Interview with Matt Hopp: Predictive Analytics

Matt Hopp, general manager, InTempo Software, talks about connected assets and transport, mobile check-ins, preventing uncomfortable conversations, and more.

RER: What is new in your software and technology?

Hopp: Connected Assets and Connected Transport are the largest recent additions to our product suite. Connected Assets takes telematics to the next level by pairing location and usage data with machine, customer, and job data in a unified platform. Users no longer have to chase telematics data outside of their rental software, or manage dozens of different OEM portals, to see what machines are due for service or ready to be picked back up. On the Connected Transport side, we’re using AI to streamline route and load optimization to take the manual decision-making out of the dispatching process. Users are clearing their pickup and delivery backlogs in days and – in some cases – reducing their outside hauling costs by five figures a month. 
Some of our other additions have focused on improved customer interactions (via a completely new Customer Portal) and faster, more robust reporting (via a major upgrade to our Reporter product). It’s been a busy year, that’s for sure.

How does your software help customers to manage costs?

One of the biggest cost-saving opportunities, as I just mentioned, comes from Connected Transport. Companies are managing their deliveries more efficiently with their in-house team of drivers – but they aren’t just cutting third-party costs, they’re also reducing wasted fuel and empty miles. With Connected Assets, they’re getting idle equipment back to the yard faster, turning it around to the next customer more quickly. Plus, they’re more easily keeping up with preventive maintenance, in turn reducing more expensive major repairs and avoidable downtime – collectively keeping costs under control. 

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

By now, most companies are using some sort of rental software to run their business. Anyone can look up a machine and see where it’s at – but are you really going to do that hundreds or thousands of times? Connected Assets brings a more consolidated birds-eye view of where equipment is, how long it’s been running for, what service requirements need to be addressed, and where unused machinery is sitting collecting dust. The more holistic view lets operations teams see the big picture quickly.

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

Missed rental tracking has been a core feature of InTempo Enterprise for years. Users can assign a variety of codes (e.g., non-stocking item, price too high, insufficient quantity on hand, or item in the shop) to not just see what they missed, but why. 

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

Reporter 5 makes it easier than ever to dig deep into financial performance and profitability data. We’re not just using past data; we’re moving to more of a predictive analytics model that allows users to start asking deeper, “why”-centered questions. Why did rates drop last month? Where do we have room to adjust our rates higher to hit this quarter’s revenue targets? How would a 10 percent-across-the-board increase impact demand? 

Manage the various costs of the rental at check-in, and manage and facilitate
the check-in process?

Mobile check-ins have become more of the norm, with more users adopting InTempo’s Mobile App to complete inspections and take condition photos. This means a lot less running from the yard to the counter, and back to the yard. The “people cost” is lower and the process is smoother from end to end.

Similarly, technology can help prevent uncomfortable cost-related conversations at the time of return. Photos that document damage after drop-off or run-time data that shows that a machine was used beyond the contractual limit can simplify check-in and ensure they are collecting all of their earned revenue.  

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

Connected Transport is bringing about a huge shift in how companies are managing their delivery vehicles and dispatching schedules. For the vehicles specifically, they don’t have to manually calculate which equipment needs to be loaded on which trucks for which drivers. Aerial equipment is matched with vehicles that can accommodate the extra height; heavier earth-moving equipment is matched with vehicles that can accommodate the increased load. 

Routing the daily deliveries and pick-ups?

Continuing on the Connected Transport line of thought – AI-based algorithms take the manual decision-making out of daily delivery and pickup routing. InTempo CTX automatically combines nearby stops into the most efficient routes. It doesn’t just look at the location; it looks at driver restrictions (both for hours in service and the type(s) of vehicles they typically drive) and (as noted earlier) weight and capacity restrictions. When it’s possible to complete multiple deliveries on a single run, it does so; same for pickups on the return trip. The plan gets set the night before (with opportunities for your dispatchers to make one-off adjustments based on customer priority), but you can add, remove, or rearrange stops on the fly. From there, the updates get automatically communicated to the drivers and customers, so everyone stays on the same page. 

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

Telematics has come a long way from being just a dot on a map. Connected Assets gives near-real-time insights into engine hours, upcoming service requirements, fault codes, pickup statuses, and more. We’re seeing companies increase their first-time fix rates by being better able to remotely diagnose issues and send their technicians out with the correct replacement parts. We’re also seeing them deliver a higher, more consultative level of service by identifying items that are sitting idle while out on rent, or – conversely – reaching contractual run-time limits that might otherwise lead to excess use billing. It’s use cases like these that are going far beyond “old-school” telematics that only told you where your equipment was or when it left a jobsite.

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

InTempo CTX is our first major foray into AI. The key here is that we don’t just throw data into a system and leave the end results entirely to a computer. The algorithm takes the first pass at creating the day’s routes, but dispatchers use their advanced knowledge to make sure they’re the way they should be. Are VIP customers getting their equipment by their requested drop-off times? Are areas with heavy rush-hour traffic being hit during off-peak hours? Busy teams are using the limited time they do have to make sure things are being done as efficiently as possible – not just scrambling to keep their heads above water. We hope to continue expanding on that concept as AI continues to grow. 

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

e-Commerce adoption rates do continue to grow, although we see this more in the B2C space as opposed to rental companies that primarily focus on B2B. As the expectation to be able to “add to cart” at any time – even outside of normal business hours – continues to build, rental companies are investing in platforms that make that a reality for their fleet. To support those efforts, we’ve integrated InTempo with best-in-class e-commerce platforms.

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

Our customers are always looking for ways to expand on the way their systems all work together. Tighter integrations – like the one we’ve been working on with our new Customer Portal – and new integrations with industry leaders continue to make day-to-day processes faster.   

Improving inventory management is also a major focus at the moment. More users were adopting the cycle count functionality that RentalMan already offered, which led us to invest in a standalone app to simplify that entire process. It ties back to InTempo’s existing inventory module, but allows users to enter counts from a mobile device in the stockroom; it’s a faster and more agile way to manage a historically time-consuming effort. 

Any other new trends you’d like to discuss?

You touched earlier on optimizing pickups and deliveries. While this concept as a whole is still up and coming, early adopters are already looking at ways to expand this effort into field service routing as well. The concept for Connected Service is the same – getting repair technicians to as many nearby jobsites as possible in the most efficient way – using the same core strategies as Connected Transport.