How IT Vending Machines Promote Workroom Efficiency

December 30 - 2020

IT Vending Machines have actually existed since 2011. Logitech and Facebook have employed their use for nearly a decade, because of their efficiency. But what are IT vending machines, and how do they work? Why do they save on cost and time management? 

As vending machines, in general, upgrade with smart technology, the presence of IT vending machines across workrooms is becoming more prevalent. Smart vending machines have been scaling up innovation since 2018. 

IT vending machines offer a practical one-location grouping of needed hardware for IT teams so that IT professionals may make personalized choices based on diverse preferences. This eliminates the hassle of filing paperwork, waiting to receive IT equipment they needed days ago, or being forced to choose hardware they find cumbersome. 

What are IT Vending Machines?

Woman use of soft drink vending system paying by cellphone-1An IT vending machine is a vending machine installed in offices to serve the hardware needs of IT employees. They are equipped with a badge reader that allows an employee to scan their badge, and access the stock inside with their unique number. This processes employee identification and the protocol for being granted tech quickly and at the moment the hardware is needed. 

A Facebook employee appeared on CNN Business in July of 2011 to explain more about what IT Vending machines were. He stated that the point is to achieve “frictionless IT.” These IT machines included everything from power cords to screen wipes. They guarantee that the employee is only a badge-scan away from getting whatever they need to do their job effectively. 

Why are IT Vending Machines Efficient? 

IT vending machines are meant to instantly fulfill hardware requests. Before, an employee was required to file extensive paperwork to receive new hardware. 

IT vending machines present the company’s hardware to the IT employee directly in the machine’s case. This layout allows the employee to personally shop through and choose from the vending machine’s stock to personalize their hardware. This meets the needs unique to the IT professional.   

How do IT Vending Machines promote cost savings?

One reason IT vending machines are ideal for IT departments is their capacity to save on cost. Employees have access from the machine to acquire whatever gear they need to do their job. It doesn’t require any further paperwork, handling, or the time and hires of delivery personnel. Before, the process was tedious and the lapse in time burned up savings. 

Now, with the IT vending machine presence, costs are applied smartly, to maintain a machine that has the long-term value of convenience and direct-to-user value

How they reduce the spread of COVID-19 

IDS magazine noted that IT vending machines also limit the contact between different departments in your business. By doing so, they slow the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic crisis, and may also serve to slow the spread of infectious diseases throughout office space in future scenarios. This is due to the touchless screen badge scanning and the fact that packages are dispensed directly to the IT employee requesting them. 

Determining your Office Needs

Determining whether your office’s unique needs require vending machines is a process. Tech HQ magazine laid out the steps. Is your IT department large enough to justify purchasing a vending machine? Brainstorm against business interface with graphs and data

To acquire a vending machine, you will need to make a B2B supplier purchase. Common IT vending machines are produced by Logitech, IVM, and so on. It is important to research the efficacy of the machine itself. A common problem of vending machines in the snack and beverage space was that products would become jammed inside the machine due to a technical malfunction. 

Choosing an IT vending machine for your office will be as much about its affordability as functionality. The decision-makers within the company would want to seek out trade shows and experts of IT vending machine technology to be certain. One event where IT vending machines have been featured is the Spice World Trade Event. See the SpiceWorld 2019 event for reference. 

Establishing a smart office 

Adding smart tech vending machines to your office space is one step closer to achieving the goal of a smart office. If planned and scaled, the IT vending machine is a long-term cost mitigation feature that will improve the work floor quality of employees. Machines function with smart tech features, and they can likewise stock smart hardware and IOT devices, such as wearables. This puts innovative gear directly in the hands of the workroom, and therefore dispenses the tools of a smart office directly to the office. 

Accessibility of hardware

The IT vending machine streamlines the process of making tech available to the workroom floor and streamlines the process of company’s making purchases. Stocking a vending machine and allowing the staff to select from it makes the process of ordering and reordering stock more effective. It streamlines the process between the order form, the delivery, and the restock of hardware, because the options in the machine are various and the machine is restocked of all options when it is depleted. 

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Topics: Customer Experience, Modern Procurement, Modern Workspace

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