Kiosk.org News
 TouchNSurf


Las Vegas, May 1st, 2004

Touch N Surf Awarded at KioskCom Awards for
Second Consecutive Time

Click here to read more.










Shervin Rashti, as CTO for TouchNSurf, might be compared to a hunter: He and his company are always on the lookout for a need to meet or a new market to explore. Whether creating information stations, or developing kiosks where users can explore the Internet and burn music at the same time, Rashti and Co. have their eyes open for the next great self-service kiosk idea. Click here to read more.



Las Vegas, April 8th, 2003

TouchNSurf
WINNER OF TOP INDUSTRY AWARDS FOR BEST PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK APPLICATION IN THE USA

Click here to read more.







 KIOSK marketplace.com, 26 September 2003

Who's who: Shervin Rashti

TouchNSurf was supposed to be a three-month software project. Now, more than three years later, it is a full-fledged kiosk software company with major casino and hotel chain clients -- thanks, in part, to Shervin Rashti, chief technical officer.


Shervin co-founded the Los Angeles-based company with his father, Jacob, after discovering that there weren't any other software vendors doing what he envisioned. Click here to read more.




KIOSK.ORG News
TouchNSurf, continued...

Please describe your company's primary product or service.

TouchNSurf provides a variety of solutions for Internet, concierge, voice-over IP and many other self-service needs. The software is geared toward novice and experienced Internet users. Our Information Station offers services that help users purchase tickets, make reservations, surf the web, make phone calls and even burn CDs!

Shervin Rashti, Chief Technology Officer for TouchNSurf What makes your company unique?

TouchNSurf is the premier software and turn-key solution developer. We specialize in user-friendly, functional applications that give users the freedom to do what they want quickly and efficiently. We developed our software from the philosophy that we must provide services that the users need, not what we would like for them to do. We evaluate consumer needs and take a proactive approach to finding solutions to those needs, rather than waiting till those issues arise.

What is your marketing philosophy for the kiosk industry?

Our marketing philosophy is to work with the needs of the public, and provide solutions for them. We relieve the needs of one sector and find vertical markets that can also use similar or modified solutions.

What other business sectors do you operate in?

Sectors in which we operate include hospitality, entertainment, concierge, convention and tourism, media downloading and burning, voice-over IP, and bill pay.

With this diversity, we are able to open our doors to multiple clienteles and help them better proliferate the kiosk market. We are working to complete a project that will enable users to download music or DVD content and burn it on a per-use basis. We have done projects for medical clinics that enable patients to find information about their ailments or medications while they wait. There is also a secondary monitor that runs pharmaceutical ads above the interactive monitor.

We also have an interactive concierge service that allows users to choose from a myriad of local content with topics that include dining, entertainment, golf, recreation and more. Users can then choose businesses and view videos, and call and print coupons and maps at the touch of a button.

Give a brief history of the company Founded in 1993, TouchNSurf's parent company, Trans Com Network, began providing long-distance services to LEC payphone companies, such as Pacific Bell and GTE. In 1998, TouchNSurf began working on software for its line of interactive Internet stations. After three years of intense research and development, TouchNSurf finalized its award-winning software.

Since its initial rollout in California, the company has expanded operations to Texas, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada and New York, as well as throughout the state of California. Presently, we have negotiated agreements with The Texas Hotel & Motel Association, The Greater Kansas City Hotel & Motel Association, the South Padre Convention & Visitor Bureau, the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce and Austin's Convention & Visitor Bureau.

The MGM Grand, Monte Carlo Hotel, Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, as well as other major Las Vegas entities such as the Sand's Convention Expo, are currently using TouchNSurf kiosks. We continue to expand to a growing list of outstanding host sites includes major hotel properties, midsize hospitality entities, visitor information centers and airport locations.

TouchNSurf offers what is considered to be one of the most advanced, reliable, electronic information systems available today. In fact, the current system recently received national acclaim as the "Best Public Access Communication System" in North America at KioskCom 2003 in Las Vegas.

Why did you join kiosks.org?

Kiosks.org is the single source for all kiosk needs. They understand the industry and bring unbiased, quality information to prospective kiosk entrepreneurs.

What do you like about our industry? What are some of the challenges?

The fact that this is a dynamic, growing industry with limitless possibilities really excites us. There is always a new concept, and there is always a new interest in the industry. One challenge we see is educating the public about all that kiosks have to offer. We need to be able to educate both business entrepreneurs as well as end-users of all the services kiosks bring to them.

What does the future hold for your company's success in the kiosk industry?

Our immediate future includes CD-making Users will be able to download and burn CDs and surf the Internet while they wait. By mid-2004, we will be able to supply everything in one box: bill payment, money transfer, prepaid phone and wireless cards. We have the two major components, the Internet and a computer. We develop software, modify content and peripherals, and that does it. We are always probing market needs to see what solutions can be met, and begin R&D immediately. Custom software solutions are always a fun challenge that we like to take head-on. Whether hotel check-in /check-out, or pharmaceutical kiosks, we are eager to develop solutions.




KIOSK MARKETPLACE.com, 26 September 2003
Continued...

Shervin and Jacob were researching methods for accessing the Internet for self-service purposes, as well as voice over Internet protocol. "We had no intention of becoming a software company," laughed Shervin. "And here we have a patent pending on voice over IP. That's a coveted business feature. Users want to surf the net and talk on the phone at the same time with high quality of service."

Shervin and Jacob Rashti (l. to r.)

Touch N Surf has been in full production for more than a year (the first two years were spent with customers in beta testing). The vendor pairs with kiosk hardware manufacturers and peripheral companies to offer customers integrated solutions.


Touch N Surf bills itself as an IP telephony and enhanced communications company. The company recently won the runner-up award at KioskCom in the "best public communications kiosk application" category.


Man of science

Shervin has an interesting take on the industry. He received his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of California, Riverside. That background, he said, gives him a different method of thinking. "I find myself using the scientific process all the time." Shervin formulated the screen and flowchart for Touch N Surf software.

While Shervin was in school, Jacob was busy running his own companies: Trans Com Network in 1993, a payphone management company for local telephone exchange carriers; then, along with Shervin, launched Millenium Telecom Plus in 1998, a management company for private payphone providers. Shervin jumped full force into the family business. Today his role at Touch N Surf is overseeing technology and operations. "I evaluate the market needs. I allocate the time for projects. I figure out project requirements and have a team of programmers focus on that. Our strength is software, but to make our products useful, we offer integrated solutions and consulting. We don't sell a box and walk away," he said.

Touch N Surf has a network operations center from which it can remotely monitor customers' kiosk networks and push out software upgrades. Shervin said what sets Touch N Surf apart is that it develops software from the end user's perspective. "We looked at data in 1998 that showed 30 percent of the U.S. population was not online. We wanted to know why."

What he found was that those off-line didn't have the resources or were intimidated by the technology. "We think self-service brings the means to everybody. And as for the intimidation factor, we developed two-click surfing that makes finding information intuitive," he said.

List of Services

Touch N Surf clients include MGM Grand, Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Monte Carlo, and soon, a large chains of hotels. "We provide vendors with the kiosks or put the kiosks in a location ourselves. In some cases we partner with our clients on a concept," Shervin explained.

Among its offerings, Touch N Surf has concierge services with which users can watch videos on local businesses and print out information or maps. "We set up whole business centers, like in the case of Riviera, or just put in Internet access kiosks."

The company also developed a dual-monitor system for a medical clinic that offers pharmaceutical ads on the top screen, and access to interactive medical content below. That system would work in c-stores and airports, Shervin pointed out. And if that's not enough, Touch N Surf is working on a project that will "eradicate" the need for shelf space for CDs. "Users will be able to download and burn CDs, and have free time to surf the Internet while they wait. We already have clients interested and will deploy hundreds of units," he said. This project is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2004.

Shervin Rashti
CTO, Touch N Surf Hometown: Los Angeles

Age: 26

Family: Father Jacob is co-founder of Touch N Surf; mother, Nasrin; sister, Sharona; brother, Ariel

Education: UC-Riverside

Hobbies: Skiing, scuba diving, being active in all sports
What's ahead

What is Shervin's goal for Touch N Surf? "We want to be the premiere name in software for multimedia downloads and Internet access. We don&Mac226;t sit still here." The challenge for Touch N Surf, he said, is that there are so many unique opportunities in self-service, the company is trying to prioritize which ones to move forward on. "We should, theoretically, be able to supply everything in one box: bill payment, money transfer, whatever. We have the two major components, the Internet and a computer. We can provide the content and peripherals and that does it," he said.

By mid-2004, Shervin said Touch N Surf will be a company to reckon with. "We will have everything rolling, placed and operational."

Strengths/challenges of the industry

What the younger Rashti said he loves about the kiosk industry is its rapid growth. "Kiosks are everywhere. It wasn't like that a year ago. Consumers are getting comfortable with the technology. They are less scared. Users see that they can do what needs to get done." And, he added, kiosks offer business efficiency. "Companies see cost reductions and better use of employees. The industry is only on the upswing."

The big challenge, Shervin said, is educating the public on the benefits of kiosks -- not only consumers, but workers in the places where units are placed.