Data availability is a crucial factor when it comes to using telemetry in your coffee or vending business. In today’s digital age, data in general plays a vital role in determining the functionality and efficiency of most products and services. Access to accurate and up-to-date data is essential for a seamless experience, whether for personal or business purposes. Besides, understanding the significance of data availability can help us make informed and smart decisions and optimize our use of particular services.
Data availability is pivotal in telemetry as it directly impacts the accuracy and reliability of vending and coffee machines’ remote monitoring and control systems. Telemetry collects data from various sources such as sensors and scanners, but mainly from machines and payment devices, and is transmitted for analysis and decision-making. While it might sound simple, the process is as complex as it can get. Yet, Vendon knows the fundamental meaning of qualitative data when providing the best possible telemetry experience and always seeks ways to enhance the data flow for the most precise monitoring and control of vending and coffee machines.
What are the main challenges in retrieving data?
The data is retrieved by connecting to machines and extracting all the necessary information for intelligent analysis and remote control of devices. While the data in Vendon Cloud or Vendon App is displayed in an extremely transparent and easy-to-understand manner, the process in the background is quite extraordinary.
If data is not available or is lost during transmission, it can lead to gaps in the information being monitored, leading to incorrect analysis that can cause significant issues in remote monitoring and control systems. That is why data availability must be maintained at all times to ensure the success of telemetry use.
The very beginning of retrieving data and, quite frankly, the very base for all the process, is providing good and stable communication among the device, the telemetry hardware, and Cloud services. There are multiple ways to ensure that we can read the data from machines, yet there are also many aspects that have a significant influence on the process, among them being the quality of data connectivity, the model of the vending or coffee machine, and the ‘language’ it speaks in.
So, it is essential that the machine owner, looking for a way to improve business with telemetry products and solutions, is already aware of the communication protocols that are used for the machines. An ideal case is to test your machine connectivity before upgrading them with telemetry to see the stability and quality of data connectivity, as well as data coverage of the areas where your machines are located, especially if more than one country is involved. While Vendon is a reliable partner in providing roaming services agreements almost anywhere, the data connectivity and coverage still depend on the local operators.
The magic of telemetry
When we have established a superb internet connection, the next task is to initiate a chat with the machines that would enable all the perks of telemetry. There are countless types and models of vending and coffee machines and we must find the correct approach to each. Vendon has gone many steps further and mastered almost all languages of machines.
More data means more accuracy and the combination of real-time data and end-of-the-day audits provides the highest level of exact and precise analysis. While methods among telemetry providers differ, Vendon has its unique approach to retrieving all possible data to enable maximum functionality provided by our telemetry products and solutions. While we still are using most industry standards to communicate with machines, we dare to say that our accumulated experience is invaluable when crossing paths with exceptional cases where standard protocols are not applicable. That way, not only we can communicate with machines that other providers might not have skills for, but also enable all accompanying telemetry features for remote monitoring and control of the devices.
However, there is always a challenge waiting around the corner, especially when it comes to OCS coffee machines. Most technical reports and maintenance alerts are possible because of enhanced technical data extraction from these machines. If there is basically no trouble in retrieving sales data from any type of device, the availability of technical data is where the real fun begins. And with OCS coffee machines, in particular, the manufacturer of the machine has a crucial role in data availability – by simply deciding whether to share the information and necessary protocols for access or not.
There are cases among those who have chosen not to share any data, where the Vendon team has also gone a few steps further by learning not only to provide the basic function of collecting sales data and adding payments but also to retrieve very specific data to enhance the functionality of telemetry services despite these limitations. Thus operators have access to an in-depth analysis of sales and technical status of the machines generated by the telemetry device. Yet, there are types of machines with completely non-standard protocols where only cooperation with manufacturers can provide the necessary information to develop an adjusted solution. While this is not the most typical case, it still is a possibility, thus it serves as a bonus to know at the very early stage of the coffee and vending business if the manufacturer of machines is able and willing to provide the necessary information for you to be able to upgrade machines with advanced telemetry features. Simply speaking – while we have all the tools, we cannot put them to use for the benefit of your business, if the necessary information is denied.
The success comes with Vendon always
While there are some matters that operators can take care of preventively, quite often it is not the case and circumstances have not allowed them to prepare machines or predict that one or another parameter would limit the telemetry functionality. Our main task remains to find a way to communicate with all types of machines and our team has proven that most cases can be tackled in one or another way. Our experience and knowledge are here for all of our customers and new challenges only serve as an addition to our expertise.
Vendon provides a full package of services, including due diligence in determining the necessary features for a particular business and specific machines. Our experience shows that data availability is never overrated and it is the key element to ensure the successful use of telemetry functionality. We provide continuous guidance every step of the way to ensure that clients have access to the right features that serve their business needs. Our main goal is to ensure that clients have a positive experience and, above all, access to qualitative and accurate data from their machines.
To learn more about how Vendon can help advance your business, reach out to us at grow@vendon.net or your local Vendon Distributor.
