About Dicoll
Dicoll was a leading manufacturer of touchscreen kiosks. Offering a range of standard solutions as well as a bespoke manufacturing service for clients requiring systems that were tailored to their specific needs. Capable of housing a full range of peripherals, the kiosks could be used for all sorts of applications, from ticketing and sales transactions to customer navigation and public internet access.
All kiosks were designed and manufactured in the UK at the Reading production plant. Using the very best materials and the most advanced production techniques ensured the products were ready for even the toughest operating environments. Quality, performance and durability came as standard with each and every kiosk supplied.
Dicoll products were sold worldwide and could be found in retail stores, tourist offices, leisure facilities, museums and many other indoor and outdoor environments. Many Dicoll Kiosks can be found providing internet access in hotels, in retail stores to minimise the length of queues, to provide out-of-hours access to services and to provide information at National Trust properties – these are just a few examples.
In January 2014, Dicoll was acquired by Acante Solutions Ltd. The company has continued to improve the product offering, increase the customer base and provide improved solutions to an ever demanding customer base.
Case Study : Self Service Kiosks in Prisons
I was responsible for closing, managing, supporting, developing and maintaining sales of over 500 kiosks to Unilink, continually ensuring a strong business affiliation, close working relationship and future product evolvement.
Over 500 kiosks are currently in use across the UK alone, with over 10,000 prisoners logging on to the kiosks every day. The solution consists of a robust self-service kiosk, combined with application software, which can be used on prison wings. Inmates biometrically identify themselves on the kiosk using two-factor identification: a fingerprint and a pin code. A series of easy-to-use options is then presented, ranging from menu ordering, shopping, finance, and general applications.
Unilink partnered with UK-based manufacturer, Dicoll, to create a design that was suitable for this application, with its very specific demands. Prisons are unique environments and it was essential that the kiosks were designed to be very robust, in order to safeguard against misuse, deliberate vandalism and bullying.
The Story - Dicoll Kiosks and Unilink Software
Self-service has infiltrated almost every facet of society, even finding its way behind the locked doors of Her Majesty’s prisons. It is now not uncommon to see self-service computer kiosks installed in prisons. Prisoners use kiosks to carry out everyday tasks, such as ordering food from a pre-set menu, arranging visits, viewing notices and timetables, shopping for essentials and phone credits and managing finances.
One company offering a self-service prison solution was Unilink Software, which specialised in innovative technology, including biometrics, for the criminal justice sector. It had developed solutions for the UK prison service, police, probation, immigration centres and the NHS. However, the company’s largest growth area had been in supplying prisons where their kiosks automate time-consuming and costly paper-based administration.
Unilinks NForce/kiosks, first introduced in privately run prisons, were increasingly found in public sites where the benefits of self-service to help inmates manage their lives were being examined in depth. The solution consisted of a robust self-service kiosk, combined with application software, designed for ease of use. Inmates identified themselves using two identification processes – fingerprint and pin code.
Prisoner data was checked and cross-referenced with a main database to validate authenticity. A series of easy-to-use options was then presented, ranging from menu ordering, shopping, finance and general applications.
Already widely used across the UK in a range of prisons, including young offenders’ institutions, the kiosks were now being introduced in New Zealand and Australia. Prisoners reported that they preferred them as they enabled them to be in control of their lives due to increased self-sufficiency and empowerment. The kiosks offered a number of benefits. They helped prisons save money by freeing up officers’ time, so they could focus on doing rehabilitative work.
There were also clear financial benefits of making systems more efficient and less labour-intensive. They resulted in less administration and duplication of work. They gave prisoners greater independence. They reduced food wastage by ensuring that prisoners were only given what they asked for. They also helped the environment, as they reduced the paper mountain created by administration.
The kiosks often received positive feedback from staff. As one prison governor said: “This is probably the most significant technological innovation in prison management that I have ever seen.” One prisoner on moving to a prison without kiosks said: “The kiosks are brilliant and save time. Why don’t you get them?”
Case Study: Touch Screen & Kiosk Technology to Deliver Virtual Tours
Over a two year period, I actively closed, managed, supported, developed and maintained the National Trust account ensuring a close working relationship and future product evolvement.
The National Trust had been working on a project to develop a consistent approach to the provision of virtual tours in their properties. The project was in response to continuing aims to find new ways of interpreting properties for visitors, with the emphasis on good design, variety of content, accessibility and usability, both of the tour software and the equipment.
The Story - Dicoll, Corvidea and The National Trust
Dicoll were asked to propose a range of kiosk and touch screen solutions that would be used by Trust properties to deliver virtual tours.
The National Trust was an independent charity with 3.5 million members and 52,000 volunteers. More than 12 million people visited their pay for entry properties, while an estimated 50 million visited the open air properties. They protected and opened, to the public, over 300 historic houses and gardens and 49 industrial monuments and mills.
The Challenge - The National Trust and Virtual Tours
The National Trust had been working on a project to develop a consistent approach to the provision of virtual tours in their properties. The project was in response to continuing aims to find new ways of interpreting properties for visitors, with the emphasis on good design, variety of content, accessibility and usability.
The Solution - Dicoll Kiosks and Corvidae Software
Together with Corvidae Ltd, an exhibition and interactive production company appointed by the National Trust to provide the virtual tours, Dicoll developed a range of touch screen and kiosk solutions to fit the exacting requirements of the National Trust.
The Result - Dicoll working with The National Trust
Dicoll continued to work with The National Trust and Corvidae to supply desktop, wall mount and floor standing virtual tour touchscreen and kiosk solutions across the UK, with over 60 sites now operational.
“We have a huge variety of properties that want to use the virtual tour interpretation. It was important to us to find a company that could provide a range of solutions so that there was something appropriate for as many properties as possible and for visitors. It was also important to find a company that could respond quickly and easily to any changes in requirements. The robust technology, variety of solutions and complete supply and support service is so far proving a good match to our requirements.”
Heather Smith, Head of Access for All, The National Trust
