Handheld Inventory Systems for Vending Machines

At Monumental Vending, we’ve been utilizing handheld technology for our vending machines for 13 years. All of our drivers carry handheld computers that we update daily. We leverage this handheld vending technology for several reasons:

1. It helps the drivers effectively service our clients.
2. It helps Monumental Vending monitor inventory changes
3. It helps provide a back-up for our wireless system

Better Service

When Monumental Vending drivers arrive at a specific client location, they use their handheld inventory system computers to determine exactly which items they need to bring into the building with them. This way we assure that each machine is getting exactly the product that is needed.

Also, if there is a product change, the drivers will see the change in their handhelds and know how to accurately fill the machine so that mistakes don’t happen.

Monitoring Expiration Dates

Our drivers are vigilant in looking out for products that are nearing their expiration date. We would rather remove product that is close to the expiration date and give it away to charity than leave it in a vending machine past the date.

When our drivers remove product because of dates, we’re able to capture that data in their vending handheld so that the database is adjusted accordingly. Inventory is also checked regularly and any variations noted. Other changes that need to be made by the driver are entered into the handheld inventory system and uploaded to the database every evening.

Backup

While we use our wireless technology to schedule service of our vending machines each day, we do use our database and the data from our handhelds as a back-up. If a machine doesn’t report wirelessly for any reason, our software defaults to a formula which calculates an estimate of what is needed based on the last several driver visits. In this way, we’ve built in redundancy to our system to ensure the highest level of service.