Why Your Facilities Management Should Choose A Coffee Solution for Your Office
The official definition of facilities management is “the maintenance of an organization’s buildings and equipment.”. I’m sure you could ask any facilities manager, and they would agree, that the role itself is far more encompassing than that.
It not only involves making sure the day to day running of almost all office-related equipment is maintained and in good working order, but also to make sure the staff are happy in using said machinery.
So, why would a coffee machine solution even appear on their list, let alone as an item of priority? Here are a few good reasons all facilities managers should look into investing in a coffee solution to ensure a happy office.
Coffee Solutions – Pro’s and Con’s
There are two main schools of approach in terms of hot beverage provision for an office: self-serve or a tea lady. Self serve has, over the years, proven to be a costly exercise for any company in excess of (at most) 10 employees. Any more than that amount means either providing a stipend for daily coffee spends, providing un-monitored coffee product distribution and availability, as well as running the risk of abuse of free product and gasp theft!
The other option, of employing a tea lady full time to provide coffee to employees has two major downfalls: firstly, you’re paying an entire salary for a person to make coffee, and secondly, said employee might very well not make the drinks your employees really want, or make it the way the employee enjoys it. You (unfortunately, but realistically) run the risk of theft, as well.
A coffee machine solution allows you the freedom to plug-and-play the solution, for a set fee each month, and also eliminating the following problems:
Eliminates theft by locking away all the product inside the machine.
Eliminates product abuse by only dispensing a set amount of product per cup.
Eliminates grumpy employees two fold – firstly by allowing them to choose their own favourite, just the way they like it, and secondly by not having to let each employee wait their turn for the tea lady to come around with her outdated trolley to provide them a drink.
So, what are the downfalls?
Your machine will undoubtedly require same level of maintenance. In a situation like this, we have eluded to the benefits of a coffee vending solution. These types of machines will cut your monthly spend, especially in the instance of fresh milk, but with that advantage of a reduced coffee bill, you must remember that using powdered milk will require some routine leaning of the machine. So, don’t get rid of your lovely tea lady just yet. Rather have her assist in cleaning the machine (hourly, by rinsing the machine, daily – by removing the canisters and giving them a good wash, and monthly for a deep clean).
Product refills and replacement is also a factor, so she could also assist with that.
What Is an Office Coffee Solution?
An office coffee solution is when a service provider installs a coffee machine (this can be anything from a coffee vending machine, to a fresh milk bean-to-cup solution), and provides three major supporting elements:
They will provide coffee product suitable for the coffee machine of your choice.
They further provide backup support for troubleshooting any problems that may arise during your contract period with them.
Lastly, and sometimes most importantly, they should provide the option to upgrade or downgrade a machine which no longer meets your changing needs, as well as swap out and replace a machine that may be faulty and cannot be fixed on site.
It’s really important you try top find the shortest term contract that encompasses all of these benefits, as office machine – while exceptionally reliable – are going to require some good old TLC now and then,
How Much Does a Coffee Solution Cost?
There is no black and white in terms of what you should be paying for a coffee solution, and this ties back in with your coffee solution service provider. They should allow you to “test out” the machine, for at least a week, for you to get a feel for how staff take to it, as well as how much product you will consume monthly.
From this, you can safely determine how much product you will use, and they type of machine you require.
The coffee solution service provider should then be transparent enough to advise you – the customer – a to what will suit YOUR needs the best, and you’ll take it from there.
Make sure you’re not locked into a three or five year contract – especially as a first time user – as this may cause unnecessary problems and having to pay exorbitant fees in order to release yourself from that binding contract.
For more info on a coffee solution that will fit your needs (and also ticks all the boxes we’ve listed above) – fill out the form below for a friendly consultant to be in contact with you.