Do a google search for vending machine company in my city. When you find the companies in your area look at there reviews on there google listings page. This step is very obvious but a good first step though just in case.

2. Once you’ve found a Vending Machine Company that has good reviews.

Call them and ask for references of places they currently have machines at or currently serve. Call those references to see how they like there services.

3. Ask the Vending Machine Company what machines they provide?

This is an important question because there are vending machine companies that just provide one certain type of machine and that machine may not be suitable for your needs It all depends on what you want. But a good start is a customizable combo vending machine. One that can be adjusted to fit whatever combination of snacks or drinks you want. For example some vending machines just come with a set number of drinks it can provide. Whereas there are machines that can provide all drinks or all snacks or 10 snacks, 30 drinks or vice versa, meaning each slot is customizable to fit a drink or snack. Whereas most machines the slots cannot be interchanged it is either a snack slot or drink slot from when manufactured. A customizable combo vending machine like ours lets you put whatever you want in any slot which gives you many, many options.

You also want to make sure the vending machine company provides you with newer machines with up to date technology. Besides being newer there are many reasons why you would want a newer vending machine. The newer machines come with sensors called Telemetry that let the vending machine company know immediately when an item is stuck in the machine and has not dispensed. So that they can come out quickly and fix the issue (and give a refund to whoever had the issue). Older machines do not have these sensors and it can interrupt the use of the machines, having an item stuck in the machine can make the machine inoperable.

Also newer machines usually have credit card readers and apple pay technology already installed in them, meaning you can use a credit card on the machine and apple pay technology. Newer machines use telemetry technology to let the vending machine company know of up to the minute inventory levels of there vending machines, so the vending machine company knows when to restock the vending machine. Also new vending machines are ADA accessible, they are energy efficient, and are very user friendly. Having a machine that is energy efficient is very important for you the establishment. Older machines can really take a toll on your light bill.

4. Ask the Vending Machine Company if they are willing to sign a contract?

Having a contract is important. You want to make sure there are terms for any issue that could arise, brainstorm as many as possible.  For example when the vending machine company can have access to the property to service the machine etc and anything not done by the terms of the contract could be means for you to be able to cancel any relationship with that vending machine company.

5. Ask the Vending Machine Company if they customly wrap there vending machines?

If you work, live in a nice establishment, building, office, gym etc. You want to make sure you have a nice vending machine. A vending machine that does not look like a sore thumb. It would be nice to have a vending machine wrapped with nice graphics.  There are vending machine companies that will wrap the vending machine with whatever graphics or logo you would like. This is a great choice to have so you can pick whatever colors you would like to match your color schemes, or have another spot to show your logo.

6. Ask the Vending Machine Company how often they restock and check on there machines?

This is very important cause you always want to have your machines stocked. This is a good question to ask the references the company gives you. Ask the references the vending machine company provided you how often the vending company goes out to there location. Again this is a very important question because if they come out when they are supposed to your machines will always be stocked. Also if there any issues with the machines you know those issues will be resolved quickly if they come out often and are on top of there machines.

There is no saying on how often exactly the vending machine company should be passing by your location but a good amount should be weekly.  Although it all depends on how much traffic your machines see a day, if its a lot of traffic a week may be too little times, but on average for an average vending machine weekly is good. This is something you could put on your contract, to make sure they are passing by a minimum of times in a month or week.

7. Also ask them how long it takes them to fix any issues with the machines?

Usually 48-72 hours is a good time frame. That is the average that a good vending machine company should take. That is another question you want to ask the references they provide you, how long have they taken to respond to any issues they have had. You do not want to be waiting several days or weeks for a machine to be fixed especially if it’s a busy one. This another term you could add to your contract making sure they service the machines as they say in there contract so there are no issues.

8. Ask the Company what products they fill there vending machines with?

If it’s a junk food vending machine that’s fine, but remember healthy snacks if in a workplace provide a more productive workplace. Healthy snack machines in general just provide a more positive feeling when you see one and also make the area they are placed in look better and compliment the area. Whereas junk food vending machines give a cheap vibe. Most junk food vending machines are old rundown don’t have much technology since they are very common and are placed in any establishment (not much thinking goes in behind placing a junk food vending machine, since they are very generic). Also usually a junk food company is not going to customly wrap the vending machine for you.

These are just a few words of advice, as a vending company we provide healthy vending machines with healthy products and we provide excellent customer service which is the most important in this industry. To find out more about our vending machines Give us a call today. if you have any questions. Also follow us on Instagram. Our number one priority as a Vending Machine Company is customer service.