Author: John Van Horn

Customer Spotlight: Hunt Regional Healthcare rolls out IDS’ ScrubTrak system to curb scrub loss

Posted on by John Van Horn

 

Before 2017, Hunt Regional Healthcare relied on a manual system for checking out and returning surgical scrubs. The system was simple. Scrubs were kept in a cabinet. Physicians, nurses, and techs checked them out when needed.

But recently, leadership at the Greenville, Texas-based health system, which includes Hunt Regional Medical Center and several ancillary facilities, noticed an alarming trend with their approach.

“Human error is inevitable,” says Ryan Madewell, director of environmental services for Hunt Regional Healthcare. “We were losing scrubs faster than we should have been.”

Scrubs can be easily misplaced, and — with no way to keep track of the inventory — simple errors add up quickly for hospitals. Over time, lost scrubs contribute to higher costs and lost productivity.

Leaders at Hunt Regional Healthcare were ready to make a change. After a smooth installation, including a quick email to staff,  IDS’ ScrubTrak system was implemented. Just a few months later, Hunt was enjoying cost savings, and happier employees – who are now able to find the sizes they need when they need them, and prevent infection and cross contamination by having disposal machines across the property

With an easy transition process and obvious benefits, Madewell looks to expand IDS’ scrub machines throughout the hospitals and into more departments.

Would you like to save thousands of dollars by reducing shrinkage of scrubs or other linens and textiles while improving productivity in your organization? If so,  a supply dispenser from IDS may be the answer.

 

Find out more about how you can save thousands of dollars annually!

Provide the ultimate customer service experience with the ultimate leisure and hospitality vending machines.

Posted on by John Van Horn

At IDS, we get convenience. It’s what you want and it’s what your customers want. The authenticity, professionalism, and genuine concern for the happiness and well-being of customers and employees is a clear competitive advantage in the leisure and hospitality industry. Provide the ultimate, most convenient service experience for your customers with our leisure and hospitality vending machines.

Today, more than ever, the future of organizations within the leisure and hospitality space, such as hotels, airlines, and restaurants, will be defined with key infrastructure and technology investments.

To remain competitive, organizations can benefit from thinking outside of the box, and finding ways to be more relevant to their customers across their travel journeys to drive revenue, while being innovative in its internal operations to drive bottom-line growth.

For many leisure and hospitality organizations, this means looking outside their core competencies like flights and hotels, and exploring the power of adjacent spaces to drive top-line growth and implementing new technologies such as automated dispensing for employee uniform and linen inventory management to drive efficiencies and bottom-line growth.  

In leisure and hospitality specifically, it’s the little things that count. Something as simple as a smart hospitality vending machine can make a world of difference with your employees and customers.

SOLUTIONS

We have a variety of supply dispensing solutions  for leisure and hospitality organizations for your customers, your employees and YOUR convenience.

Our TM Dispenser provides the option of choosing the size of an item, unlike other textile dispensing solutions. For example, an individual may choose a medium-sized top and large-sized bottom. The TM Dispenser allows up to eight (8) different SKU selections per unit, and can accommodate up to two satellite units allowing for organizations with significant textile volume to serve their staff effectively.

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The SL11 is a multi-functional supply locker that provides secure dispensing of large, bulky consumable and returnable supplies, tools, and rechargeable handheld assets.   The SL11 can also be used for secure asset management in the form of will-call, redemption and storage of high-dollar items or user-specific items that contain sensitive data such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

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The most advanced of our Supply Dispensers, the SD5000-TS provides secure access to a wide variety of consumables, while offering an experience that engages users through a dynamic user experience featuring a 10.1” touchscreen positioned at a 10° ergonomic tilt. The sophisticated exterior styling of the SD5000 smart hospitality vending machine is a seamless addition to almost any office building, airport, educational institution, hospital, or other type of modern hospitality facility. Plus, its innovative UI delivers a familiar, yet exceptional user experience.

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Differentiate yourself from the rest with IDS’ vending solutions.

Posted in IDS

IDS’s New Website!

Posted on by John Van Horn

We’re excited to announce that our new website is live! The new site boasts a friendly user interface with easy-to-navigate menus. We redesigned our website to make it easier for you to find the information you are looking for, fast. The site is compatible with desktop as well as mobile devices in order to keep you updated in any circumstance.

Whether you work in Office and Tech, Consumer Products, or anywhere in between, you are sure to easily find the solution to your controlled dispensing needs on our state-of-the-art, easy-to-use website.

We have also launched a Savings Calculator, located at the bottom of every page. This convenient tool is designed to show you just how much you can save using IDS’ Automated Dispensing Solutions.

Check out our new website at: www.idsvending.com.  We hope you like our new website – please feel free to leave your feedback on our Facebook or Twitter.

Do you know how to use our savings calculator?

Posted on by John Van Horn

We’ve recently launched a Savings Calculator, located at the bottom of every page. This convenient tool is designed to show you just how much you can save using IDS’ Automated Dispensing Solutions!

Let’s get started!

First, you’ll need to enter your name, email and phone information.

Now once you’ve done that, you’re going to want to hit ‘Next’.

Once you’ve hit next, you’ll be taken to this screen:

Now is where we get to the good stuff! Enter your product information here and find out how much you can save with Intelligent Dispensing Solutions.

Sweet! You just saved $14k annually!

It’s eye-opening to quantify in dollars the amount of waste your organization may be incurring due to untracked supplies and unaccountability. But, don’t despair, calculating savings with IDS opens an opportunity for your company to easily and immediately achieve savings with vending inventory control systems!

Check out our new website at: www.idsvending.com.  We hope you like our new website, please feel free to leave your feedback on our Facebook or Twitter.

Top 4 Complaints Office Managers Hear Every Day

Posted on by John Van Horn

Office managers have the unique task of toeing the line between helpful coworker and strict supervisor. While the role and duties of an office manager varies from organization to organization, the crux of the position is the same: to ensure that all employees are equipped to perform the tasks they were hired to do – while keeping them happy with their work environment. According to a Gallup Poll, 24% of workers are “actively disengaged” at work, meaning they dislike their work environment.

Identifying the top 5 common office problems that you, the office manager, will most likely hear within a week of beginning your role is important; once you know the potential issues you’ll have to solve for your employees you’re one step ahead of the game in keeping them happy!

 

PROBLEM 1: “I feel like I’m being micromanaged!”

SOLUTION 1: We understand the importance of tracking logs being kept to monitor office supply takeouts, but what if there was a way your employees could get what they need without feeling like their day is being ruined by processes? With our solutions, there is. IDS makes it easy for all inventory to be tracked while removing the need to put your employees through an excruciating process (not to mention expensive production downtime!)

 

PROBLEM 2: “My computer mouse/keyboard/webcam keeps breaking!”

SOLUTION 2: IDS’s office supply vending machines solve this problem by allowing employees to retrieve new keyboards, mouses, and other office peripherals on their own – without involving IT. This solution also grants you more insight into what supplies are needed and which are extraneous.

 

PROBLEM 3: I can never find batteries when I need them!

SOLUTION 3: We live in a wireless world, and IDS recognizes the important of giving your employees easy access to batteries. Without machines, no one needs to go digging through a supply closet just to find a set of “double As”

 

PROBLEM 4: “I’m getting behind on my work”

SOLUTION 4: Because our electronics vending machine, featuring an elevator lift for fragile objects, makes it so easy for employees to get the equipment they need quickly, IDS keeps your workforce operating efficiently. This increases your bottom line not only by reducing down time but also by allowing your employees to continue providing timely service to your customers.

 

How iQ Technology Keeps Your Inventory Safe

Posted on by John Van Horn

 

Discover the power of iQ Technology, the innovative inventory and tracking software system used by all IDS equipment!

The world as we know it is changing every day. Machines are being equipped with technologies our own parents could have only dreamed of – and controlled dispensing equipment is is no exception. Very few platforms can combine all of the operations of a supply room from secure, self-service access to supplies for employees to real-time inventory visibility and full accountability for management, like like iQ technology does. This inventory software system offers countless benefits both to company management and its employees. Managers have access to the information they need at their fingertips and customers customers enjoy a more convenient, personalized experience.

iQ Technology has the potential to transform your organization one supply at a time. You inventories are now secure and easily monitored, as our software effortlessly accounts for all goods dispensed with up-to-the-minute accuracy. Say goodbye to the overwhelming, time intensive task of manual inventory counts from your supply closet: iQ Technology has arrived to optimize and streamline your inventory management process.

How do these inventory tracking vending machines and lockers work, you ask? By combining these key features into one, easy-to-use system:

  1. Cloud-Based Brain:   iQ Technology is a web-based software system, so you can manage your dispensing machines from any operating system and/or mobile device! You now have 24/7 access to your data: all you need is an internet connection.
  2. Multi-Machine Management: With iQ Technology, you can now track and manage as many machines as you’d like! No matter where your machines may be located, you can now pull reports, see real-time inventory, generate pick lists and more.
  3. Secure Transactions: All information and transactions are 100% encrypted: no credit card data is stored at any time in the machine, ensuring your customer’s safety and removing your liability
  4. Real-Time inventory Views: Real-time dispensing info would be impressive enough, but iQ Technology takes it a step further: you can also track inventory in your supply rooms and delivery trucks! That means your complete product chain can be tracked for reordering and, in the case of perishable products, expiration status. iQ Technology is truly a 360 degree solution!
  5. Alerts: Notifications about machine info can be send via email, pager, or mobile device to let you know about expiring products, power loss, and more.
  6. Powerful Reporting: iQ Technology’s impressive reporting abilities are diverse and easy to use. Usage reports, re-stock lists, inventory position and additional management reports can be generated and printed online.

 

Want to learn more about iQ Technology and how it can transform the way YOU do business? Contact IDS today.

Embrace New Technology to Manage Assets

Posted on by John Van Horn

 

BoundTree’s “Change the Game” Webinar was originally broadcast on November 13th, featuring a panel discussion on the benefits of implementing leading-edge technology solutions to manage assets, to improve quality of care and the bottom line within health care. The line-up consisted of panelists from private ambulance companies and public/municipal EMS agencies, as well as a noted medical expert, to provide peer-to-peer advice and share how they changed the game for their organizations by embracing new innovative asset management technology.  

This panel featured an IDS customer, Chief Michael Baker of the Tulsa Fire Department. Chief Baker discusses the benefits of implementing new technologies into your organization to increase efficiency.

This concept is the backbone of Intelligent Dispensing Solutions’ operation: we create machinery, software, and technology that helps save our clients money, time, and in some cases – lives.  

Listen to the event recording here.

The IDS System for Medical Supply Dispensing in Chesapeake

Posted on by John Van Horn

The Chesapeake Fire Department has implemented IDS’ secure, web-based system to dispense medical supplies for its team in order to increase their efficiency and decrease their tax dollar spend!

How does this medicine vending machine work, and how much will it cost taxpayers? While the city invested $85,000 to get the machine up and running, it has been determined that this initiative could actually save taxpayers thousands of dollars in the long run. The machine’s supplies are accessed by employees through scanning their department IDs and choosing the dispensable item via keypad selection.

The department’s previous system of an open closet approach for EMS inventory management was far less efficient: crews got supplies after sending an email and awaiting new deliveries. Additionally, restocking was estimated and often inaccurate. There were countless potential delays. Additionally, there were excess fuel costs because crews could only get supplies from one central supply station, no matter where they were based in the city.

Now things have changed.

“The IDS system is going to prevent stations and employees from hoarding supplies and thinking they may need more, while really they need less,” says Chris Bergeron of BoundTree Medical.

The implementation of IDS’ system at Chesapeake Fire Department, three years in the making, helps speed up the process of getting supplies and helps keep up with costs. The system provides info that will allow the fire department to use tax dollars more efficiently. This year alone, Chesapeake crews had over 27,000 emergency calls, of which 76% were EMS calls where medical supplies are used.

Now, the new dispensing machines can also help identify what specific items are needed for different emergencies, further increasing efficiency and preparedness for medical calls.

Watch the full video feature on this exciting new wave of medical supply technology here, and be sure to visit the IDS website to learn more about our controlled dispensing technology.

What Machines Do We Offer for the Modern Office?

Posted on by John Van Horn

From technology to services to subscriptions, the modern office of every industry is far more streamlined than those of generations past. Ask any office worker what their workspace consists of: usually just  a computer, some drawers, and a great pair of headphones. What does this mean for YOU, the Director of  Purchasing, Office Manager, or Building Manager? Well, the supplies you offer your tenants and employees will not just consist of the typical staplers, pens, and notebooks anymore. Your employees’ needs are different, and it’s up to you to accommodate those needs with modern office machines.

This is where IDS enters the picture. Our unique office supply vending machines are a quintessential part of the modern office, particularly for the tech industry. In these environments, tech hardware must be in perfect working order at any given moment of the day. Without these supplies, employees are simply unable to perform what you are paying them to do. Our modern office lockers and vending machines provide an easy, secure, and efficient way to keep efficiency at 100%.

Here’s a small sampling of the modern office lockers and vending machines we offer.Inquire with our helpful, talented customer support team if you have additional questions or quote requests for these machines.

Host Machines: A host or standalone workplace vending machine simply means it is a single machine that contains a Tech Controller. These machines vend various sizes and varieties of hardware that are carefully vended when the appropriate code is entered. All host machines include a Numeric Pin Code that allows customers to identify individual usage.

Satellite Machines: Satellite machines sit side-by-side to a host machine and do not contain a designated Tech Controller, as satellite machines operate off of the Tech Controller of the host machine. Satellite machines are configurable for office supplies and IT peripherals of various sizes.

11 and 12-door Host  Lockers: The Smart Secure Locker 11-Door Host provides the ability for on-demand dispensing of larger office supplies and IT peripherals that are unable to be dispensed from the IT5000 with Tech Controller Machine and allows users to access and return high cost items or items that contain sensitive data (i.e. laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) through a will-call application.

Want to learn more about any of these innovative office supply vending machines? Visit the IDS website today. We’re glad to answer any and all of your questions! Contact us here.

Posted in IDS

What Can You Store in an IDS 12-Door Locker?

Posted on by John Van Horn

The IDS 12-door Locker is a unique dispensing apparatus, conceptually similar to a vending machine while providing the next level of service: dispensing larger inventory like laptops, backpacks, and kits. This system is a more efficient way of tracking inventory usage, and provides another level of security for these items.

Some additional features of the locker include optional LED lighting to illuminate your offerings, optional re-charging adaptors for stored tech items, and personalization options (i.e. choose a single color for your machine, or customize the locker with your logo and colors! Speak to a representative about this option).

This machine is incredibly versatile! Here are some of the ways to use this supply locker and the types of items that you can store that could benefit your company.

 

HOTELS:

  • Blankets
  • Games
  • Breast pumps
  • Blenders / Small Kitchen Appliances
  • Books

SCHOOLS:

  • Laptops
  • Notebooks
  • Tablets
  • Projectors
  • Textbooks
  • Uniforms

HOSPITALS:

  • Med Kits
  • AEDs
  • BioHazard suits
  • Blankets
  • Pillows
  • Bedpans
 OFFICES:

  • Laptops
  • Equipment
  • Medical Kits
  • Kitchen Appliances
  • Recreational gear (games, video game equipment, ping-pong rackets)

RESTAURANTS:

  • Flatware sets
  • Medical Kits
  • AEDs
  • Centerpieces
  • Coloring books / Crayons

BEAUTY PARLORS:

  • Nail drying kits
  • Waxing kits
  • Spa gear
  • Bathing suits
  • Robes
  • Haircut capes

The possibilities are truly endless! Speak to a representative today to learn how a IDS 12-door Locker can benefit your business today. We offer financing options as well as leasing opportunities, so please be in touch with us to make this a reality for your employees and customers. Strongly considering the IDS 12-door Locker? Check out the technical specs this locker requires onthis page.