Finding a new office coffee service provider can be an intimidating process – but it doesn’t have to be. With almost 20 years of experience under our belt, we’ve compiled a list of four simple areas for you to consider when comparing estimates from office coffee services in the New York and New Jersey area.
The major components that impact choosing an office coffee service within your budget are the size and frequency of your orders, maintenance of the coffee machines and whether or not you choose specialty items.
Size of Your Order
A huge part of the cost of any office coffee service is the amount of coffee your office will be buying in a given period. While there is something to be said for bulk discounts, the variety and number of products your staff enjoy will also play a part in the overall price of the service you receive.
Before you start collecting bids for a coffee service, particularly for a large office environment, it is worth taking the time to collect a list of the types of products you’ll use as well as making note of times during the year when you’ll put in a bigger order – for example, during your company’s annual recruitment drive or any other recurring events that might require extra variety (or quantities) from your office coffee service.
This summary view gives potential office coffee suppliers a solid overview of your requirements and can help them to provide the best cost estimate for your firm’s coffee service needs.
Frequency of Orders
As with the size of the orders your company will place, the frequency of office coffee service plays a key role in determining the cost. For some companies a flexible, frequent office coffee product delivery is preferable and worth paying a little extra for, while other firms may find a large monthly order more manageable. Key things to consider are:
- Storage – does your office have adequate space to store a month’s worth of coffee and other break room products?
- Cost – at what delivery interval is there a beneficial price break for your business?
- Flexibility – does keeping the base order the same from period to period save you money?
Consider those three points carefully, weigh the information provided by the various office coffee services you are considering and you will see a pattern emerging that points to a win-win agreement where you are able to get the products you need at a convenient interval for the right price.
Specialty Products
The beauty of choosing an office coffee service with a vast portfolio of products, such as Corporate Essentials, is that there is truly something for everyone. This enables you to cater for specific tastes and personalities without having to manage multiple accounts.
This simplicity can also save your firm money, despite the higher cost of some specialty coffees, teas or energy drinks. Again, this is where having the ability to forecast demand for coffee and specialty beverages at the start of your office coffee service search is helpful.
Machine Maintenance Agreements
Coffee machines, like all other appliances we depend on, break down from time to time. There may be some who will say, “Hey we can get a screaming deal on these flashy coffee machines from a website I use!”
However, that savings often comes with an opportunity cost – when those machines break down, there’s typically not a lot that can be done apart from replacing the faulty equipment. The benefit of having an office coffee service agreement is that your equipment can be part of the deal.
And as anyone who has had to set up the meeting room for an early morning start and realized the coffee maker on the floor is not working knows, there is little more distressing than having no one to rely on when there’s a problem with your office coffee maker.
With regular maintenance and care, your office coffee equipment will make a better tasting brew and have a longer operational life – but do not think that means you’ve got to get someone from housekeeping trained in taking apart and flushing your hot water boilers or coffee brewers. Routine maintenance, as well as repair services, should be included as part of a good agreement that your office uses to obtain coffee products and other break room supplies.
As you have read, the cost of office coffee services in New Jersey and New York is about far more than dollars and cents. It’s about ensuring you have reliable equipment for your staff, a variety of options for all palettes in your workplace and, perhaps most importantly, high quality in terms of the products and service provided.
For more information on setting up an office coffee service, contact our team of experts at Corporate Essentials – we are always happy to assist you with all your office coffee and break room needs.
