Smart technology as the backbone of a barista

The Belgian company Koffieman operates unmanned coffee bars along the road. Their machines craft your coffee like the best barista in town. All coffees are fairtrade and people can get great accessories with their coffee as well.

Koffieman and smart technologies

Koffieman coffee bars are unmanned. Yes, they truly are! Machines do all the work. That’s why the Koffieman very much relies on data and remote control. Koen Vancraenenbroeck, founder of Koffieman, is a barista at heart: “You could call the SmartNow platform the heart and veins of our system. With the platform, we are in control of the quality 24/7.” Good quality is vital for Koffieman. This requires craftsmanship and continuous optimization of the coffee machines. 

 

“A customer who doesn’t get his coffee right, won’t be a happy customer.”

 

The partnership started with the need for a cashless payment system and vending machine insights. “To understand what type of coffees were sold, when machines needed to be filled, and to know when and where maintenance was needed. Today, the SmartNow Portal is our backbone. We use the platform for 24/7 control and insights that we use to optimize quality remotely and to innovate the business. Optimization never stops”.

 

Innovation built on technology

 

One of Koffieman’s brand values is innovation. “The SmartNow platform and add-ons enable us to innovate at high speed. We can add and try new devices and functionalities without the bottleneck of a rigid platform. It’s the perfect base for our business.” An example? Koffieman introduces customer loyalty cards with a personal coffee subscription based on a unique QR code. The platform and the add-ons of SmartNow make that possible without any special development.

 

Uptime and accurate service

Without a working coffee machine, there is no coffee. No coffee means no business and a big minus in client satisfaction. So for Koffieman uptime is most critical for their business concept. The self-service machines should never go down. And when they unfortunately do, immediate insights and control are needed. “SmartNow provides an incredible uptime and 24/7 insights and control. The perfect base for our business.” 

 

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Many thanks to Koen Vancraenenbroeck and Koffieman for sharing their story with us. We’re looking forward to many more years of warm partnership.

 

More information:

Koffieman

koffieman.be

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