Coffee has and will always be at the heart of office coffee service. However, the demands of companies and the employees they are trying to please with OCS is changing. This means OCS service providers must change as well, adjusting to needs beyond traditional automatic brewers.
Here are four reasons to expand beyond coffee in your OCS line up.
Because Tea Is Growing In Popularity
In December 2016, Packaged Facts reported that tea sales were up almost 6 percent, just over $7 billion. It's a very popular drink with Millennials, who are branching outside of traditional coffee options, and also has positive health associations. There are various studies that show a correlation between regular consumption of tea and fighting illness from cancer to Type 2 diabetes.
Because Coffee Is Available Anywhere
If you focus solely on coffee, then you compete solely on coffee, specifically coffee prices. With coffee available anywhere, OCS operators must have a good answer to "why am I getting my coffee from you." By branching out, your unique selling proposition can be about more, such as an extensive service. Ensure customers know that your driver just cleaned their brewer, changed the water cooler filter, wiped down the microwaves, etc. Sell your services, not your catalogue.
Because HR Needs To Keep Employees
Employers are looking for more ways to retain employees and build a positive company culture. Coffee is good, but snacks and beverages (and a workplace café) are better. Offering the human resource department a product delivery service is a must, whether that is pantry service, a micro kitchen or concierge service. Expand the selection of products you offer to include those that will reward and entice employees, such as locally made salads or healthy, fresh snacks. Allow locations, or even their employees to place orders via your website, micro market kiosk or proprietary mobile app. Adding free food and drinks leads to happy employees and is less expensive than other benefits.
Because Consumers Want Designer Beverages
Black and hot aren't good enough anymore. At work, people want the same variety and personalization of their drink of choice that exists at cafes. The National Coffee Association found that 98 percent of employees with an espresso machine at work rated their OCS very or somewhat satisfying. The most satisfying at-work coffee equipment included all three on-demand systems: single-cup, instant coffee and espresso. Combination coffee and carbonated water units as well as vending machines that serve flavored sparking water are making waves in the channel. It's all about the consumer getting a more diverse, designer beverage.
