In a world where convenience is key, having access to a vending machine onsite for your business can provide healthy, convenient and quick ways to refuel your employees.
In this definitive vending machine guide, we take you through a step-by-step journey into the realm of office vending machine ownership. From selecting your ideal machine to strategically placing it in high-traffic areas, and stocking it with products your team will enjoy every day, we’ve got you covered.
Step 1: Research and Plan
So, you’re thinking about leasing or owning your own vending machine? Firstly, you’ll need to consider your target market, which may be your employees, customers or visitors to your business location. Then, you can start to determine the type of products that will cater to the needs and preferences of your office. A great way to do so, is to gain feedback from your team to justify the need for an office vending machine in your workplace and the type of refreshments your team would benefit from having access to at all times.
Once you have conducted research around your target market, you will need to think through where your vending machine will be located. Review high traffic areas of your building or office and the size of the area that you may want to place your vending machine in. The best places to set up a vending machine, with quick and easy access for your staff can include employee break rooms or staff rooms, reception areas and other communal areas within your office. Additionally, if you have a large office with multiple floors or large rooms, you may want to consider having multiple vending machines onsite for easier access.
Next, planning is key as you will need to conduct research around the type of vending machine that will suit your business goals and the products you plan to sell. You can learn more about the types of vending machines and how to choose the right one or review our vending machine price guide and cost breakdown via our blog. Here at Vending Sense, we also have a team of vending machine experts to advise you on the best machine based on your specific needs. Contact our friendly team here or give us a call on 020 3865 0708, we would be happy to help.
Step 2: Acquire a Vending Machine
Starting the process of leasing, hiring or buying a vending machine, will mean exploring different brands, features and machine types, whilst working out a budget that works for your business and any time frames you may have to install your equipment.
When taking out a contract or owning a vending machine, we recommend examining your supplier’s maintenance and repair services. Consider what’s included in their maintenance packages and any additional costs that may occur such as call outs and parts that are needed for the machine should the worst happen.
Here at Vending Sense, we provide a Sense Care maintenance package for any lease term you take out with us to cover call outs and servicing by our expert engineers. Better yet, Sense Care is free with your first year with us.
Step 3: Install and set up a vending machine
Once you have selected your machine and arranged an agreement with your supplier, the next step is to install and set up your vending machine.
The transport and will vary based on your contract and the supplier you choose. However, our team here at Vending Sense will arrange the ideal date and time where we can install your machine by our very own technical engineers. Our installations team will also touch base with you to confirm the placement that you would like your machine to be onsite, as well as locating a power supply prior to your installation visit.
Setting up the payment terms of your vending machine will depend on the type of vending machine you invest in. If you’re taking payments, you’ll need to configure and test the payment system whether it’s a vending machine that takes cash payments, credit cards or contactless mobile payments.
Our technical engineers here at Vending Sense will be there every step of the way to ensure your payment system is thoroughly tested and configured correctly upon installation.
Step 4: Stocking up your machine and inventory management
When it comes to your responsibilities for the stocking and inventory management of your vending machine, this will depend on the contracted terms with your vending provider.
Here at Vending Sense, we can offer either a fully managed service to restock and maintain your vending machine for you, or you can maintain your own if you choose to. Either way, our friendly support team will be on hand 24/7.
Maintain your vending machine
If you’re fully responsible for your machine moving forward, you’ll need to review the different factors to restocking and managing your equipment. Having already conducted a set of research in step one of this blog post, you will already have determined your initial product selection of the refreshments you would like to have stocked.
Review the costs of the refreshments being placed into the vending machine and work out the markup of the products you would like to have to be able to create a profit on the products sold. Once you have reviewed your pricing, depending on your machine, you will need to update this using the machine’s app (if applicable), or add the relevant labelling to your machine.
Inventory and tracking is also an important factor to maintaining your machine as you will need to keep track of its stock levels, ordering and which are the high/low performing products. Most newer will have an app associated that you will be able to tap into its reporting to ensure your team are getting more of the products they love.
Fully managed services
If you have opted for a fully managed vending service, you won’t need to worry about a thing. Your supplier will visit your site regularly to restock and upkeep your machine. A fully managed service will also determine the product selection for your machine, and here at Vending Sense, we’ll even go the extra mile to report on the performance of your machine. We utilise intelligent telemetry to analyse the performance of your vending machine to provide the best performing products for you, as well as inventory tracking. Talk to our team today about our fully managed services here.
When done right, setting up your vending machine and running it efficiently means your vending machine can be a profitable venture with an additional revenue stream for your business.
By prioritising your employees food and drink preferences, maintaining your machine and regularly managing your inventory will provide you with long term success for you and your vending machine in the workplace.
What’s more, by choosing Vending Sense to supply and install your machine, you’ll not only be choosing a supplier, but a partner to your business. With our fully managed vending service, we’ll keep your machines stocked up and in tip-top condition whilst you focus on what you do best. Talk to our team today by emailing info@vendingsense.com or call us on 020 3865 0708 where we can recommend an ideal vending solution for your needs.