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Access control, meet the
self-service revolution
» » BEFORE 1916, IF YOU
wanted goods from a grocery
store, you would hand a list
of items to a clerk, who would
then go through the store,
gathering the goods on your
behalf. And then, one fine day
in Memphis, Tennessee, Piggly
Wiggly opened its doors to
the world. Under the guidance
of Clarence Saunders, this
unassuming grocery store
on 79 Jefferson Avenue
introduced the novel concept
of marking individual prices
on items, gave customers
shopping carts and allowed
them to choose the goods
themselves. The store marked
the birth of what we now call
‘self-service’ and revolutionised
the industry.
And the revolution is still
underway. Just a few short
years ago, the only way to get
an airline ticket was to visit a
travel agent, book a trip and
wait for your tickets to arrive in
the post. You’d then need to
visit the check-in desk, speak
to a member of staff, who
would verify the information
on your ticket matched the
details in your passport. The
airline staff would then check
your bags in, before you could
finally make your way through
security.
These days, the process is
a lot more streamlined. Flights
can be bought online, with no
need for a physical ticket to be
sent out. Instead, travellers can
show up with just their mobile
phone which can be scanned
by an unmanned machine.
Even the boarding process has
become automated on some
airlines.
The concept of self-
service is sweeping through
virtually every industry and
vertical. Web self-service is
now the most widely used
communication method for
customer service, surpassing
the telephone as the number
one channel. From checkouts,
petrol stations and restaurants
to retail, banking and customer
support, self-service is
becoming a key feature of the
business landscape.
And now smart locks using
NetCode from Codelocks
brings this self-service
revolution to businesses
through access control.
WHAT IS NETCODE?
NetCode is a platform from
Codelocks that allows you to
generate time-sensitive access
codes via an app or a web
portal for a range of compatible
locks. You can create access
codes for a specific date, time
and duration and send them
automatically to the end-
user via email or SMS. This
innovative technology enables
a range of locks that are
not only more secure,
but open a world
of possibilities for
businesses looking
to exploit the
benefits of self-
service.
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | MAR/APR 2017
Sponsored by Insafe International
COMPLETING THE SELF-
SERVICE CHAIN
To date, many of the
sectors that have embraced
self-service technologies,
have done so for two primary
reasons – to reduce overheads
through automation; and
to simplify or improve the
customer experience. Self-
service access control carries
additional benefits for both the
company and the customer.
It’s important to consider that
there are always going to be
multiple links in a self-service
chain; the more of these that
are automated, the more
effective the chain becomes.
Take the earlier example of
boarding an aircraft. First,
there is the booking process,
then the check-in process, the
baggage drop, security and
finally the departure gate. The
airline industry has successfully
introduced automation into
each of these phases, with
the exception of security –
which happens to be the
most burdensome leg of any
journey.
In the same vein, many
businesses are already well
on their way to embracing