Automatic_Merchandiser_October-November_2020 - 12

half of their normal revenue. Agora
has been able to acquire new business to replace accounts lost during
to the pandemic.
"We've been able to acquire new
business to replace that business. The
overarching theme for us is to be a
resource," Didier said. "Come in as
more of a consultant on how you can
be a resource to bring people back to
work - I think that's been much more
effective for us."
Didier said email marketing has
been an effective way to inform current and prospective customers about
new touchless equipment offerings
and the variety of break room solutions his company offers to fit a client's
specific needs.
"People are still out there looking," Didier said. "We found them
through email marketing campaigns
through our CRM - we've been
doing a lot of email blasts. We have
a newsletter we send out monthly
with updates on cool products we're
offering and what types of nourishment we can provide in the office so
employees don't have to leave work
and possibly endanger their coworkers by being out in public."
Need another reason to carefully examine your OCS account list?
Operators who had healthy account
diversification going into the pandemic experienced smaller losses.
Since they weren't dependent upon
one industry that was massively
affected by COVID-19, they could
manage the revenue loss from nonessential businesses that were closed
during lockdowns.
As you're looking to grow future
OCS business, be sure to grow
strategically throughout different
industries so you're better positioned
to endure future crises. This keeps you
from being too reliant on a particular
industry or business.
"Diversification of our customer
base saved us," Didier said.
12

EXPLORE HOW YOU
CAN MODIFY SERVICE

OFFERINGS WITHOUT
REINVENTING THE WHEEL

Many operators started offering personal protective equipment (PPE) and
cleaning/sanitization supplies. This
gives your accounts one less place to
get what they need to keep employees
- and the break room area - safe.
"We started a bioprotection spray
service," Didier explained, noting his
company uses PLNTSOP's BIOPROTECT™ RTU. "Basically, you spray it
on and it adheres to surfaces for up
to 90 days and kills viruses and bacteria. We're trying to make the break
room a safe place so people can use
our equipment."
Didier also modified the snack and
pantry service Agora offers to accommodate employees working from
home. Through this service, employers
pay for Agora to curate a break room
snack box that is delivered to employees at home.
"We've seen a big pickup in our
grab-and-go snacks options," he said.
"We still do have minimums and we
need to bring in revenue, so we've
offered the remote break room. We've
noticed that for parents who are
also taking care of kids or having to
homeschool, grab-and-go snacks are
helpful to nourish kids as well as yourself throughout the day when you're
working from home. We've had a good
response - I'd say our snack revenue
has doubled."

MAKE GOOD USE OF THE
MANY TOUCHLESS OPTIONS

THAT ARE NOW AVAILABLE

The biggest trend in convenience
services in 2020 is clearly touchless
equipment. While savvy operators
were previously investigating and
investing in more connected solutions to streamline service and overall
operations, this paved the way for easy
upgrades to existing equipment.

Automatic Merchandiser * October/November 2020

Didier explained that Agora had
been integrating equipment with
cellular connections prior to the pandemic so it could serve clients quickly
and efficiently.
"Touchless wasn't something
that we were really thinking of - it
was more about the level of service
opportunities and being able to track
how people were using the equipment or adding marketing materials,"
Didier said, noting that Agora started
enabling touchless services as soon as
suppliers and equipment manufacturers offered them. "Hats off to the suppliers for how quickly they were able
to move in getting touchless options."
Among the many touchless solutions available is a new partnership
between 365 Retail Markets and BunnO-Matic Corporation: VirtualTOUCH
by BUNN. Powered by the 365Beacon
and BUNNlink, a cloud-based solution, operators can easily integrate a
touchless solution that works with all
365 micro market points of sale and
the 365Pay app. Consumers benefit by
having access to a full beverage menu
- displayed through the user's mobile
phone - and access to their Global
Market Account for payment.
Didier says that he believes this is
an important window for operators to
communicate with clients and identify
new accounts.
"In the next six months, people
are going to return to work. I think
a lot of companies are realizing
that working from home is not as
productive as they thought it would
be," he said. "I don't see people ever
fully returning to work with the
staff they had previously, but I could
see a four-day work week/one-day
work-from-home situation. At this
point, we're trying to find opportunities where we can and be a resource
to potential and current clients so
they don't stray. This is the best time
to communicate with your clients so
they don't feel alone." ■

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