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Introduction

Machine Selection & Purchasing

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Operations & Day-to-Day Maintenance

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Reports & Tracking (Software, Payouts, Maintenance Logs)

Reports & Tracking (Software, Payouts, Maintenance Logs)

Mike Hoffmann

Vending Machine Expert

Learn the art of transforming raw data into actionable insights that drive efficiency and profitability through meticulous reporting, payout reconciliation, and maintenance logging.

Telemetry & Financial Reconciliation

Mike reveals how to turn machine data into profits by tracking KPIs, managing logs, and automating reconciliations with precision.

Core Reporting with Telemetry

Mike pulls custom sales reports by date, site, or machine, exporting CSV or PDF for accurate bookkeeping. He tags best/worst SKUs, comparing sell-through and margin.

Weekly KPIs include:

  • Daily revenue per machine

  • Gross margin % = (Revenue - COGS) / Revenue

  • Sell-through % = Units Sold / Units Stocked

  • Stockout hours per row

  • Shrink or spoilage %

He uses auto-alerts for low inventory, temp spikes, or offline units.

End-of-Month & Barebones Alternatives

Mike runs an EOM close checklist: reconcile card payouts vs dashboard totals, log cash pulls, and file taxes. No telemetry? A Google Sheet works.

Essential columns: date, location, SKU, stock, sold, cost, price, cash pulled, notes.

Formulas: (Price - Cost)/Price = Margin %, Sold/Stocked = Sell-through %.

Use the phone app to enter data on-site and create dropdowns and pivot tables.

Barcode scanner apps speed entry. Use color codes:

Red = low margin, Yellow = slow mover, Green = top seller.

Logging, Reconciliation & Trend Tracking

All breadcrumbs go in one hub. Mike logs visits by date, issue, fix, parts, time, and next action. He logs card payouts, cash pulls, rev share, and profit.

Attachments include jam photos, receipts, and signed rev share docs. He backs up weekly to the cloud and runs quarterly trend audits to flag weak machines.

His SLA matrix is clear:

Minor jam = 24 hrs, Cooler/High-value = same day, Full outage = immediate.

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Complete the following exercises:

1. Reflect on your current data management practices. Identify areas where you can implement more detailed reporting and logging to improve operational efficiency. Consider which KPIs might be most impactful to track for your business, and think about how technology could enhance your current processes.

2. Practice setting up a basic Google Sheet to manage and analyze your sales data. Create columns for date, location, SKU, quantity stocked, quantity pulled, and other relevant metrics. Experiment with formulas to calculate margin percent and sell-through percent, and explore how color coding can highlight different performance levels.

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QUIZ

1. What is a key benefit of tagging your best and worst SKUs in sales reports?

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Leave your comments and questions below.

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Join Vendingpreneurs

Join live weekly calls with me & coaches with $1M+/mo vending experience. We'll handhold you through your first vending business.

Join Vendingpreneurs

Join live weekly calls with me & coaches with $1M+/mo vending experience. We'll handhold you through your first vending business.

Join Vendingpreneurs

Join live weekly calls with me & coaches with $1M+/mo vending experience. We'll handhold you through your first vending business.