Vending

ViaTouch Media taps MM Hayes Quickcharge platform to let hospital employees pay with ID badges

Photo courtesy of ViaTouch Media.

January 26, 2021

ViaTouch Media, the creator of Vicki AI-powered smart stores, has integrated the M.M. Hayes Quickcharge platform to enable M.M. Hayes customers at healthcare and hospital sites to use employee ID badges at Vicki store installations for frictionless, safe payment, according to a press release.

"Our partnership with M.M. Hayes is a natural fit as the company is at the forefront of enabling cashless, contactless payments," Tom Murn, ViaTouch CEO, said in the release. "It supports the way people want to shop now, avoiding pandemic exposure, and over the long term, purchasing food and beverage, electronics or health products with greater efficiency and with the added experience of Vicki's interactive communication."

M.M. Hayes Quickcharge is already integrated with Vicki at New York Presbyterian hospital. Physician residents are able to use their employee badge and monthly stipend account to purchase food and beverages — all in a safe, contactless environment. Similarly, other hospital employees can use their payroll deduction account to charge purchases at Vicki stores.

Faced with the shutdown of the usual food buffet and other services, New York Presbyterian's food service company approached ViaTouch Media after seeing how the Vicki store was in enabling purchases. A key benefit to the hospital is Vicki's cleaning methodology: the inside surfaces and products in the Vicki kiosks are automatically sanitized with UV-C lighting after each customer visit.

"Now, M.M. Hayes Quickcharge account holders can use their employee ID badges to make purchases at Vicki machines just as they can at other retail outlets on campus, such as cafes, micro markets, coffee shops, pharmacies and more," Brian Dunn, SVP business development, M.M. Hayes, said in the release.

Vicki's AI platform also enables smart store, dynamic interaction, Alexa style, with the customer to offer product selections based on customer preferences and to answer customer questions — all in a contactless environment.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting convenience services, click here.