Smart phones and tablets: game changers for managing a vending business

Our trucks are equipped with GPS North America service. While they don’t have an iPad app, I can access the system through my iPad and view in real time where our service vehicles are located. The system can even send alerts when certain things happen — like if anyone drives over 75 mph, or if any technician is stopped in any place for more than one hour, or if anyone enters the 7-11 just up the road from our warehouse.

With over 500,000 apps available, these are just a small sampling of how a vending operator can leverage the iPhone and iPad in their business. While I have nearly 100 apps on my iPhone, the apps I mentioned in this article are the ones I use in my business on a regular basis. I will describe other apps I use in an upcoming article.

About the Author

Paresh Patel, Ph.D., M.B.A., is owner and president of Courtesy Vending LLC in Portland, Ore.