calls in an average of 18 seconds.

Scope of Project:
This project is still ongoing and active at both client locations. We have delivered nearly 2500 of these keyboards with less than 2% down time.

Business challenge:
This Healthcare Corporation needed to create a custom keyboard that could physically integrate into their new blood analysis machine for emergency and operating rooms. The problem they faced was that trackballs, a common feature in specialized health care keyboards, were not acceptable in these environments due to the risk of contamination.

Keyboard Solution:
Key Source International developed a small foot print keyboard using an innovative Japanese pointing device called ISO point. This linear roller acts like a mouse and stays contaminant-free in most situations.

Impact:
The New Keyboards were approved for widespread use in ERs and Ors.

Scope of Project:
To date Key Source International has distributed nearly 1,500 of these units to this client.

Business challenge:
A major auto parts retailer was under great pressure to improve the training of sales associates and increase the speed of transactions. Their current system had as many as 15 key stocks in the first phase of a transaction. A simple customer purchase required as many as 50 key entries while a stand-alone credit transaction had to be balanced on a different POS terminal at end of each day.

Keyboard Solution:
KSI created a revolutionary new point of sale system using model Wombat® 1290. The Wombat® 1290 has programmable functionality adequate to handle over 250,000 SKUs, a two-track magnetic credit card reader, and a bar code scanner port. The keyboard's custom nomenclature and color-coded key tops increase the effectiveness of employee training, while its ten-year minimum field life reduces total cost of ownership. The POS and accounting software integrated information from inventory control, credit card reconciliation, and end of day transaction totals.

Impact:
All these features drove a significant decrease in overall transaction time and an enhanced overall customer experience.

Scope of Project:
Fifteen years after the initial delivery, the Wombat® 1290 and KSI-1390 keyboards remain in operation at over 5,000 stores through out the U.S. and Mexico - a great example of longlasting keyboard value.

Business challenge:
In 1991, Tandy Information Systems enlisted KSI to help in its $75 million upgrade of its Radio Shack and Computer City stores. In order to reach the company goal of a "state of the art" retail information system, Tandy focused on training all sales associates to perform fast, secure, and accurate transactions. The key to this leap in performance was an intuitive user interface with programmability at the input level.

Keyboard Solution:
The Wombat Jr. POS keyboard reduced required key strokes from as many as 15 to as few as one per transaction. On the Wombat, KSI provided for 141 fully programmable key stations and a three-track magnetic card reader for credit cards and drivers' licenses.

Impact:
RadioShack now trains a sales associate in three working days under actual sales conditions instead of the three weeks required with the old system and keyboard."The combination of an extended number of keys, the fact that they are programmable, the Wombat's small footprint, and its rugged design make this a natural selection for us ," states Bill Klucher, manager of retail store systems at Tandy.

Scope of Project:
Since beginning this relationship, KSI has delivered keyboards to 15,000 RadioShack point-of-sale cash lanes, where 45,000+ sales associates use them.