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Issue link: http://automaticmerchandiser.epubxp.com/i/118328
TELEMETRY important roles to play in the development of quality data. Each department must do their part to help their fellow employees succeed. Drivers, for example, are primarily responsible for accurate ending inventories. Each vend visit is an opportunity to make sure the physical quantities on hand match the theoretical amounts in the handheld. Drivers who verify inventories each and every vend visit make their workdays signifcantly easier than drivers who ignore the importance of quality data collection. Accurate inventories create accurate pre-kits. Accurate pre-kits make flling machines quicker and easier. Quicker and easier vend visits make for quicker and easier days on the road. Just 45 seconds spent verifying an inventory can save hours of extra work for a route driver every single week. Drivers, of course, are not the only employees who should be concerned with accurate information. Warehouse staffs are also well served when they understand how accurate pre-kit orders affect the entire company. Accurate pre-kit orders result in a higher percentage of completely flled machines. Vend visits with accurate pre-kit orders lead to lower amounts of returned product. Lower returns boost morale throughout the warehouse, and quality pre-kits lead to more accurate warehouse ordering. Properly stocked warehouses send out fresher product which entices consumers to purchase more. The benefts of quality data are seemingly endless! Offce personnel responsible for data management responsibilities also have their own important role to play. Dispatchers and/or database administrators should be the primary guardians against excessive sold-outs and spoilage. Correct par levels make a big difference! Proper schedule management drives route effciency and can increase the overall level of customer service. Low spoils and 24 Automatic Merchandiser LIMITED supply can motivate customers to buy. low sold-outs create machines that consumers look forward to using. I believe what's written on every box of M&M;/Mars products, "Rotate Product — Freshness Sells!" Four mineshafts for proftability Once data integrity becomes a priority, the company can begin focusing on the main areas of accountability: cash, sold outs, spoils and visit effciency. Every operator using electronic data collection devices deserves to know that the receipts accrued in a piece of equipment are making it all the way to the bank account. Handling and processing cash correctly is still incredibly important to our industry. Accurate cash accountability data not only gives operators peace of mind; it also tells us that information is fowing properly from the equipment. Cash accountability reviews can even be used to uncover technical or mechanical issues at the point of sale. Is a machine consistently collecting more coin than it should? Chances are there is a changer problem which may require a service call. Our industry has always been plagued Four elements to improve profts: • Review cash accountability to spot issues • Minimize empty spirals or "sold out" products • Reduce spoilage • Ensure maximum vend visit effciency VendingMarketWatch.com April 2013 by the claim, "that machine took my money." Any methods we can use to minimize broken equipment will result in happier customers and higher sales. Sold out columns are, of course, a measure of our customer service level. With accurate data and proper dynamic scheduling parameters, the data-driven company should be able to tout a level of service signifcantly higher than that of its competitors. Imagine being able to guarantee a client that they'll never run out of Diet Coke again. I believe this is possible and would even suggest that the data driven company could make low sold-outs part of their service guarantee. Perhaps there could be a marketing program built around a promise: "If your soda machine ever runs out of Diet Coke, we'll buy pizza for your offce." Spoilage, on the other hand, is like the proverbial white elephant lying in the living room. Maybe if we ignore it, it will just go away. Spoilage (and returns) CAN be minimized with diligent monitoring of vend visit data. I believe drivers should be encouraged to enter spoilage in the handheld. It's the offce's job to manage spoilage and reduce its likelihood in every machine. Mining data correctly will result in more productive vend visits. Each year, vend visit service costs such as labor and gas continue to rise. Using data to ensure that each trip is worthwhile (say, 100 plus vends per visit) will either reduce the number of routes currently needed to maintain placed equipment or slow the need for additional routes in the future. Effcient visits ensure the