Joe Lewis, CEO, Fame Rental; talks about telematics integration, inventory management, maintaining rental rates, and more.

RER: What is new in your software and technology?

Lewis: The primary additions include telematics integrations, integrations with ARA SET, embedded CRM, embedded Rouse data, two-way SmartEquip integration, and a
host of Analytics Dashboards.

How does your software help customers to manage costs?

1 – Fame ensures that equipment is properly maintained, reducing unscheduled maintenance costs and extending equipment life. Telematics integration
enhances this process by capturing meter readings, locating equipment for
scheduled maintenance and issuing alerts when faults are detected. This real-
time data enables the service department to run more efficiently by addressing
issues before they become costly problems, reducing equipment downtime,
eliminating wasted service calls and increasing overall productivity. The result is
lower maintenance expenses that flow directly to the bottom line while extending
equipment life.

2 – Fame optimizes retail and parts inventory through real-time stock-level
updates and extensive historical data that determines optimal reorder quantities.
This intelligent inventory management typically reduces stock levels by 10 to 20 percent while improving availability. By setting proper inventory parameters, staff members spend less time counting and more time filling orders, while customers gain accurate inventory visibility through the customer portal.

3 – Fame improves productivity at every level with real-time, accurate
information along with targeted dashboards. With all vital information on one
database, every person in the organization can make informed decisions every
time. This significantly reduces duplicate efforts and rework.

How does your software help keep track of customers’ rentals?

Being fully asset-centric, Fame tracks each piece of equipment back to the
customer, job site, and contract throughout the entire rental process from quote
to pick up. The FameAir Customer Portal provides customers with real-time
visibility into their rentals, reservations, call-offs, and delivery/pickup status,
while enabling them to apply payments to open invoices, request quotes,
and schedule equipment for off-rent — all from one location.

How does your software keep track of missed rentals with particular customers?

Fame does everything possible to avoid a missed rental. If equipment is not available, Fame first makes suggestions for alternative equipment and, if selected, optionally tracks the substitution so that it can be replaced later. To avoid losses due to price, Fame has integrated Rouse data into the quote process for real-time pricing decisions to either increase or decrease the price in order to win the deal. If the rental is missed, Fame captures the reason (availability, price, etc.) for analysis.

How does your software help to maintain rental rates at a profitable rental?

Fame integrates Rouse Analytics directly into the quoting process, displaying real-time pricing for each cat-class and enabling dynamic rate adjustments to optimize profitability. With the Rouse add-on, salespeople can view recommended pricing ranges based on location, region, or other customizable parameters, making market-competitive pricing decisions quick and easy.

What about managing the various costs of the rental at check-in, and managing and facilitating the check-in process?

The FameAir Check-in process streamlines multiple functions — capturing meter and fuel readings, equipment inspection, photography, and customer signatures — into a single, real-time digital workflow. All documentation, including delivery and return pictures, can be attached and emailed directly to customers from the contract, eliminating separate email chains. This centralized approach ensures signatures, photos, and inspection forms are stored in one accessible location, making it simple to provide evidence for post-rental charges.

Manage transportation, that is manage the vehicles and manage the fleet?

Fame manages fleet and other corporate assets with the same processes as rental assets. The system tracks assets with telematics, captures mileage, alerts
for scheduled maintenance and inspections, and tracks all costs associated with
each asset. This ensures optimal decision-making over the life of the assets.

Routing the daily deliveries and pick-ups?

Fame Logistics tracks what needs to be delivered or picked up, when, and from where. Logistics Deliveries are auto-generated when units are reserved, and
Logistics Pickups are auto-generated when units are called off. These can be
optimized on the Fame Dispatch board and are tracked to ensure timely
completion. Integrated Maps provide distance, drive time, and optimal directions,
both to the dispatcher and to the driver.

Tell us about your telematics capabilities and their ability to analyze potential long-term trends.

Fame’s telematics integration captures comprehensive data, including usage, location, and fault codes for each unit, combining this with rental history, maintenance records, revenue, and costs to enable predictive analytics and informed decision-making. The system provides proactive notifications about machine or engine codes that may indicate larger issues or simply alert when customers exceed hour limits. This intelligence allows technicians to diagnose problems remotely, arrive with the correct parts, and resolve issues immediately, resulting in more efficient shop operations, reduced equipment downtime, extended equipment life, and increased service department profitability.

What is AI doing for your software and what capabilities might be on the
horizon for AI?

AI is pivotal but requires good data. Gartner recently stated that 85 percent of AI initiatives fail because of data – either it is not correct, or it is not connected. Fame maintains all data in one place (a requirement for effective AI) and ensures its accuracy with every interaction. Currently, Generative AI tools are already available to provide answers to language-like questions. Looking ahead, we envision Agentic AI to begin replacing many of the functions that now require human intervention during the rental process. These will not replace people but will make them far more productive and able to interact more with customers.

How about e-commerce? How is this capability growing and evolving?

Customers expect to be able to get things done on their time and in their place. They do not want to wait until you are ‘open and available.’ The FameAir Customer Portal enables those functions that a rental company would want their customers to be able to do – anytime, anywhere. This includes making purchases, reserving rentals, seeing what is on rent and where, calling rentals off, seeing the status of both maintenance and logistics work orders, printing and paying invoices and getting statements.

What are some of the capabilities forward-thinking customers might be asking for or thinking about?

We see what we refer to as a ‘totally digital enterprise’ as the next level of technology. By this, we mean that everything and everyone is connected to what they need when they need it. This includes your company and employees via your ERP with CRM, your equipment and your customers’ equipment connected via telematics, your customers and suppliers connected via portals, and all information about anything pertinent connected via the internet. This digital connectedness, combined with AI, will enable a level of productivity that we can only imagine today. It will be transformative at every level of our existence.