We talk a lot about sales on Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation. This time, we shift gears and tackle something that may be even more important: customer service.

In this episode, host Bob Tullio sat down with Brian Wolfe, vice president of global customer service at Harman International and the leader behind JBL’s global customer experience operation, to talk about what really separates average service from a true competitive advantage. Together, they dig into three fundamentals every operator should be thinking about right now:

• Empowering your frontline team
• Being proactive instead of reactive
• Responding with speed

Along the way, Bob shares a personal story about a closet remodel gone sideways — because everyday frustrations are often the best business lessons. When sales oversell, when service says “there’s nothing I can do,” when response times drag on — that’s when loyalty is won or lost.

If you’re building a dedicated customer service team, trying to free your salespeople from client maintenance work, or simply looking to reduce churn and protect long-term revenue, this episode delivers practical takeaways you can apply immediately.

Because in our business, customer service isn’t a department. It’s your reputation.

She is an industry veteran turned consultant – Tammy Stokes has plenty of advice to offer operators and suppliers, old and new, developed over the years in multiple roles. On this episode of Automatic Merchandiser & VendingMarketWatch's Vending & OCS Nation podcast, host Bob Tullio sat down with Tammy Stokes - president of Insight Edge Performance – It’s another edition of our consultant series. She offers some very useful free advice for operators, including: What to think about as you are building your sales force.

The importance of being relentless when it comes to important initiatives.

How to get the best out of your sales reps.

The importance of becoming connected with the community, utilizing a cause marketing program.

She offers her recommendations for operator success in 2026.

She talks about what workplace decision makers are looking for.

How small operators can level the playing field and how large operators should respond.

“Study your products. Study your customers. Study your competition.”

For newcomers or long time operators, Stokes offers some excellent insights - some hearty "food for thought."

In an interview with Automatic Merchandiser's Vending & OCS Nation podcast host Bob Tullio, John Hickey, CEO of Tech 2 Success, shares the journey of starting his company, the challenges faced in the tech industry, and the importance of cybersecurity for small businesses.

He discusses the future priorities for Tech 2 Success and the role of technology as a problem-solving tool, sharing success stories and the positive results that come from working with Tech 2 Success. He also suggests a practical approach to adopting technology, even for a company far behind in technology. Tullio said the cybersecurity part of the conversation got his full attention, and if you are an operator, you need to hear this. Hickey has cybersecurity answers that can help an operator sleep better at night.