Published: 04th June 2024
Vending machines can offer all sorts of benefits, from improving patient satisfaction, to boosting staff moral. Businesses across the UK who have installed a vending machine are reaping these very benefits, and so can you!
If you know you’d like a vending machine in your place of work, but just aren’t sure which type of vending machine will benefit you and your employees the most, we’ve put together a handy guide to help you with your decision making.
Lets take a look at what you need to think about first in order to narrow down what vending machine is right for you.
The first thing that you need to think about is what you need the machine to do. Will it just be for employees, or will you be offering food and drink to your guests or customers too?
You will also need to identify what you want the machine to provide. Are you looking for hot beverages, snacks or cold drinks? You may also be thinking about incorporating a water cooler.
In addition to this, you need to think about how you will look after the machine. For example, if your machine includes fresh milk, it is a good idea to think about how this will be stored, as well as who will be responsible for filling and cleaning the machine.
If you are looking for a snack vending machine, then one large consideration is what you want to stock it with. Fresh food will need a smart fridge.
If you intend to fill and clean it yourself, then we can recommend models which are better suited to this.
Alternatively, we can fully manage your machine for you where we regularly visit site to replenish, clean and carry out routine maintenance on your machine, opening lots more options.
We can also offer a supply only service that provides you with maintenance for the machine, whilst you fill and restock it yourself.
Your budget will always be an important deciding factor, but the good news is that there are plenty of budget vending machines available, as well as refurbished ones. You can also take advantage of options to rent or lease a vending machine as well buying it outright.
The facilities that your machine provides is one thing, but you also need to look at where you want to locate your machine. If you work in a heavy-duty environment such as a warehouse, then you will need something quick and more robust.
In contrast, an office usually needs something compact and smart looking that is less time-dependent and produces barista quality hot drinks.
You will also need to look at what access there is to the location of the vending machine. It is important to look at the size of doors and whether it needs to be transported upstairs in order to work out how it will be positioned.
Once you have considered all of the above, it’s now time to take a look at your business sector. Certain types of vending machines are better suited to different types of sectors. Here’s what we recommend out of our vending machine range:
A vending machine is a great addition to any warehouse or factory as they tend to be out of the way of towns with shops, it can give employees an alternative to bringing in their own food without having to leave the premises.
Whether you have a small office or span across multiple floors, it’s likely an office will have a designated area for breaks and lunches. Investing in a good quality coffee machine or snack machine could help improve employee morale and even productivity.
Whether it’s late check ins, guests who have been out exploring all day or even a midnight snack after being out partying in a new city, by having a vending machine in your hotel lobby it means guests can grab something quickly and easily before heading to their room.
By adding a vending machine onsite at your gym you can provide members with easy access to protein snacks, energy drinks and even hot drinks from a coffee machine, allowing members to fuel up before a workout or grab a pick me up on the way out.
At schools we find that the demand for healthier food is high and with break times only being around 15 minutes and lunches only half an hour, plus the high volumes and queues, sometimes a vending machine in a communal area can be beneficial. And for the staff, having access to good quality coffee from a machine in the staff room gives them that boost to see them through the rest of their lessons in seconds.
Vending machines in hospitals can help to fuel staff throughout the duration of their shift and also allow patients and visitors who may have long waiting times or be located far away from the hospital canteen with a variety of food options. A hot drinks machine also allows staff, patients and visitors to get their daily hit of caffeine. Whether in an A&E department, on a ward or a waiting area, we have vending machines that will compliment any location.
When it comes to vending machines, there is a lot of choices available, and it is important to remember that you need to pick one that is right for your business and its needs.
As vending machine experts, our team can help and advise on the best type of water machine that is most suitable for your needs as a business. Feel free to get in touch by phone, 01157 845 845 or email sales@cemavending.co.uk.
