Fast-Aid

Your customer has just asked you about medical vending. Understand that they probably think they are doing you a favor by giving you another source of profit. Explain that medical vending is different than other forms of vending because it is accessed "as needed" rather than on "impulse". Consequently your profit will be less (if at all) but you will have all the same expenditures as other types of vending. Now consider the value of the account and discuss the following options with your customer:

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The customer purchases, installs and services the machine(s).
The customer purchases the machine and the vend operator installs and services it.
The customer purchases the machine and the vend operator installs and services it for a monthly service fee.
The vend operator purchases, installs and services the machine.
The vend operator purchases, installs and services the machine for a monthly service fee.
VSM marketing may be able to provide the name of a medical vending service in the customer's area that will install, maintain, and service the machine for a monthly service fee.

It may be worth it to you just to buy, install and service the machine as part of the perks you offer to maintain good customer relations. However, any of the other options are equally viable because of the high value of medical vending. Medical vending has a very positive affect on the customer's bottom line.

If employees are abusing free access to over-the-counter medications medical vending will offer your customer immediately calculable savings. An office coffee service operator was asked by an account to place a medical vending machine because they were spending $40,000.00 a year on over-the-counter (OTC) medications for 1200 employees. They were tired of employees taking OTC medications home to family and friends. The OCS operator asked for a $50.00 a month service fee and got it. The account has since asked him to place four more machines and he now receives $250.00 a month plus machine revenues. The OCS operator is being fairly compensated for his expenses and is making a profit, the company is saving money, and employees still have access to all the benefits of OTC medications. Interestingly, the amount the OCS operator is saving his customer is close to the amount his customer pays for his Office Coffee Service on a yearly basis.

If healthcare professionals (or any other employees) are handing out OTC medications a Fast-Aid Center will free that time to spend on more productive duties. For instance, an American Association of Occupational Health Nurse's Journal states, "Occupational health nurses are influential health care professionals responsible for the promotion, protection, and restoration of worker's health". When nurses have more time to spend on these priorities the employer will benefit as the health and safety of all employees improves to increase their productivity and save bottom line dollars.

	If OTC medications aren't available at all a recent study further highlight the value of providing them in the workplace. A July, 2000 Health + Safety magazine states:

		"A new study suggests that employees who have access to over-the-counter medication can increase productivity and lost time due to illness....."Employees who don't have access to OTC medications would have stayed at work anyway. They would simply suffer through the symptoms, most likely reducing productivity and increasing chance of injury."

Your customer is likely to proceed with medical vending with or without you, perhaps with the competition! In fact, you might consider offering the benefits of medical vending to win new accounts. Whatever the case, be sure to use a reliable, durable, and secure Fast-Aid Center. As the "Competitor Analysis and Comparison" chart on this site shows, Fast-Aid quality doesn't cost. It pays." Please contact us if we can answer any questions or be of further service.