Friday, January 18, 2008

Role Of Technicians In Vending Business

A technician is the person who installs and repairs your vending machines. Usually, their functions include loading and unloading of machines, transporting them to new locations and make other adjustments and connections. Once the machines have been setup, they will ensure that everything is working properly.

Different vending machines require different functions. For some, the technicians may have to check the product dispensing mechanisms and change making operations. Other activities include checking the refrigerating or heating mechanisms. All these functions must be conducted in a proper manner that will ensure that your vending machine business operates effectively.

Your vending machines will face deterioration as they are used frequently and by many people. Sometimes, these may also get damaged due to mishandling by customers or operators. Almost all vending machines face this problem even though the stages may differ. This makes it essential for you to go for good quality, durable vending machines such as those supplied by Planet Antares Inc.

It is the technician’s responsibility to determine the reasons for any problems with the vending machines. They will have to undertake repair, replace and rebuild of defective parts to ensure that your vending business operations resume and carry on effectively.

Planet Antares vending machines are very reliable and even when they break down, the mechanic will be able to troubleshoot the problems by following standard procedures developed by the company. The manufacturer will know best about the different parts and components of vending machines.

Usually, the vending machine technician can make repairs and solve their issues at the place where the equipment is located. However, major problems, repair and overhauls require the machine to be taken back to the service shop so that they can carry out repairs properly.

For carrying out repair, the vending mechanics follow technical blueprints, illustrations, schematics, repair manuals and diagrams to aid their work. Also, tools such as screwdrivers, pipe cutters, wrenches, soldering irons and hammers to keep the machines in working order. For the work carried out in shops, saws, grinding wheels and drills are used. Refrigeration systems are tested through thermometers and refrigerator manifold gauges.

Your vending machines are the lifeline of your business. So, it is best to prevent any issues or damages from occurring by taking proper care of the machines. The necessary parts can also be cleaned and lubricated regularly to ensure smooth functioning of vending equipment. All that you need to do is call a vending machine mechanic and get your vending machine into top condition.

Friday, January 04, 2008

Vending Machine Business And Value Pricing

Your vending machine business is not just about purchasing and installing machines at good locations. It involves recording and tracking of transactions as well as employee operations through various techniques and management tools. Product turnover can be tracked through tools like planograms and handheld so that Antares operators find the means to control and monitor product turns with minimal extra labor.

In recent years, there has been an incredible rise in the vending industry players. With such an increase, there is aggressive competition amongst the vending operators to get customers for higher sales and revenue. The $40 billion vending industry has become highly competitive and if you want to survive and keep your market share, you must ensure cost reduction and profit maximization.

Antares vending operators complain that the retail stores and channels are able to raise prices without too many hassles as compared to the vending products. The main determinants of vending prices are customer account contracts and competition, not customer need. A good strategy for effective pricing would be to enhance sales and profits.

Initially, very few vending operators had the imperative resources for tracking the results of vending transactions. Now, the situation has changed drastically. There are various theories that have evolved as the solution for improving product pricing. According to one theory, operators can enhance customer choices and satisfaction by discounting secondary products. This will result in higher sales and profits for your vending business.

In terms of sales accountability and driver execution, majority of the Planet Antares vending operators believe that simplicity is the key to product pricing. They are of the view that any advantages created by more strategic pricing would be minimal in relation to risks associated with more complicated strategies of pricing.

A good time to test value pricing is the current economic situation. This is because of various reasons such as:

• Due to downsizing, the location sales have gone down and made it the best time to buy lesser from established, experiences suppliers.
• Special offers are appreciated by consumers as they become more price conscious.

For certain operators, the product-specific point-of-sale advertising works well for increasing sales. The product price may or may not be part of the appeal. You will have to consider the cost of introducing price points in a vending machine. Most of the Antares vending operators consider the operating efficiencies as a priority over the fine tuning of pricing strategies.

With technological advancements, there are better tools for operators to handle both the above factors successfully. Handheld computers and enhanced machine and software planograms are such techniques that can achieve value pricing for the vending operators.