Rermag 5872 Genisys2 Mobile 1
Rermag 5872 Genisys2 Mobile 1
Rermag 5872 Genisys2 Mobile 1
Rermag 5872 Genisys2 Mobile 1
Rermag 5872 Genisys2 Mobile 1

The Paperless Rental World

July 1, 2016
As the world becomes increasingly mobile and paperless, the opportunities to enhance efficiencies are boundless. Here software makers discuss new trends, what rental customers overlook, enhancing delivery and fleet efficiencies and more. 

Participants                                                                                                             

Patrice Boivin, president and CEO, Orion Software

Adrian Aucoin, business developer/project manager, Corporate Services

Rob Ross, president, Alert Management Systems

Graham Dobbs, managing director, Insphire

Greg Bennett, vice president of sales, Point of Rental Software

Bernie Piekarski, chief operating officer, Genisys2 Software

RER: What have been the most important developments/trends in rental-related software in the past year?

Boivin: Logistics functions are taking a key role in improvements customer satisfaction. Combined with a mobile application and coupled with a route map and maintenance feature, rental companies that are growing are in a position to guarantee more reliable service and better communicate with their customers. The mobile apps that utilize the GPS position of mobile devices, offer an affordable solution when you need to view fleet positioning in real time allowing the user to react quickly to any changes. Additionally, automatic emails informing customers of every step of their deliveries is also a key, differentiating factor that will continue to emerge in the future.

Aucoin: Focus on data and analytics has been the most important as far as many of our clients and prospects are concerned.  It’s an area that we have put a tremendous amount of effort into as well.  Clients want a system, that is the backbone of their business, to not only report on what they are doing and how they are doing, but also give them recommendations on what they should be doing. 

With years’ worth of data and the ability to overlay outside data sources, it is now easier than ever to build a reporting solution that can help take your business from simply having descriptive data to a more predictive and hopefully even prescriptive data presentation.

Ross: The most important trend is the continuing move of virtually all software and related resources to the Cloud. This technology allows large and small rental companies alike to modernize and streamline their businesses. The benefits include the ability to reduce capital expense, especially for server replacement, and to improve security, especially for handling credit card payments and other sensitive data. A hidden benefit is that the Cloud now allows rental stores to provide a truly superior customer experience. In our view, Cloud-based customer services are the next real game-changer, because they provide tangible customer benefits that help differentiate the rental store brand and enhance customer loyalty. 

These services can be provided through the web site, via self-service shopping carts, customer portals, mobile apps, and other tools, and they can even be used to transform the physical aspects of your customer’s rental experience. Alert’s Cloud-based Sign & Rent system, for example, started as a simple way to execute ‘paperless’ signed contracts in ‘blind drop’ situations. The authorized signer for the customer receives a Cloud-based version of the rental contract, which can be reviewed and signed from any smart mobile device or PC. So this means, even if the authorized signer is not available at the job site, the contract can be secured and both parties can be confident that the equipment ‘changed hands’ successfully, with all attendant rights and obligations for its condition and custody.  

In subsequent years, however, Sign & Rent has morphed into a powerful set of Cloud-based tools for improving customer service by making the transfer of equipment better documented and more professional. Equipment condition is documented via instant equipment photos that are automatically inserted into the rental contract, without manual steps. You can draw on the photos to circle pre-existing damage. You can type notes and collect additional approval signatures, such as agreement to abide by attached operating instructions, safety or other terms and conditions. Photos of hour meters, serial number plates and fuel level indicators document the exact readings at the date and time-stamped drop-off and pickup. Any exceptions can be quickly spotted and easily documented:  It all becomes integrated into the contract record automatically. An e-mail copy, including photos, notes, and signatures, is automatically sent to the customer and to the store. Any additional payment, if required, can be collected on-the-spot, via secure credit card transaction. Or the credit card payment form can be e-mailed to the customer’s back office, speeding up payment and eliminating the need for collection phone calls and staff time. Since the encrypted payment is securely executed in real-time by the customer, the credit card details are never exposed to store personnel and there are no security risks. When the payment is accepted, another automatic e-mail notifies the store and the customer of the successful transaction.      

These are just examples (and there are many more), but they show how dramatically Cloud-based customer services can improve the impression your rental company makes when it really counts, such as when rental equipment changes hands.    

Dobbs: The world today is driven by technology – it’s revolutionized how people go about their day-to-day lives both at work and at home. The increasing use of web-based apps and mobile solutions in rental-related software has never been more influential than it is today. Having access to the information you need is important but, having access to the information you need when you need it is critical. It helps businesses make important decisions that will have a positive effect on business, increase productivity and save time and money. Mobile solutions have been the most important trend for rental software, people are increasingly working on tablets and phones; now, apps and mobile solutions are making it easier to work on the move, allowing workers to capture data immediately in real time with no mistakes updating systems back at the store. 

Bennett: One of the newest developments in the industry is the bolstering of customer self-service with the addition of rental kiosks. This automation streamlines the ordering process and offers customers an innovative way to help themselves, resulting in reduced labor costs and improved customer service. 

Piekarski: We are experiencing much more interest in business intelligence and how to use software to drive efficiency and ROI. Two primary areas of interest include new stores added due to expansion and more efficient equipment management. For our clients in the equipment industry, we incorporate machine utilization, preventive maintenance, GPS delivery tracking and route optimization which are all efficiency opportunities. 

What do you expect will be the most important development/trend in the coming year or so?

Aucoin: We think there are 2 big areas: continued focus on analytics, and increased adoption of Software as a Service.  As companies continue to focus on minimizing costs and maturity now more proven with cloud services and Software as a Service options, we believe these 2 options will be more important than software features.  Being able to respond timely and with competitive offerings on both fronts, we believe will help us stand out in the market.

Ross: Some of our (Alert) rental store customers are now advertising their Cloud-based customer services as a way to differentiate themselves in the market-place. No more lost rental contracts or sketchy delivery scenarios. Everybody is on the same page, literally, with permanent records that are transparently available to the customer via the Cloud at any time. Self-service capabilities, such as the ability to reprint a contract or make a payment through a customer portal, are not just popular with your over-worked back-office staff. They are now an expected minimum level of customer service for your more savvy commercial rental customers. They are expecting you to provide automated ‘Alerts’ via text or e-mail, for overdue contracts or credit issues, or to automatically schedule e-mail reports, such as a weekly report of all equipment out on a job site. Again, these are just a few examples, but rental companies who can effectively leverage their use of the Cloud have a new competitive advantage that helps build loyalty without having to descend to the lowest price, which is today’s real battle in many if not all markets.

The retail rental experience is being similarly transformed by Cloud-based technology. Monolithic rental counters are being replaced by one-on-one ‘rental advisor’ kiosks, breaking down the barrier with your customers and opening up to new technology. Tablets are replacing printers as the default method to produce a (paperless) contract, which also means the transaction can be mobile. The rental advisor or a yard person can accompany the customer to the equipment for the final inspection (while taking documentary photos and noting any exceptions on the tablet) before the equipment is accepted. The contract can be signed right in the yard or loading area. The date and time-stamped contract copy is automatically e-mailed to the customer, including all photos, annotation and notes. The optional paper copy is not only unnecessary:  It is simply obsolete.           

Tablets and phones are becoming equally important as desktops and laptops. (Photo by inspHire)

Technology has also driven changes in the way businesses serve their customers. Customer service has always been important and always will be, but software solutions that help deliver better customer service will be more in demand. That’s why, inspHire has designed a secure, personalized platform that allows rental companies’ customers to self-serve, inspHire WebPortal gives user access to the information they need when they need it. Having rental information at their fingertips will encourage customers to use more of the service on offer. 

Rental companies will also want rental software to offer an integrated CRM solution. Businesses now understand the importance of customer relationship management and want a comprehensive platform that will enhance customer loyalty and prospect management.  

Bennett: With the IoT (Internet of Things) making significant advancements, many rental stores are finding that the benefit of features such as RFID and Telematics is now worth much more than the cost. As more companies are using these features, the improvements are developing rapidly and in the next coming year will bring about crucial progress to the industry. 

Piekarski: Genisys 2 expects to see more interest in cloud-based solutions. For our next release, we are working on the development of a “true” cloud based opportunity for rental companies that incorporates a more up to date and secure database solution, such as Microsoft SQL. Our solution will help our clients keep up to date with the latest technology without the capital expense associated with constant software and hardware changes. Obviously, a mobile version of the software to keep up with the times will be an important development and a relief for many. 

Boivin: The Rental Web portal is very promising. We see a trend emerging with an increasing amount of rental companies interested in taking advantage of technology to get closer to customers’ operations. A rental portal that offers a complete set of functions to help manage rental equipment online, access statements of account and  their transactions is emerging as both a strong enabler of efficiency gains as well as a relationship builder. The current trend shows a need to eliminate telephone conversations and access information at any time during the day and night. Today’s younger generation entrepreneurs want to use the power of their mobile device in order to manage rental operations in a paperless environment. The key trend is having access to information at any given time by using a “pull” process. The end users are saying: “Let me manage my rentals by providing me access to my rental information and you’ll be my preferred provider.”

What have been the most overlooked features of rental-related software in the past year or so – in other words available features that rental companies tend to not take advantage of?

What have been the most overlooked features of rental-related software in the past year or so – in other words available features that rental companies tend to not take advantage of?


Dobbs: Mobile workforce solutions often get overlooked; many rental companies don’t realize the benefits they offer. Having the ability to access rental data in the field and perform changes on the move can be a differentiator for businesses; it improves efficiencies, cuts costs and reduces admin. inspHire Mobile manages the entire rental process from rental, sales to service. It allows businesses to complete deliveries and pickups, book items in and out of service and repair, process breakdowns, enter test results, record meter readings, attach operator timesheets and create legally binding certificates. This extensive tool is a great time saver and allows workforces to be much more productive. 

Bennett: With countless features to wirelessly connect the warehouse, jobsites, yards and drivers to the counter system through WiFi or any carrier network, paperless workflow delivers streamlined efficiency and often goes overlooked. By using tablets out in the warehouse or yard to fulfill and return orders, staff can replace load slips and prep reports to avoid timely errors with real-time updates and contract changes. Utilizing mobile apps out in the field enables delivery drivers and jobsite crew to attach condition photos, notes, proof of delivery, pick-ups and even notifies the customer when they are in route. These paperless features relay the information in real-time to counter staff; reducing customer wait time while also eliminating miscommunication and mistakes due to missed notes or changed contracts. 

Electronic signatures are increasingly common in the rental industry. (Photo by Alert Management Systems)

Most rental companies have barely begun to utilize software generated Business Intelligence to optimize ROI. There are many managers that either don’t have access to any real time data due to software limitations, or really don’t know how to use data available from their software. 

Furthermore, we find that constant training and communication with our clients keeps them aware of all the updates and features that are constantly added to our software. Recent examples are the Recall & Warranty Alert Functionality, Region Specific Accounting, Meters/Fuel Tank Measurements, Rental History and Service History Reporting. 

Boivin: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is extremely under-estimated. It is a valuable tool that can assist in managing the Salesforce when combined with a quoting and fast contract solution. A CRM that provides equipment availability in the hands of the salesman on a mobile device allows speed to market by completing a quote and reserving the equipment on the construction site directly. Any employee in the rental company can rent out the equipment with complete information about the customer and its other transactions. You can even provide a rental portal to customers on a mobile device enabling them to rent their own equipment as well as access their current contracts and invoices. This is a great way to establish an exclusive relationship with customers.

Aucoin: In our experience, the maintenance portion of our applications and others we work with seem to be the most overlooked.  In many cases it seems like it’s too easy to make money blindly. Instead of optimizing existing operations and maximizing service time and parts sales/use, many find it easier to expand their fleet and increase revenue size and not necessarily improve margins.

How can software help rental companies do delivery more efficiently?

Ross: Dispatch and delivery management has become the most significant area of new investment for many rental software companies, such as Alert. We have combined it with Cloud-based capabilities, such as automatically e-mailing delivery tickets in route-order to drivers, and uploading the delivery route to an on-board GPS guidance display which can then speak the turn-by-turn instructions to the driver.  

The first thing we had to tackle, however, was the reluctance of many of our customers to abandon their manual ‘whiteboards’ which they had used for so many years. This is why we made our Dispatcher Dashboard into the industry’s first ‘virtual’ whiteboard that graphically represents a manual display, only more colorfully and in a way that is much easier and more efficient to maintain. For example, we have creatively deployed drag-and-drop capability, so the dispatcher can build a route without typing skills. You simply drag-and-drop the needed resources from the displayed lists in different window panes, all on the same screen. The resources available include drivers and trucks, the unrouted contracts, and even graphical representations, such as a symbol of a sandwich to indicate a lunch break, and other symbols for ‘return to warehouse’ or ‘miscellaneous stop.’ As each resource is selected, the dispatcher is prompted with an appropriate form, indicating the length of the stop or lunch break, expected arrival time, and any other contextual details.  

The Dispatcher Dashboard is accessible by everyone in the store, although security prevents accidental or unwanted route changes. So this means, in a typical situation, your rental counter staff doesn’t need to put the customer on hold while calling the dispatcher to find out when the equipment will be delivered. Combined with our GPS dashboard, which shows everyone the exact location of all your trucks, your counter staff is empowered to provide the instant answers your customers demand.              

Increasingly most software functions can be done on mobile devices such as iphones. (Photo by Corporate Services)

We have seen many rental businesses needing functionality that will help them improve the efficiency of deliveries and pickups. They want to be able to capture signatures, take pre-delivery inspection photos as well as off-rent damage photos and complete deliveries, pickups and exchanges in the field, on the go. inspHire Mobile can help them do all this and more!

Bennett: Using management software with a fully integrated dispatch and routing feature enhanced with GPS services is the most efficient technology available today. Dispatch and routing tools allow dispatchers to schedule pickups and deliveries as trips assigned to specific delivery trucks. Each truck-trip combo can have multiple stops routed with turn-by-turn, round-trip directions and maps. Dispatchers can assign drivers and crew, track fuel costs, view the anticipated weight of the load, view estimated time parameters for each stop and even see real-time route status updates. This technology permits one dispatcher to run multiple trucks across a much large area encompassing many store territories. If changes need to be made, dispatchers can adjust the trip at any time during the day, which updates the drivers and provides new turn-by-turn directions. 

Piekarski: Our software reduces equipment down time, increases equipment utilization, allows for faster delivery, route efficiencies and precise truck and driver management. This can be supported by mobile devices to make delivery more efficient. Additionally, the integration of Telematics and GPS tracking all lead to more efficient delivery of equipment and increased profitability. Much of the industry has only just begun to fully understand the true efficiency impact of a technology supported delivery system.

Boivin: A complete dispatch center integrated with a mobile app. Dispatching fleet trucks in the rental context is much more complex than in a distribution business. The timing of the arrival on site is crucial and there are constant last minute changes. The application must have a real-time GPS position and mobile apps in the hands of the drivers to manage the complexity in a paperless environment.

Aucoin: A good asset management solution that can communicate with routing/delivery services can help on a number of fronts. It can help the company understand things like delayed deliveries, turned away drivers, and potentially even actively re-route deliveries based on traffic patterns. Software can also help maximize delivery and pickups by creating optimal routes to minimize the number of trucks/trips/drivers required for the same delivery throughput to be achieved.

How can software help with fleet management?

Dobbs: Routing functionality is helping companies maximize efficiency when planning deliveries and pickups reducing costs and saving time. Getting better utilization and a better return on their delivery fleet. 

Maximizing rental fleet utilization is critical and essential for an efficient business. inspHire helps business owners track how their fleet is doing by reporting return on investment, costs of maintenance plans and schedules servicing. Providing this through graphical dashboards and exception reporting means decisions can be made quicker and with more certainty. Reacting in time saves thousands of dollars in costs and lost revenue by preventing down time of equipment.  

Bennett: The most innovative software today provides KPIs and interactive dashboards enabling successful management for larger and more complex fleets. A fleet manager and their team are able to view information on assets globally, regionally and each individual asset for maximum ROI. This provides critical data allowing them to make business decisions on fleet management to improve profitability.

Point-of-Rental’s Contract Fulfillment software ensures that drivers, shop, yard and warehouse workers have the same information as the counter staff. (Photo by Point-of-Rental Software)

Genisys 2 Rental Software can help with Fleet Management by presenting useful real-time data to users regarding utilization and equipment maintenance to help identify trends and tendencies.  Be it real-time dashboards, or historical data reporting, our current software and new release will assist our clients to maximize the efficient management of their fleets, resulting in increased profits. 

Boivin: Preparing route plans for the fleet drivers is not a trivial job but the experience of the manager cannot be replaced entirely. The software must provide the information on a map in a very simple and clear interface. The software must guide the dispatcher and warn him or her of the problems such as committed delivery time and volume constraint of the trucks. The Mobile app with maintenance and inspection is also a very good way to get efficiency gains. Drivers can do the simple maintenances and inspections on site while they are delivering and returning equipment. No need to wait for the equipment to be back at the stockroom. It’s more efficient to do the quality check at the time the equipment is loaded with the customer sign-off on the mobile device to confirm that there is nothing defective.

Aucoin: Understanding the efficiency at a fleet level is something many businesses strive for but often don’t value at the same level as their rental utilization, for instance.  Minimizing down-time in the fleet can help with delivery throughput, allow some businesses to right-size their fleet by highlighting the bad apples and units that simply don’t deliver on their value.

We believe that a software solution that can serve both the rental side of the business and the fleet management side of the business is crucial to fully understanding the ebbs and flow of your business.

Ross: Whether you have a few delivery vehicles, or more than 50, like some of our larger customers, managing your transportation fleet is an increasingly complex and costly enterprise.  (Some of our customers lament that they might as well be in the moving and storage business!)  First, we recommend using our built-in preventive maintenance software to maintain service levels and intervals, keep up with inspections and licensing, and other basic needs.  Our Dispatch management system includes the ability to assign delivery vehicles to the correct route, and integrates with fleet management software to get comprehensive fleet tracking features, such as real-time or historical vehicle and driver behavioral data. In 2017, a new federal mandate will require many fleet operators to maintain an Electronic Logging Device (ELD - which is already supported in our system) to prevent Hours of Service (HOS) violations and potential fines and sanctions.  If this trend continues, it is safe to assume that most rental businesses operating a fleet of transportation vehicles will be forced into fleet management software of some kind, just to comply with the regulatory environment.       

How can software help with running the shop more efficiently?  

Bennett: Intuitive software works with the flow of your business. In the shop, mechanics are able to streamline the service process, eliminate parts order errors and increase rental fleet’s utilization. Purchase orders and work orders are automatically and accurately populated. Automated self-updating information on parts, service and repairs that is customized down to the individual asset number for equipment in your fleet saves you time, money and accuracy to improve individual and overall ROI. 

Piekarski: The key to ROI is about availability when the customer needs the equipment and rapid deployment. For example, G2 enables our clients to align their inventory availability, seasonal items and special pricing with individual and premier customers. Additionally, the software will allow dispatching and counter personnel to match the right resource to the right customer at the right time. It can also help identify weaknesses in the operation by tracking lost sales/rentals, busy times of day when staff could be increased. Lastly, it provides quick methods of needed functionality such as transferring equipment, putting equipment in/out of shop, and the general elements involved in a rental or return.

Boivin: The user interface must be very simple to use and very flexible. When selecting a rental software, the flexibility of the interface is key. Rental is a complex world where availability of items can be affected by various situations and at any given time. Users must be able to react immediately by sub renting, transferring from other branches or by quickly opening a work order. The software must also allow the concept of “running the shop in a physical place.” The rental platform must offer tools such as a quick contract Mobile app to create or close contracts anywhere.

Aucoin: As mentioned earlier, clients are not utilizing maintenance programs as fully as they can and this is a big opportunity area.  We have had some cases where clients have recognized existing massive inefficiencies by properly implementing our maintenance program functionality.  From overpaying for parts for different vendors, to missed charges for services and proprietary parts, to spending  a good portion of a technician’s time on housekeeping type tasks, there is so much improvement to be had by focusing on the shop operations. We hope this is one of the areas we can expand and entice clients to consider.

Ross: Some of our customers have implemented a new strategy:  Using large flat panel TV screens as Work Area Displays. In the shop area, you can display Alert’s Work Order Dashboard, which shows the status of all your work orders in a color-coded graphical display. Red means ‘Hard Down’, Yellow means ‘Soft Down’. Special software refreshes the display every few seconds, allowing you to see the progress of work orders on a timeline, as they are added and completed. So the manager’s job is a little easier: He or she can manage by ‘wandering around’ vs. interrogating each mechanic. The mechanic and the manager (as coach) can look at the display together, to re-prioritize and avert crisis through give-and-take, as needed. Since the display is available for all eyes to see (productivity experts call this ‘natural surveillance’), it is a self-motivating tool. No mechanic wants a sea of red visible on a public dashboard with their name on it. On the other hand, with full transparency, it is easier for the mechanic to make the case when they need more help.   

Another Work Area Display in use is a version of a scheduled maintenance report designed for the equipment return area, indicating units that need to be pulled for maintenance as soon as they are returned. So a quick glance is all it takes, vs. going to a computer workstation or printing out a report. Creatively placed Work Area Displays are in use in Will Call and even behind the rental counter for similar purposes. They can combine multiple sources of data, such as a weather web site, store advertising and promotions, safety information, or even a store manager’s ‘Twitter Feed’ to add up-to-the-minute commentary and humor.