ing into more complex user data,"
Whitacre said.
Make sure you understand the VMS
One of the challenges operators
must overcome in the big data world
is fnding the right system and the
right person to dedicate to technol-
ogy. Bill Meckstroth, co-owner of
Midwest Refreshments in Dayton,
OH, knows frsthand how diffcult
it can be if you don't speak the lan-
guage. "Telemetry systems are very
costly," said Meckstroth. Getting
some onsite training to go with a
telemetry system adds more to the
cost, but is important. "I'm not an IT
guy," said Meckstroth. "I can't talk
their language. They need to speak
our language to be successful."
Meckstroth went through a num-
ber of telemetry systems looking for
the one that best ft his needs of clear
understanding and service. Right
now he uses ParLevel's cloud-based
VMS. "Cloud-based is the only way
to go," he said. It allows him to call
up reports and real-time service logs
from any computer or mobile device,
including when he's presenting a pro-
posal to a location.
Meckstroth sees the need for an
employee with technical expertise as
very strong and getting stronger. One
reason is the frmware upgrades done
by manufacturers. "It's my belief that
in the next 5 to 7 years, every vending
company that wants to succeed with
technology will have to bring on board
an IT person or contract a third-party
IT company," explained Meckstroth.
Operations and prekitting are key
Telemetry often pays for itself through
improvements in product inventory,
sales and scheduling. Using the sales
data it provides to merchandise the
vending machine provides returns
over and above the investment.
"The way I sleep at night is that
the data is just an extra add-on ben-
eft," said Scott Meskin, president of
Black Tie Services Inc. in Baltimore,
MD. When he opted to add telemetry,
he focused on the company's ability
CLOUD-BASED VMS allows users
real-time data from any computer
or mobile device.
March 2015 VendingMarketWatch.com Automatic Merchandiser 25
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