HGM: A new era for food and drinks at work

HGM has provided coffee cravers cups of hot java in the workplace since 1984. Over the years, the business has grown steadily, and today, not only coffee drinkers but also employees in need of an extra energy boost in the shape of sodas, snacks or small meals can buy on the go from HGM’s modern, accessible vending machines.

For the family-owned business, customer experience is a top priority, and the approximately 2500-3000 customers are always right by default. One of the people focused on ensuring that the customer experience meets the company’s ambitious standards is Mattias, Operations- and Technical Manager at HGM. Mattias, who is based at the head office in Malmö, frequently travels all over Sweden to install new vending machines, fix existing ones and provide training.

“To me, my job is not a job. I have never felt like I worked a day in my life, and I belong to the annoying crowd that Ioves Mondays. My job never gets boring, as I get to meet so many different personalities and experience a variety of workplaces, from stylish law firm offices to dirty factory floors.”

A part of his job that Mattias especially enjoys is helping people out with their challenges. At HGM, customer behaviours are continuously analysed, and specific needs are often accommodated with the help of tailor-made solutions, regardless of whether it has to do with the desired product range or which payment solutions they prefer to use.

A new payment era

A couple of years ago, HGM felt a need to find a new partner capable of providing a more modern, easy-to-use and operationally reliable solution for Unattended payments. Loomis-Pay’s and HGM’s paths crossed, and the rest is, as you say, history. Today, Loomis-Pay provides HGM vending machines with an interactive payment terminal specially designed for self-service systems.

“Since we partnered up with Loomis-Pay, the payment solutions are finally working, and we can rest assured that our core business is up and running during crucial peak hours. Our customers can now enjoy a modern system that is easy to access by using smartwatches and phones instead of traditional cards.”

In addition to easy access, customers appreciate the user-friendliness and simplicity of the solution, fast checkouts, and the possibility of adding the company logo to the display for a more familiar look and feel.

As a service provider, Mattias’ everyday work has been facilitated by helpful functions such as remote access to the machines, which enables him to identify where a machine is situated and perform remote maintenance when needed. Another advantage is the built-in 4G, which ensures uptime when the customer’s internet is temporarily out.

"In short I am a happy customer as long as things are working, but apart from that I consider Loomis-Pay to be my top choice based on the solution’s adaptability, endless opportunities, reliability as well modern design."

Reliable relationships for long term value

The customer relationships are fundamental for HGM, but so are the partner relationships. Something Mattias truly values and looks for in a partner is personal contact and commitment as well as willingness to develop the solution together and brainstorm ideas on a regular basis.

“I only have positive things to say about our partnership with Loomis Pay. They tick every box. Except for making sure that everything just works the team has a proactive mindset, communicate vital information immediately and are always keen on understanding my needs as well as listening to innovative ideas and feedback.”

Switching to Loomis Pay was of course an investment for HGM, but according to Mattias an investment which surely has paid off in just a couple of months.

“Re-building our machines to fit the solution from Loomis Pay of course came with a price tag, however on the locations where we earlier experienced poor functionality and unhappy customers, we can now see that we reached ROI in just one or two months after the switch. We increased our profit by getting a solution in place that is simply working, making sure we never miss a sale.”

Looking ahead to level up

Mattias and HGM has its mind set on always meeting and preferably exceeding customer expectations. As a result of that they are always on the lookout for the “next thing” to create an even better customer experience. In addition to a clear shift in customer payment preferences towards contactless payments HGM can also glimpse other trends in the crystal bowl.

“Since Loomis Pay has built its solutions on the Android platform, I would argue there are almost limitless opportunities when it comes to further innovation and development of the software. I look forward to partner up within new areas such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) going forward and test new ways of doing things to meet the ever-evolving customer needs."