Many companies are bracing for the recession that Covid-19 will likely bring, and are keen to reduce their costs. Obviously the best way to do this is by cutting back on costs while limiting the impact on staff and customers who have already borne much of the brunt of the pandemic. So how can companies reduce costs without reducing staff benefits? By putting a coffee machine to use in offering staff their daily cuppa… and there’s a health benefit too, so read how you can benefit as a company.
1. Coffee machines reduce the need to touch surfaces that may contain Covid-19
We suspect that Covid-19 can remain viable for anything from 4 to 72 hours on surfaces. Using the kettle to make coffee in the office requires multiple surface touching – filling it, turnig it on, pouring water out, opening the jar of coffee, adding milk and sugar etc. A coffee machine on the other hand can have coffee, milk and sugar put into it by one trained, gloved and face masked person and be plumbed directly into the mains water supply.
Coffee is then a one button push – either with a tissue between finger and button or you could have a bottle of sanitizer next to the machine if you use your finger. Disinfectant wipes can also be used before and after pressing the button or touch screen.
Healthy staff cut the costs of inefficient replacements or the chaos of having staff off ill.
2. Coffee machines don’t need a salary!
The coffee machine sits there day and night and at the push of a button, delivers the coffee! No waiting for the tea trolley to rumble around…and no need to spend time waiting for the kettle to boil. In addition, it doesn’t require a salary! Sure, there may be a rental fee, but this is going to be less than a salary anyway.
3. A coffee machine reduces “the heaped teaspoon effect”
Portion control when you have a bottle of coffee on the counter is…well…impossible! Then there are the tea bags and sugar sachets…very conveniently packed for use at home….and sure enough, removal of consumables from the office is unfortunately rife. Then we all know how fresh milk gets abused in the office setting? Instead of being added to coffee, it gets added to corn flakes, protein shakes and even glasses of milk.
The way to control these issues is to lock the coffee and sugar away – but how would that help? Sure you cut costs but you’ll have 100 angry, caffeine seeking zombies staking out your office and sticking pins into dolls with your face on it! Not good for your efficiency!
So why not put all the ingredients for a coffee, hot chocolate or tea in your lockable coffee vending machine that dishes our controlled portions? Simple, and you’ll have portions that you can cost and you’ll avoid any abuse.
4. Coffee machines can have card readers to control drinks… your jar of Nescafe cannot!
To avoid a riot, don’t take the free coffee away from your staff. IBM in Australia tried that and ended up with grumpy staff who refused to work a minute before start time and a minute after closing time. Two weeks later … they got their coffee back!
There is a way to budget… attach a card reader that reads a tag that each staff member has. That tag gives them 1,2,3… 5 cups a day (or whatever amount you decide on) and you get control by knowing exactly how much you are spending ).
Staff get their coffee and you have a fixed budget.
5. Coffee vendors give your customers and staff a choice…while saving $
If you have a business that relies on customers, why wouldn’t you offer them a great cup of coffee? Coffee machines will give you a choice of anything from espresso, white coffee, cappuccino, tea to hot chocolate. Keeping customers happy is a good strategy – but even more so in a recession! Your staff can also use the machine and so everyone wins.
Better still is that all of this happens while you save money!
6. Outsourcing allows you to focus on your business…making money!
The range of services on offer from coffee vending machine suppliers is extraordinary. You can arrange to buy; rent with maintenance; rent with maintenance and consumables; rent with maintenance, consumables and staff; rent with… well you get the message! Anything is possible.
Most suppliers will discuss your needs and put a package together that matches what you require – don’t accept anything less if you want to save money. Large companies usually prefer fully outsourced services that include the coffee vending machines, delivery of all consumables, free repairs within 8 hours and staff to fill and clean the machines. On the other hand, smaller companies, because of lower usage, can save money by having the machines installed and their consumables delivered – filling the machine themselves and doing their own simple daily cleaning (10 minutes).
All you need do is decide which option to choose from and the most popular are:
- Buy the coffee machine and then buy your own consumables from Makro, Spar etc. You’ll have to fill and clean your own machine and pay for any technical repairs that are not covered by the warranty.
- Rent the coffee machine with a maintenance contract that covers all repairs (no matter what…as long as you haven’t taken out your frustrations on the machine with a cricket bat!). You can then buy your consumables from Makro or from the company you rent from if they offer that service. You fill and clean the machine.
- Pay for each cup you drink. The per-cup-price will cover the rental of the coffee machines, the maintenance, the consumables and any staff attached to fill and clean them.
So there you are! Six good reasons for looking at office coffee machines to beat the recession…and some options to put your cost cutting into practice!
Steve Giddings is Managing Director of The Frontier Coffee Corporation.
