Project Description
Company
Voda
Industry
Food & Beverage
What began as an engineering project out of the University of Connecticut (UCONN) has evolved into a growing state-of-the-art water dispensing system offering consumers a tasty, eco-friendly, and healthy beverage alternative. Voda’s “SmartWell” allows consumers to create a customized beverage, choosing from and combining a range of flavors, with or without enhancements such as electrolytes and a natural low calorie sweetener (Stevia). Beverages are available both flat and carbonated.
The Challenge:
User interaction with the SmartWell was developed using the Android operating system and tablet interface. This localized application controlled the selection and the dispensing of beverages, however there was a recognized need for centralized administration to deliver an exceptional customer experience and to streamline Voda’s internal operations. For example, by tracking consumer usage and providing online account management, Voda would ensure the availability of preferred drink enhancements, and develop customer loyalty. Automation to allow or restrict access to the SmartWell, to administer and monitor the status of the machine (e.g. the status of the flavor cartridges), to track and record consumer usage, and to interact automatically with suppliers when flavor cartridges were running low would allow rapid expansion of SmartWell deployments and deliver better customer service to both consumers and business partners.
The Solution:
By developing an Internet-of-Things (“IoT”) solution, CTComp was able to provide Voda with real-time analysis of the SmartWell units allowing Voda to monitor cartridge levels of each machine and automated workflow sending automatic replenishment notification to suppliers when supplies are running low. All business processes were considered and functions as detailed as flavor concentration levels (flavor to water ratios) can now be controlled from a central administrative interface on a unit-by-unit basis. User access, payment, etc, are centrally administered and consumer activity is tracked in real-time.
At the heart of this automation and data tracking is Salesforce’s technology platform. As the world’s #1 CRM and recognized leader in Application Platform as a Service (aPaaS) provider, Salesforce was a perfect fit for tracking customer registration and usage as well as handling all administration of the SmartWell units. CTComp’s 18 years of experience with the technology and its integration capabilities, allowed us to take full advantage of the platform, extending the core functionality into web service interfaces for the SmartWells to communicate with and providing the Voda team with a powerful interface that ties their Account management activity with day-to-day usage metrics. Additionally the platform tied to Voda’s CTComp developed website, which allow for new user signup, payment and lead tracking.
The SmartWell has been used in a variety of locations including schools and corporate offices across the country, including a recent deployment to the Tesla factory in San Francisco, CA. CTComp continues to work with the Voda team to support and expand the capabilities of the service.
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