LCD Monitors make a difference

Just a few years ago, the vast majority of computer monitors were CRTs (cathode ray tubes). Today, LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors have almost completely replaced CRTs. People are giving away (or selling cheaply) their old, big and bulky monitors to make way for thin, sleek and higher resolution LCD monitors. Desks, which were planned in the past for huge CRT monitors, now have plenty of space available for other purposes.

Who could have considered working like this (with two monitors, one of them a 21” LCD) even just a few years ago, when LCD monitors were less common and still so expensive?

Simple issues of space and price now allow adding an additional screen for the customer or a larger screen that may also be visible to the customer. In the example below, the cashier’s monitor has been moved 270° from its traditional position and a new monitor has been added for the customer. The customer can see the items as they’re rung up, ask any questions and make sure the price she’s being charged are the same as the ones on the shelf.

Additionally, the much lighter monitors offer opportunities that weren’t available before. See these examples like multi-monitors or ceiling and back-to-back monitor mounts. Low cost and reduced space requirements allow service providers to place two or more monitors displaying the same information at different angles, so that people in a waiting room, for example, can view the information regardless of where they are in the room.

In the example below, McDonald’s has created a back-to-back display – the side we’re seeing is the customer side, where the customer is able to see the details of his order on the left side of the screen and an advertisement on the right.

Photo: Noam Tractinsky

I believe that, in the near future, we’ll begin seeing more and more back-to-back displays and other uses of LCD monitors that make it easier for the customer to see (at least some) information that the service provider has. This type of transparency may create new problems (e.g., privacy issues, questions about the information that is displayed, insistence to change an error) but in general, it will create a partnership between the customer and service provider and improve the overall service experience.