In the opening minutes of the 2015 HBO documentary “San Francisco 2.0,” viewers are transported through the halls of Silicon Valley’s top tech companies. From a world-class cafeteria, to a music studio, to a game room brimming with Legos, employee-friendly benefits are featured as what director Alexandra Pelosi calls “happy-making enticements.”
Among the featured companies is Dropbox whose high-tech vending machines, supplied by IVM, dispense everyday IT peripherals to employees. Since 2012, Dropbox employees have walked up to Dropbox-branded machines, swiped their badges and indicated the supplies needed.
The aim of these perks is to recruit top talent, and to steer them away from the clutches of competitors.
Gone are the days of special-ordering equipment, or opening a ticket with the IT department. Meanwhile, the companies who’ve purchased or leased a machine also benefit.
Each machine catalogs inventory data in real-time, thereby maintaining stock at optimum levels – and more efficiently than ordering supplies on a whim would. The available data can provide actionable insights that save significant costs, while also keeping employees accountable for what they use.
It’s no wonder supply vending is catching on across Silicon Valley and beyond.
