Author: John Van Horn

Vending Isn’t Just for Food

Posted on by John Van Horn

Vending machines have come a long way in recent years. For example, machines that were at one time used for food items only are now meeting a wide variety of

needs for corporate offices, garages, doctor’s offices, hospitals and many other locations all across America. A recent article featured on Bloomberg Businessweek highlighted a new cupcake vending machine and referenced other items such as fresh fruit and smoothies now found in many a custom vending machine today. Read below for one of our innovative uses of vending machine technology:

Office:
In an office, there are many wasted resources, which costs companies thousands of dollars each year. However, we now offer office technology vending machines set up to provide flash drives, keyboards, pens, and anything else that an employee would need in an office setting. All an employee has to do is swipe a card, which allows employers to track who is using what. It also gives employees in need of office supplies instant access to them, meaning there is no reason to make a trip to the office supply store or call in IT.

Because the vending machine keeps track of who gets what out of the machine, there is greater accountability. As a result, many employers find they are saving a great deal of money because their employees no longer see office supplies as their personal property but instead consider them the property of their employer. This cuts down on waste significantly.

We hope you have been inspired by our innovative vending machine designs. Contact us for more information on retail vending.

Keep Inventory in Check with Custom Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners reports that up to 75 percent of employees have stolen at least one thing from work. This theft causes up to $50,000,000,000 in annual loss for U.S. businesses. Custom vending machines provide a solution that reduces the cost of employee theft, minimizes the amount and cost of inventory and maximizes business profits while ensuring employees have the office supplies they need.

A custom vending machine distributes items like keyboards, pens and flash drives as well as a variety of other commonly used office supplies and equipment. To use the machine, employees must swipe their badge. They can then select the items they need. The office manager or business owner receives a report from the machine that indicates each distribution. With that data, they know how often each employee accesses the machine and who uses which equipment.

Switching to a vending machine inventory control solution can reduce inventory waste by up to 25 percent, and they also provide up-to-date inventory lists. This feature allows office managers to restock the machine easily and shows business owners which products are in high demand.

With the need to keep employee theft and overall operating costs to a minimum, business owners rely on strict inventory control. A custom vending machine provides the solution they need.

Introducing Scrubtrak!

Posted on by John Van Horn

When most people think of office vending machines, they usually think of drink or snack machines. However, at Intelligent Vending Solutions, they move beyond snacks and drinks and enter into the practical world of everyday office supplies. For example, one of their newest machines, the ScrubTrak hospital scrub vending machine is made especially for medical facilities and the professionals they employ.

The ScrubTrak machine will do the following:

  • Help medical professionals keep up with their scrub supply, freeing up time and energy for other more important matters.
  • Help reduce unauthorized inventory usage.
  • Ensure scrubs will always be available to techs, nurses, doctors and other medical professionals when they are needed.

Why medical facilities should utilize custom vending machines:
In the past, medical facilities have relied on a variety of resources and methods to ensure their employees are properly clothed in scrubs. The custom vending machine ScrubTrak, which is described above, proves invaluable in this task as it streamlines and organizes the process. No longer will new employees have to wait for scrubs to come in and no longer will there be a worry that unauthorized personal are partaking of an facility’s scrubs.

How these custom vending machines operate:
The intelligent dispensing solution is the technology that makes these vending machines different from others on the market. They keep track of inventory and give employees easy access to needed supplies. These machines also cut down on waste and help employers oversee their employee’s supply usage. In fact, these vending machines can help reduce inventory shrinkage by at least 25 percent.

Intelligent Dispensing Solutions at NRF in NYC

Posted on by John Van Horn

Intelligent Dispensing Solutions was among the vending machine manufacturers that debuted exciting new technologies at the National Retail Federation’s 2014 Expo. The event, which is held annually, features the latest retail technologies and solutions available to vendors of all trades. At the IDS booth, clients had the opportunity to see the ways that the company’s innovative machines could be used in a number of business settings. They could also witness how smart vending machines are opening up opportunities in a number of previously unexpected areas.

Alongside major retail brands, IDS demonstrated how in-house supply distribution can be made easier with a custom vending machine that allows workers to claim supplies ranging from pens and paper to replacement keyboard with the swipe of a card. This reduces shrinkage and the personnel hours that must be dedicated to ensuring that workers have the materials they need.

Moreover, professionals from health and wellness businesses were wowed by IDS’s new technologies which allow patients to purchase needed medications from carefully controlled machines. This innovation saves patients and professionals time while increasing compliance with prescriptions, additionally adding a new stream of revenue for many facilities.

Didn’t attend NRF but looking for ways to streamline supply processes or add new sources of revenue for your organization? Custom vending machines may be the solution you need.

Vending Machines Help Patients Take Meds Appropriately

Posted on by John Van Horn

One of the most prevalent reasons that a course of medication fails has nothing to do with which drugs are prescribed. Between 20 and 30 percent of prescriptions for medications are never filled, meaning that patients never receive the benefits of needed medications.

Many customers find a trip to a pharmacy inconvenient or even impossible due to transportation issues. But, next generation patient medicine vending machines are making a difference in patients’ health. Prescription drug dispensers allow patients to access common needed medications right in your office after an appointment. Smart technology allows customers to input their prescriptions and payment and insurance information with the simple swipe of a card. They get their medications immediately, without having to make another stop or wait at a pharmacy. By making it easy to fill a prescription, you make it more likely that your patient will complete a course of medication to improve his or her health.

Doctors offices, hospitals, clinics and assisted living facilities can all provide added services to patients with these custom vending machines. Talk to a representative at Intelligent Dispensing Solutions about whether a custom prescription dispenser is right for your organization.

Stay in DEA Compliance with Pharmaceutical Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

Striking the balance between keeping prescription medications on hand and maintaining the level of security required for DEA compliance is a major concern for firehouses, medical facilities and paramedics. These materials need to be readily accessible for medical emergencies, yet not so readily accessible that people who should not have access can get access. In addition, DEA regulations require tracking of controlled substances. For many, the answer to this quandary lies in a custom vending machine.

The Answer: Custom Vending Machines

Intelligent Dispensing Solutions provides a cost-effective way to manage this need. The UCapIt intelligent vending machine gives medical professionals instant access to the pharmaceuticals and supplies they need, even when those supplies are controlled substances, while automatically tracking the use and distribution for DEA compliance.

How It Works

When a user withdraws medications or supplies from the UCapIt custom vending machine, that withdrawal is cataloged with a time stamp. Also, withdrawals are regulated to the individual’s authority level, so only those who should have access to the medication are able to withdraw it. Inventory is also tracked instantly, providing a digital readout so you always know what your current inventory is.

For today’s emergency services personnel and medical professionals, access and compliance are both crucial. UCapIt custom vending machines provide both in an easy to manage vending machine setup. Contact Intelligent Dispensing Solutions today to learn more about this custom vending machine product.

Track Inventory Remotely with Custom Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

One of the cost-effective advantages of a remote vending machine is that they don’t require an attendant. Unlike a snack bar that needs to have at least one person overseeing it during hours of operation, a vending machine is ready to dispense food, drinks of other items at any hour of the day without the need for a cashier or server, saving you unnecessary costs while making you money. However, that same advantage can also become a concern to vending machine owners or lessees: Left unattended, stock can run low, making the machine less profitable. What’s more, it can be difficult to keep track of the revenue the machine is generating, or to make changes in the types of stock it dispenses based on use levels and customer preferences.

The good news is that custom vending machines with iQ technology let you track your inventory and your revenue remotely from any device that has an Internet connection–including your smartphone. You can even track usage levels so you can tailor the products you offer to the changing needs of the customers you’re serving and even identify when machines may be underperforming. And that means you can be responsive to changes that have a big impact on your machines’ profits and your own bottom line.

Free Your Office Manager from the Drudgery of Managing Office Supplies

Posted on by John Van Horn

In many businesses, one person (often the office manager or an assistant) is in charge of controlling access to the office supplies. If this is how your organization allocates resources, you should know that a vending machine is an ideal solution for keeping track of office supplies.

The office vending machines provided by Intelligent Dispensing Solutions will free up your manager from having to keep track of who is getting notebooks, pens, staples, USB drives and other items that workers need on a daily basis.

This is a waste of your employees’ valuable time. Why make a person keep track of supplies when an intelligent vending machine is a quick and efficient office supply management solution?

Employees only need to swipe their ID badge in the vending machine’s card-reading slot, enabling you to effectively keep track of who is obtaining office supplies, the types of items they are getting, and how often  they use the device.

What’s more, with the vending machine connected to the Internet, it’s easy to manage your office supply inventory remotely with this office inventory system, which is especially useful when you are managing multiple office locations. You can quickly get reports about which items are running low and need to be replenished. The result is easier office supply inventory management and greater accountability, while cutting down on employees pilfering office supplies for private use at home.

Staying Informed on Office Supplies

Posted on by John Van Horn

With the information available to businesses of all sizes through software that measures everything from specific sales figures to website visits and even employee productivity, businesses are steadily becoming more efficient than ever. Some things are easier to track than others and things that happen electronically are much easier to track than things that require a piece of hardware to track each event or things that need to be manually counted and recorded before they can be recorded electronically.

Office supplies are a notorious culprit for things that are difficult to track. Especially if you have a larger office or rely heavily on expensive office supplies for your facility to operate effectively, keeping track of physical inventory that can be accessed by anyone is a daunting task.

Intelligent Dispensing Solutions has made this process easier by developing an office supply system that not only tracks the office supplies and products that are dispensed, but safely and securely stores them. By not having to restrict access to employees and being able to measure and track office supply usage, these office vending machines give you the information you need to run a business efficiently and your employees the ease of access to supplies they need to do their work.

Working Late and Need Supplies? A Vending Machine Comes to the Rescue

Posted on by John Van Horn

If your company has a policy of locking up the office supplies after hours, it can cause a problem for those employees who are working late at night. The last thing an employee wants to see is a locked door to the supply closet when he or she needs to quickly burn some important data to a DVD or copy files to a flash drive to take on the next day’s business trip.

Rather than forcing your employees to leave the premises and try to find an office supply store that is still open at night, you can set up a supply vending machine that will provide them with the items they need, 24/7. If an employee accidentally spills coffee on a keyboard during a late-night session, for example, it’s easy to get a replacement from the vending machine and then get back to work.

You’ll have the peace of mind that comes from complete office supply control and knowing that your employees won’t be tempted to make off with valuable supplies when no one is around to supervise them. At Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, we provide customized vending machine solutions to help companies dispense office supplies to their employees without having to manually keep tabs on each item they request.

Because the machines accept worker ID numbers, your employees will know that management has full office supply control and can see exactly who is obtaining items from the 24/7 vending machine, which will keep them accountable and reduce waste.