The old, half-empty, and problematic vending equipment was not in keeping with the Image demanded by one of the UK’s leading Universities. Part of the problem stemmed from too many different suppliers, which made obtaining performance & sales data difficult, plus there was no consistency of products or pricing on offer to the students, staff, and visitors.
Following the appointment of ThirstLink the campus now benefits from high quality refreshments throughout, ease of use via reliable modern machines, fitted with cashless card readers. All services are now provided by one sole supplier, therefore, contact for any maintenance or servicing is so much easier, as is the availability of MI. The 40 new machines together with the complete fully managed service is provided at no cost to the University.
Client Testimonial
“When ThirstLink was appointed, they were just like an extension to my team, not like other ‘consultants’ I had experienced. They assisted us to appoint the most suitable vending operator to meet our requirements and then ensured a hassle-free mobilisation”. (Alan Riddell – Deputy Director, Residential and Business Services)
Old Provision
4 different suppliers for vending machines & servicing – Mixture of snack, cold and hot drinks machines in varying
conditions and designs, many more than five years old – Little or no sales data to support any royalties being paid – No consistency of offer – Limited cashless payment facilities – Machines not being restocked – operators arrived on site at various times and differing frequency.
Summary of New Vending Provision
One, new sole supplier for all services – providing control and single point of contact – 40 New or fully refurbished Machines – Delivering excellent quality drinks and services – Significant supplier investment – Risk and investment free for the University – Cashless payment units fitted to all machines – 95% of sales are now via electronic payments – Higher capacity machines – increased choice of products – Defined SLA and monthly MI – Service monitored with on-going enhancements.
