Whether your machine is currently out of stock or requires maintenance, there are common challenges that ultimately hinder the process of smooth services that are expected to be provided. Such business pains can result in costing the company more time and money than ideally needed.

For example, It isn’t always clear when a vending machine is out of stock, especially when it’s of a particular item that is popular. Constant checkups require manpower, resources and more to maintain a desirable supply that can provide customers with their favorite items. Similarly, the same can be said for maintenance and repairs. Without certain systems in place, it is difficult to know the exact time machines fail or predict when maintenance is needed. Planning for maintenance can also be time and resource consuming to companies looking to optimize their supply chain in an effective manner. Even with various tools and software systems in place, without some kind of consolidated platform to interconnect everything, management in general can be scattered and difficult to execute efficiently.

These challenges prevent companies from increasing revenue and savings on expenses. Furthermore, there are countless of machines to be accounted for, and the level of effort only increases. As a result, the demand for frequent checkups increases and requires the allocation of more resources.

Customer service can be a crucial component to any business looking to assist customers and maintain great relations. This requires hiring personnel with great communication skills, an understanding of key information, and is efficient in problem solving. However, when taking a closer look at customer services within the retail facility space, such as malls or outlets, representatives typically provide limited information on all stores, consume resources, and are not required for the majority of the time they are present. This can become especially problematic when faced with both an increased rate of foot traffic or a lack of it.

According to a survey conducted by Codebroker, 54% of American consumers think it is frustrating when loyalty programs cannot be accessed from a smartphone. This can often result in expired loyalty points, coupons and missed opportunities due to consumers not being aware of these offerings in time. Furthermore, research conducted by 3Cinteractive has found 53% of consumers are unsure of how many points they have collected from favorite loyalty programs. This can become especially problematic when companies require a major shift in attention towards customer loyalty but are not aware of the pitfalls of providing these offerings.

Although there are many ways retailers can capitalize on providing loyalty programs or easily distribute accessible promotional offerings, many business owners are simply not engaging customers effectively and/or use outdated paper-based methods that are resource intensive.

Managing facilities presents a number of underlying issues that make supervision efforts more time consuming and uncoordinated than needed. From keeping the store area clean, safe, maintained and attractive, your responsibility is to assist retail establishments in enhancing its brand in the face of customers. The logistics of such a duty can entail managing maintenance requests, handling leasing contracts, managing payments, and a number of other tasks that require the undivided attention of it’s supervisor. Although there are a number of reliable tools that make the process of managing retail vendors and technicians easier, these tools are often unconsolidated and require parallel management to achieve their desired results. 

Furthermore, It is difficult and time consuming to track and manage these logistics when most systems and tools are often not consolidated on one platform. Retail facility owners need to consider that there lies an unrecognized benefit in interconnecting their systems. If done correctly, this can enable supervisors with the ability to streamline processes that allow for greater stakeholder connectivity and deeper data analytics. Overall, this will simplify facility management management while improving the way operations are handled.