15 Oct Technology Supports Northwest Arkansas Break Rooms
Offering Northwest Arkansas employees vending equipment with state-of-the-art technology in the break room has always been important. However, the changes to how individuals live and work in 2020 has produced a new understanding about how vending machine technology can support hygienic, socially distanced, and contactless interactions.
As employers deal with the impact from the coronavirus on their businesses, there is one tool that can be used to safely offer snacks, beverages, and fresh food to employees during the workday — vending machines complete with technology that decreases in-person interactions and increases touchless purchases.
The first technology to consider is remote monitoring. With remote monitoring, vending providers are able to monitor product levels and sales without visiting your Northwest Arkansas break room. Instead drivers select and transport only the products that are needed, making fewer trips to your facility and spending less time filling up your vending machines. Remote monitoring also provides a way to track which products are and are not selling, decreasing the time that unpopular products spend in each machine. The data also gives refreshment providers an idea about which new products your employees might want to try.
The second type of technology is a system that senses when a chosen snack or beverage becomes stuck and offers alternative options such as choosing a different product or requesting a refund. Being able to request a refund on the spot results in fewer interactions between employees and facility managers, who would otherwise be needed to solve the problem. A second benefit is a decrease in service calls which means fewer non-employees that need to enter your facility.
The last type of technology is wireless payment options. Traditionally, wireless payment options such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a different mobile app were encouraged because of Millennial payment preferences. Given that Millennials and Generation Z now make up more than half of the workforce, it still makes sense. However with the spread of COVID-19, using mobile payment options can also decrease the number of surfaces an employee touches, potentially lowering the chance of spreading COVID-19 as well as a variety of other illnesses.
In addition to the previous three technologies, the vending industry is following a well-known saying that goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” Several companies are working on new innovative technologies that encourage additional touchless interactions and help keep everyone a bit safer.
Employees will be able to access either a mobile app or website on their smartphone that presents them with a vending machine product menu. The employee will then be able to scroll through the menu, read ingredient and nutritional information, and purchase a product without leaving the app or website. The only contact with the vending machine occurs when the employee takes their purchase from the machine.
Whether your break room includes vending machines or a micro-market, Northwest Arkansas Vending can create a solution that includes necessary safety measures while offering the healthy and traditional snacks, beverages, fresh food, and coffee service that your employees want. For more information about updating your current break room or starting from scratch, please contact us at 479-271-8288. We look forward to speaking with you.