Interview with Kara Longmire, Alert Rental Software: Streamline and Automate

Kara Longmire, co-president and CEO, Alert Rental Software, talks about inventory tracking, its missed rental module, data interpretation and more. 

What is new in your software and technology?

Longmire: We’ve added ARA’s SET data to our default installation package so new clients can align their data in this standardized format right from the start. We’re also enhancing our API and mapping additional fields to help clients report data back to ARA using the established taxonomy.

Our Rover mobile app continues to evolve, and we’re especially excited about an upcoming enhancement that will allow users to annotate photos taken within Rover. This feature will be especially valuable for documenting damage and managing work orders.

How does your software help customers to manage costs?

One of our most popular new features is the credit card processing fee functionality. While users could previously work around this using another field, we’ve now built a dedicated feature to streamline and automate this cost-saving approach. We also continue to offer our robust Job Costing module, which helps clients monitor expenses and profitability on a per-job basis.

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

Inventory tracking is fundamental to Alert. Our cycle billing for long-term rentals helps schedule necessary maintenance, and integrations with telematics providers allow our clients to see the real-time location of their equipment.

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

Our Missed Rentals module has been part of Alert since the beginning. If a customer requests an item that’s unavailable, the counter associate can record that missed rental in the system. We always recommend running this report before events like The ARA Show — it’s the perfect shopping list generator.

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

Our new Future Rates feature allows users to set and manage rate changes in advance. This ensures that rental contracts reflect accurate, updated pricing — and that rate adjustments flow consistently from the software to the website and other integrated systems.

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

Our Rover app was built to simplify check-ins. It can automatically flag items for maintenance, apply sales items or damage charges, and record fuel or meter usage — all with speed and accuracy, so customers can get back to work faster.

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

Our Dispatch Dashboard helps users assign both personnel and vehicles to delivery routes or service calls. It can also dispatch work orders, not just rental deliveries.

Routing the daily deliveries and pick-ups?

The Dispatch Dashboard makes route management efficient. Users can assign drivers and helpers, organize deliveries by truck, send digital routes, and even schedule breaks — all from one screen.

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

Alert integrates with any telematics provider that supports AEMP standards, which gives our clients flexibility in choosing a provider. Features like predictive geo-fencing and dual transmission (in case of theft) are supported by the telematics vendors, while Alert handles the software-side integration. Our system ties telematics data into billing cycles, meter readings, and preventive maintenance to improve uptime and reduce surprises.

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

We see AI playing a big role in data interpretation and KPI tracking. Instead of relying solely on built-in reports or custom report-building services, users will increasingly turn to AI for personalized insights. Want to see how your rental business compares to peers? AI can offer those answers — no subscription required.

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

Alert has supported e-commerce functionality for over a decade, and it’s finally seeing wider adoption. Rental businesses are increasingly open to integrating their websites with our system — whether it’s full real-time reservations or basic web requests, the stigma around online ordering is fading.

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

Thanks to the power of our development platform, Cyberscience, we’re well-positioned to build APIs and support new integrations. More and more clients are leveraging their Alert data for analytics and business intelligence. As digital adoption increases, we expect to see continued demand for integrated websites, smarter data sharing, and seamless workflows across platforms.

Any other new trends you’d like to discuss?

Our Alert Users Group Conference is a huge source of inspiration. Our clients are creative problem-solvers, and their feedback often fuels our development roadmap. Staying close to our user community helps ensure our software evolves in meaningful, useful ways.