OFFICE REFRESHMENT
Payment technology evolves rapidly to meet
demands of modern offices
T
he way people use office spaces has changed significantly, and workplace refreshment is evolving alongside it. Hybrid working, flexible hours and rising employee expectations are
reshaping demand, creating new challenges for operators while driving investment in smarter, more adaptable solutions. Traditional catering models are often built around predictable
mealtimes and consistent footfall. Today’s workplaces are far more dynamic, with employees arriving at different times, working varied schedules and expecting convenient access to refreshments throughout the day. This has accelerated the growth of unattended retail, vending and self-service solutions that can provide reliable service whenever they’re needed. “Convenience has become an expectation rather than a luxury,”
says Jill Bode, operations director at VMC. “Operators need solutions that are available around the clock, are simple to use and continue working reliably regardless of staffing levels.” Payment technology has also evolved rapidly. While contactless
transactions are now standard, operators are increasingly looking for systems that offer more than just payment acceptance. Reliable connectivity, offline capability and access to meaningful operational data are becoming equally important, helping operators maintain service while gaining greater visibility of customer behaviour and machine performance. The adoption of closed-loop payment alongside traditional open payments can support employee subsidies, loyalty schemes, payroll loading and entitlement management, while providing organisations with greater control over spending and reporting. Offering both payment methods allows operators to deliver flexibility for end users while meeting the differing needs of employers and workplace environments. Self-service kiosks and online pre-ordering solutions are also becoming an important part of the workplace refreshment landscape. They help manage peak periods and create a smoother customer journey by allowing employees to order and pay ahead of collection. When integrated with vending and other unattended retail solutions, they enable operators to create flexible foodservice environments that can adapt to changing workplace demands. For operators, these developments improve operational efficiency,
increase revenue opportunities and provide better insight into customer behaviour. For employees, they deliver greater choice, convenience and accessibility throughout the working day. As office environments continue to evolve, technology will play an increasingly important role in helping the refreshment industry meet the changing expectations of both businesses and their people.
Coffee machines keeping up with modern drinks trends
One of the key challenges for employers is providing a choice of drinks and refreshments that appeals to modern consumers and competes with what is readily available on the high street. No longer is the kettle and a jar of instant coffee sufficient to meet the demands of today’s office workers. The younger generation, in particular, are keen to explore different flavours and textures, which traditionally, wouldn’t be available in the workplace. Within the workplace today, lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites
are the standard offering from any self-respecting coffee machine. However, employers are increasingly recognising the need to offer newer flavours such as Matcha, or to cater for staff members who have a preference for alternative milk, and maybe to even meet newer lifestyle trends such as protein drinks.
For employers, offering a varied drinks menu can play a key
role in employee relations – providing refreshments that cater for evolving tastes is just one tool that can help attract and retain good people. It also means that staff don’t need to leave the premises to purchase their preferred drink. Coffee machines, such as EVOCA’s Gaggia range, have been designed to deliver a completely flexible drinks menu, enabling operators to deliver bespoke solutions to their customers. They can cater to all the varying tastes and dietary preferences that are necessary to cater to today’s office workers. As Andrew Barrow, Evoca UK’s managing director explains: “To
cater for trends such as Matcha for instance, it is simple to create recipes that incorporate this ingredient by replacing one of the other instant ingredients. Meanwhile, the demand for alternative milks shows no sign of slowing down. There is a variety of options available to operators to meet this trend – either replacing standard milk powder with oat milk powder in G100 Powdered Milk or G300 for instance. Alternatively, for a fresh milk option, G700 Dual Milk or G500 Latte Velutto can cater for both dairy and alternative milks simultaneously. Iced lattes? Again, easily catered for on G700 and G500 Latte Velutto as each have the ability to add cold foamed milk to the drink selection. Even tea can be catered for with GS Masterbrew (the former W100), with its dedicated tea brewer system.”
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