What is the first thing that most workers do when they get to work? Is it sit down and immediately become productive? Probably not. Most likely they head for the coffee. They grab a cup of coffee, say a quick hello to their co-workers, and then they start their daily tasks. For many workers, if they were to skip those first five coffee minutes, they wouldn’t feel like they would be able to be very productive in the morning. In fact, a lot of ideas start flowing around the coffee area first thing in the morning as workers come to life and start to chat.

If this is what happens regularly in your place of business, and you feel like you spend more time restocking the coffee supplies than you do the rest of your job, it might be time to consider hiring a coffee service. A coffee service can routinely stock your coffee supplies, making sure that you never run out (and you know you don’t want that to happen). That’s not all a coffee service can do, though.

What a coffee service can supply

Yes, coffee services deliver coffee. But they do so much more.

Provide coffee and coffee related beverages such as cappuccino, espresso, teas, hot chocolates and other hot beverages based on your companies needs. A coffee service should be able to determine how much your place of business will need based on the number of employees. Provide the machines to brew the beverages in. Provide disposable cups and lids, napkins, and stir sticks. Provide sugar and sugar substitutes, creamers, non-dairy creamers, flavored syrups, honey and other items that routinely go into hot beverages. Water delivery – water coolers, individual bottles of water, and water filtration devices. Provide foods such as cup of soup and oatmeal that can be made quickly the hot water from the coffee machine. Offer other light snacks and beverages such as juices or soft drinks.

Other services a coffee service may be able to perform

Maintenance of machines – Machines need to be routinely cleaned to provide the best tasting beverages, and a coffee service will do this task for you making sure it’s done regularly and done right. If a machine breaks down, a coffee service can fix it or replace it, ensuring that there is minimal disruption of the availability of coffee in your place of business. Rental of additional machinery for special events – Sometimes you need additional supplies for a conference or other special event. A coffee service can rent you extra brewing machines, carafes, durable mugs, and other supplies you don’t want to have on hand every day. Of course, the service can provide you with the additional coffee, tea, creamers, sugars and other supplies you’ll need for your event. Same day service for “emergencies” – Okay, so running out of coffee may not be an emergency of say Hurricane Katrina proportions, but a lack of coffee can be disastrous to productivity and moral. If the coffee runs out or a machine breaks down, many coffee services will say “help is on the way” the same day. Vending services – Some coffee services stay in the beverage and light snack area, while others combine their services with other services such as vending machines for snacks and cold beverages, microwaves and microwavable meals for employees, and all of the cups, plates, napkins, utensils, and condiments that are needed for those services. Green your coffee offerings – Everyone’s doing an environmental part these days. Some coffee services may be able to help you green your office’s coffee by having options such as organic or fair trade coffees, teas and sweeteners, cups made from recycled materials that can also be recycled, compostable stir sticks, and other eco-friendly products.

Hiring a coffee service for your place of business can save you a lot of time, a lot of headaches (both figuratively and literally), and even save you money. Replacing over worked coffee machines routinely and buying coffee, teas and their accompaniments at retail prices can really add up. Coffee from a service can cost as little as 10 cents a cup.

A good coffee service will come out and provide you with a tasting of their coffees and other beverages before you purchase. They will also speak to you at length about the coffee habits of the people you work with so they can determine your needs. Many coffee services will also throw in the first coffee machine for free as a bonus to signing on to their service. Shop around for the best office coffee service in your area.

Originally posted here: Office Coffee Service: Details and Uses