They say a week a long time in politics, how true that is right now; every week we seem to be contemplating a whole new political landscape. Just imagine then how much has changed in the 23 years since Excel Vending started trading. In that period we’ve had 4 Prime Ministers (about to be 5), we’ve had 5 General Elections, and 2 major referendums.
However, whilst the political landscape has changed, and continues to do so, life at Excel Vending is much more stable; we have weathered many difficult economic climates and we are continuing to grow. This does’t just happen; our success is built on loyalty, integrity, and trust – values that seem to be missing all too often nowadays.
Resignations seem to be the order of the day; one Prime Minister, one political party leader, one England football manager and a Top Gear presenter have all walked away in recent days. Excel Vending wouldn’t be the longest established vending solutions provider in Scotland if the management walked away when things get tough. Instead, we face up to the challenges of business and we provide solutions. We create great partnerships with our clients – partnerships that endure and flourish. We value our people, in turn they value us and they adopt the customer service culture for which we are well known.
Technological advances over the last 23 years have changed vending machines beyond recognition. Touch screen video, cashless payment, smart selection and realtime sales reporting are some of the current functions that would have been more akin to a science fiction movie back in 1993. Continuous investment in technology has kept its at the forefront in our industry. More often than not, we are the early adopters bringing our customers the best and most efficient equipment as soon as it becomes available.
Technology has also changed the way we communicate – Facebook launched in 2004, eleven years after Excel Vending. And, if you were looking for this post on Google back then, you’d need to wait 5 years until they launched in 1998! Once again, we have embraced these changes, we use real time tracking, realtime sales reporting, and we have a very engaged and loyal community on various social media channels.
Perhaps one of the biggest changes in the 23 years can be seen in the buying habits of the people that use our vending machines; we were quick to identify the trend towards healthier eating and, as you’d expect, we have championed the provision of sensible and healthy choices in our machines. Our recently announced programme of tasting sessions is testament to our commitment to always bring you the products you want.
Likewise with drinks. Coffee in 1993 was a completely different product than it is today. Consumers have developed a welcome appreciation of coffee (and tea), so we now offer a wide variety premium quality options, including whole bean solutions for the really discerning buyers.
Businesses like Excel don’t get to 23 years without hard work, innovation, and investment, but we believe it’s the core values and culture that exists within Excel that creates the loyalty we enjoy from our clients. We work in partnership with each of them to provide efficient and profitable solutions.