Vending machine businesses strategies can be extremely cost effective, with minimal staff and without stores to rent and maintain. However, vending machine businesses have different costs and responsibilities of their own. One of the most important aspects of running a vending machine business is keeping your machines in good shape.  The only way a vending machine business can make money is through proper functioning vending machines, so servicing each machine is extremely important to keep selling your product and bringing in money.

Coffee vending machine on white background, 3d image

What’s the Warranty usually like for a vending machine?

Vending machine servicing can be provided by the company that a business buys their machines from. Some companies will offer warranties for their machines, that cover the first few required maintenance checks. Some vending machine businesses choose to use a service provider that is separate from their machine providers, and this can be an effective solution as well depending on how old your machines are and their various locations.  There are many parts to a vending machine that are imperative to the functionality of the machine such as the environment temperature within the machine, the arm or physical pieces responsible for moving a product into the pick-up area and the payment portion of the machine. Remember that as well as checking the machine, the power source should also be checked if there seems to be ongoing issues at a specific location.

How often should your vending machines be checked and maintained?

Machines should be checked on often in between scheduled servicing. A machine that is out of order for even one day can cause hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars of lost sales.  There are many ways to keep tabs on your machines and their maintenance, depending on how many machines you have and where they are located. Some business with a number of machines covering a wide geographic scope use a surveillance system so that their machines can be seen from any time. Not only does this allow the business to see if customers are having problems using the machine, they can make sure the machine is being treated properly and often see how their stock is doing and what sells out at different times. However, a surveillance system is not appropriate or possible in other cases. Some businesses hire an employee who has the responsibility to personally visit the machines and go through a checklist of items to make sure everything is on track before the next servicing. This is especially effective if the machines are all in the same city or general area. If the machines are too far apart it might be more effective to have a couple of employees who can take on the responsibility of machines that fall under their section.

Machine servicing is extremely important for the company’s success, and costs associated with servicing and machine checks should be built into a vending machine business’s annual budget. Getting caught with a malfunctioning machine can be detrimental to business, so ensure that your servicing company is available at all times for your company’s needs.

Getting a vending machine at your workplace will give employees a variety of meal/beverage choices based on what machine you choose and what you would like to fill it with. Contact Regional Vending to find out more about the benefits of having a vending machine at the workplace.