How to Keep Your Office Vending Machines Stocked
A well-stocked vending machine is a great asset in an office. Providing your employees with an opportunity to quickly grab a variety of snack foods—including healthy, filling options—can help them enjoy their days and become more productive.
Of course, you’ll need a plan to ensure those machines stay stocked. If your office vending program isn’t running as smoothly as you would like, or if you are just getting started with your first office vending machine, InReach can help you get on track.
Tips to Keep Your Office Vending Machines Stocked
Understanding Demand and Preferences
When you think about it, the need to stock a vending machine is a good thing. After all, if the vending machine needs to be stocked, that means it is being used regularly. Employees are finding things in the machines that they like and are making purchases, so you are already on the right track.
It’s important to monitor your employees’ purchasing patterns so you can gradually adjust the product mix in your machines. If some items are selling out regularly while others just seem to sit for weeks, tweaking the inventory in the machines can help. Modern vending machines and service providers can use real-time data collection to understand these patterns and adjust to get even better results. InReach’s vending machines come equipped with telemetry so stock can be viewed remotely and adjusted accordingly!
Establish a Regular Schedule
If your machines go too long without being restocked, employees will start to see them as an unreliable option for daily needs and may look elsewhere out of habit. So, building a repeatable schedule for restocking the vending machines is an important part of your operation.
Of course, no singular set interval for restocking is going to work for every office. Depending on how many people work in your building and how many machines you have, restocking could be required once per week or even once per day.
Consider Seasonality
In many offices, the demand placed on vending machines is going to fluctuate throughout the year. For example, consider an accounting firm that does tax work for its clients. Employees are sure to be working long hours during February, March, and early April as tax day approaches. While logging long days, the workers will likely stop by the vending machines regularly to stay fueled up and ready to work. Then, when summer hits and the tax rush is in the past, it might be appropriate to adjust your restock frequency to properly align with demand.
Many types of businesses experience seasonal fluctuation, so factor that in when stocking office vending machines. Knowing when the demand is going to be highest—and lowest—will allow you to plan properly and meet the needs of your team members.
Working With the Right Vending Services Provider
Keeping the vending machines in your office stocked can be a lot of work. You don’t have to take on all of that work on your own, though. With vending services like those provided by InReach, you will be able to take a hands-off approach to vending management while knowing that the needs of your office will always be met.
When you work with us, vending machine stocking will be proactive rather than reactive. We use advanced metrics and real-time data to understand how inventory flows through the machines. A vending machine for the office isn’t useful if it is constantly running out of everyone’s favorite items. Our programs will keep the machines stocked up and ready to serve your team from morning to night.
Let’s Talk!
Vending service from InReach can be a game-changer for your office vending machines. Have you been wondering “how much does it cost to stock a vending machine?” At InReach, vending is always provided at zero cost to the client, so there is nothing stopping you from implementing a modern, reliable vending program in your office.
Additionally, we offer a range of other services, including office pantries, coffee service, micro markets, and more. For help in one or more of these areas, take a moment today to get in touch with the InReach team. We can’t wait to serve you!