VendScreen Adds Support For Student PIN Programs And Manual Credit Codes

PORTLAND, OR -- The vending industry's leading retrofit touchscreen now supports manual credit codes and student PIN code programs, according to VendScreen Inc., which manufactures the device of the same name. The upgrade will be delivered seamlessly over the air to devices on vending machines belonging to existing VendScreen customers, the manufacturer said.

By accepting manual credit codes, vending operators can provide customers with refunds in the form of a free vend to offset sales that fail to vend or customer issues. Refunding money to customers often costs 10 to 15 times the actual retail value of an item, VendScreen observed. Credit codes eliminate the hassle of mailing refunds to customers or keeping cash on hand. Instant credit codes are already used by many operators to provide refunds while the customer is at the machine, the manufacturer added. Therefore, manual credit codes should provide additional levels of control over refunding.

Nutrikids and MySchoolBucks are among the established student pin code programs with which VendScreen works. This feature allows students to access a stored-value PIN account to dispense items from a vending machine. Student POS payment programs are used in K-12 schools, and a VendScreen tie-in was suggested by a vending operator.

"I approached VendScreen with the idea [of tying] the current cafeteria POS PIN system in with vending to create a unified campus solution, which will ultimately increase vending sales", says Michael Cascione Jr., executive operations manager of CC Vending Inc. (Mt. Vernon, NY) "The beauty of over-the-air updates with VendScreen means I can satisfy my customer's request to enable student PIN codes with no additional hardware requirements."

Additionally, VendScreen said its latest update improves the user interface by providing more customer choices and the latest nutritional standards in NAMA's Fit Pick program.

VendScreen devices are powered by a proprietary cloud-based computing platform that enables cashless transactions, dynamic product and nutrition information, onscreen promotions and centralized remote monitoring.