Using Better Manufacturing Practices

Equipment rental locations rent out dozens of pieces of equipment every week. If you have ever rented some gardening or landscaping equipment, most of these stores have you fill out this little form stating your contact and location information, what equipment you are renting, and the cost for the number of days you expect to rent the equipment. Yet, surely, they do not have stacks and stacks of rental papers in their back-of-house, do they? So, how do they do it? Here is how.

Your Paper Is Entered into the Computer System

The paper is just a simpler form of quickly writing out the rental agreement. After you leave with the equipment you have rented, a sales associate takes the piece of paper and enters it into their computer system. They have equipment rental software that helps catalog and record the rented equipment and keep track of the equipment. 

The Software Signals/Alerts Store Associates of the Return Date

When it is time to return the equipment, the software gives the associates an onscreen alert message. This message helps associates remember to call you before the close of the business day to see if you are returning the equipment, or if you want to keep it another day. If you agree to keep it another day, you must also agree to the store charging your debit or credit card on file. They will do this each extra day that you keep the equipment and do not return it. The software helps keep track of how many extra days you have had it, and how much extra you have been charged for those extra days.

The Software Helps Associates Answer Customer Questions

When other customers call to see if the store has a certain piece of rental equipment, the associate checks the rental dates on the equipment. He or she is able to tell the customer if they A) carry that item as rental equipment, B) if that equipment is currently available to rent in-store, C) when they expect the equipment to return, and D) how much it costs to rent the equipment. If there is a high demand for a piece of equipment you rented, you may be limited to the number of days you can hold onto it.

The Software and Computer System Records the Popularity of a Piece of Equipment

Statistics in equipment rentals are very helpful. They tell the rental store which pieces are rented the most often and how long they are rented. Knowing this, the store can invest in duplicate equipment so that all of the customers can rent from that one location at the same time.

For more information about equipment rental software, contact a professional.