WILLISTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – February 20, 2015 – Vending operators will now be able to service their customers better, faster and easier thanks to a new mobile application from Crane Streamware. The company today announced the launch of the Service Tech Mobile Application for VendMAX. With this app, operators will no longer have to manually manage their service calls and service technicians. Technicians will automatically receive, update and resolve service calls on their smartphones while operators monitor status in near-real time from their offices.
“Based on data from our VendMAX customers, operators can spend 12 to 25 percent of their time managing service calls – making phone calls, sending emails to service technicians and gathering updates,” said Silpa Pande, Product Manager, VendMAX. “This mobile app was developed to provide both service technicians and operators greater capabilities to address customer service issues efficiently and effectively. With information literally in their hands, they can make informed decisions that will improve customer satisfaction, save 5-10 hours per week and drive real bottom line impact to their business.”
With this app, service technicians can receive notifications on their phone as soon as service calls are dispatched. They can view the details of the call, update the call with progress and resolution, as well as track the parts needed to resolve the issues – all on their phones. VendMAX is automatically updated based on the actions of the technician, completely eliminating the time spent on routing calls, entering call resolutions and closing calls. The app enables the technician to view the history of the machine to understand past issues with the equipment and how those issues were resolved – critical information to have in order to determine the best course of action.
The app also includes an integrated mapping tool which allows technicians to plan their day better and respond to emergencies faster by locating machines needing service on maps and getting directions to them.
“This is the first of a series of mobile apps that Streamware is developing to help our operators drive efficiency and profitability throughout their business. We have already launched the Streamware Connect web portal for our cashless and Media machine customers and a hosted solution in the cloud for VendMAX. Delivering innovative, impactful mobile apps is simply the next step in our integrated technology roadmap,” Pande said.
The app has been tested under a pilot program with select users and customers. Those who tested the app said it made them more productive and operators felt their staff better utilized the time they saved.
“What makes this app great is that it is really simple and straight-forward to use, while being very effective in saving time, labor and improving our service to customers,” said Erich Markee, Vice President of Operations for A&B Vending.
The Service Tech Mobile app is free to VendMAX users licensed for our Service Call module and is available for iPhone and Android smartphones.
About Crane Merchandising Systems
Crane Co. is a diversified manufacturer of engineered industrial products. Crane Co. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:CR). One of its segments, Crane Merchandising Systems, designs and manufactures a diverse, yet integrated portfolio of automatic merchandising equipment across multiple verticals, including hot and cold beverage, snack, and food. It also offers other vending solutions including cashless processing, payment devices, vending management software, and wireless communication technology. Its legacy of brands (Automatic Products®, Dixie Narco®, GPL®, National Vendors™, Stentorfield™, and Streamware®) enables Crane to provide customers a complete, cross-platform solution while maintaining innovation and a commitment to quality and service. www.cranems.com.
