Turning Customer Data into Value
By Rod Lentino
Photos by Cooper Equipment Rentals
We’ve all seen it: equipment sitting idle on a jobsite – rented, but unused for weeks. Customers facing breakdowns from missed maintenance. Machines in the yard lost or stolen. Unsafe operator behaviour with no way to track compliance.
These aren’t isolated incidents: they’re signs of a system that’s long prioritized transactions over true efficiency. Equipment gets rented, but what comes next is often an afterthought: no guidance, no insights, no real partnership. Just machines dropped off and picked up, with missed opportunities in between.
But the game has changed. Today’s equipment is highly intelligent thanks to advancements in telematics. And customers are more informed than ever before – they want access to deeper insights and jobsite information that can bring real cost savings. With a clear path to offer a long-lasting partnership, equipment providers are stepping up their game. That means embracing technology, investing in customer education, and offering insights that help customers make smarter decisions on and off the jobsite.
Turning insights into impact
We’ve spent years providing customers with information about their machines. And now, we’re seeing some real progress in understanding how customers want to access information and, more importantly, what value it can bring to their businesses.
Customers want to optimize operations and they need tailored telematics solutions to help get them there. It starts with better equipment utilization, more efficiency and increased safety on the jobsite. So what exactly does that look like? Data on machine utilization, emissions tracking, fuel usage, and actionable insights that help reduce costs, boost safety, and drive productivity. On top of that, they expect transparency, efficiency, and constant feedback.
The technology is already here. New machines are factory-ready with advanced telematics already integrated. We have the ability to access real-time data on machine location, usage, performance, and maintenance needs. The real challenge? Translating insights into action. Saving customers time means recapturing lost dollars, building trust, strengthening relationships, and keeping you aligned with their evolving needs.
Feedback builds trust
Not long ago, we discovered many customers were struggling to locate our remote fuel cubes and monitor their fuel levels effectively. This lack of visibility led to some common challenges: equipment downtime while waiting for refueling, or fuel deliveries arriving to find tanks still half full.
To solve this, we equipped our fuel cubes with GPS-enabled telematics devices. These devices allow us to direct third party fuel suppliers by pinpointing the fuel cube’s exact location.Customers also gained the ability to set custom alerts based on their preferred fuel level thresholds. This solution came out of listening to our teams in the field – the workers closest to our customers' problems and best positioned to help solve them.
We're discovering new ways to optimize jobsites beyond traditional equipment categories. One promising area is climate control. Specialized heaters are essential on large jobsites, where different zones often require varying levels of heat – but these units have historically lacked usage data. Managing dozens of heaters across a site can be complex. By equipping them with telematics, we could enable remote monitoring and performance tracking – helping to reduce service calls, streamline operations and improve overall efficiency. It’s an under-served segment with strong potential. While the technology exists today, it hasn’t been deployed in the field as of yet.
We're also seeing growing interest in using telematics to monitor and track fuel consumption and emissions on equipment. Many customers want deeper insights into their fuel usage as a way to lower costs and align with company ESG goals. Fuel and emissions tracking can also be used as a tool to help bid on infrastructure or government projects with stricter environmental requirements.
Bridging the gap: data and value in your rental fleet
The equipment rental industry is highly competitive. Success hinges on providing the best service to customers, but also in running your own operations with efficiency. Both demand smart planning, agility, and constantly staying ahead of the curve. Telematics can be a powerful enabler – but unlocking its full value remains a challenge for many rental providers.
Day in and day out there’s a lot to juggle: Managing diverse fleets, high operational costs, inconsistent technology adoption, and educating customers on how to get the most from equipment. Integrating data from multiple sources is no easy feat, especially when fleets consist of dozens or even hundreds of machines, including older models that may require costly retrofits. On top of that, there’s the ongoing investment in hardware, maintenance, data plans, and reporting tools.
The real challenge is keeping everything under control without letting inefficiencies eat into the bottom line. Accurate reporting is essential – but it hinges on solid processes. That means maintaining clean customer records, establishing reliable workflows, and ensuring systems properly tie data to the right users.
Customer education is also key. The more customers understand their own needs, the better solutions you can provide – avoiding unnecessary costs while building trust and a long-term partnership. When customers are informed, they see more value in your services, and your business becomes a crucial part of their success.
The future of equipment rental is insight-driven
The days of “rent and forget” are over. Whether it’s reducing downtime, preventing equipment loss, improving jobsite safety, or optimizing fuel and emissions, the opportunities are real and within reach. Understanding what your customers value most allows you to tailor your telematics program to meet their specific needs. Start small: help them track a few key assets, evaluate the results, and grow from there. Ask your customers what kind of data they want, and which processes they want to improve.
Remember: success starts with understanding your customers. What they need, where they’re struggling, and how your data can help them improve. Then, build from there. We started small, we proved our value then we scaled with intention.
When you turn data into action, and action into results, you become a trusted partner – and that’s where long-term partnership begins.
Rod Lentino is director of rental equipment, Cooper Equipment Rentals