It’s not as if the subject of electric hand dryers is ever going to be particularly exciting for most people, though is nonetheless a pretty important topic for business owners and managers. Now more than ever, medium to larger-sized businesses are finding themselves on the market often for dozens of hand dryers at a time having decided to finally make the switch to the more efficient and affordable alternative to paper towels.
However, it is never a good idea to simply assume that all hand dryers on the market are cut from the same cloth and can deliver the same package of benefits. As is the case with pretty much all machinery across the board, the differences between competing brands and products are night and day. And what’s more, each hand dryer produced is manufactured with a specific environment, setting and usage rate in mind – one-size-fits-all devices are really no longer the way to go.
So in order to offer little assistance the way of those who may be considering an investment in hand dryer technology in the near future, what follows is a quick look at six common slipups to avoid: during the selection process:
1 – Poor Brand Choice
First and foremost, never overlook the importance of making the right choice in the first place when it comes to your choice of brands. Now more than ever, there are literally thousands of different brands peddling an incalculable array of products manufactured in and sourced from countries all over the world. Suffice to say, when and where a brand is based in Britain and creates every product in accordance with strict quality and safety guidelines, chances are it’s going to be a thousand times better than a low-grade alternative manufactured in the country with a name you can barely pronounce. Choose a brand with a solid track record and plenty of pedigree.
2 – Poor Energy Efficiency
Something else to bear in mind for the sake of both environmental concerns and those of your business’ energy bills is the important matter of energy efficiency. Just as is the case with all appliances both domestic and business in nature, all electric hand dryers have their own specific energy ratings with regard to how much juice they gobble up and how much it costs per use. Suffice to say, it’s important to choose products that are as energy efficient as possible but at the same time you need to make sure that energy efficiency doesn’t get in the way of performance.
3 – Overlooking Value for Money
Try to remember that when it comes to the overall value for money, the initial purchase price is only one consideration to ponder. The simple fact of the matter is that you are investing in something for the long-term which will in an ideal situation breed on-going savings over alternative hand drying facilities. As such, you need to give careful thought to what it will cost you to run the device long-term in accordance with its initial costs. The last thing you want is to buy a cheap machine which is then far too expensive to continue running.
4 – Lack of Warranties/Guarantees
If the machines you buy are of absolutely outstanding quality, there is absolutely no reason the manufacturer cannot offer extensive warranties and guarantees to cover your purchase. These are after all the kinds of devices that should be bought only once in a great many years and should continue doing their job flawlessly with little to no input or maintenance required. When and where warranties or guarantees are lacking in length or absent altogether, this should tell you all you need to know about both the manufacturer and the products they are selling.
5 – Ignoring Customer Feedback
There’s really nothing more tragic these days than walking headfirst into a purchase you regret simply because you did not take into account the feedback of other buyers in your position. If you are looking to invest in a larger order of new hand dryers, it is absolutely in your best interests to see what others have had to say about them after buying them for their own businesses. Look for evidence of positive feedback online and don’t be afraid to ask the manufacturer to put you in contact with past and present clients to ask them for their opinions personally.
6 – Suitability
Last but not least, never invest in hand drying technology under the assumption that all such devices are created with the same environments and the same level of usage in mind. You need to think about exactly where your dryers are to be located and to what extent/how often they are likely to be used on a daily, weekly and monthly basis in order to identify exactly the kinds of dryers you need for your business.
