{"id":23555,"date":"2017-09-05T21:24:58","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/por-development.local\/?p=23555"},"modified":"2017-09-05T21:24:58","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:24:58","slug":"fleet-management-use-right-tool-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.point-of-rental.com\/de\/fleet-management-use-right-tool-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Fleet Management: Use The Right Tool for the Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following article from VP of Sales Greg Bennett was originally published in Pro Contractor Rentals<\/a>‘ magazine, Pro Contractor Rentals Weekly<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A coworker of mine came into the office last Monday with a sore back and blisters on his hands. His lawn and weeds had been growing onto his sidewalk, but he didn\u2019t want to spend the money on an appropriate trimming tool. Instead, he had edged his lawn using a branch trimmer in the middle of a Texas summer.<\/p>\n

Obviously, that\u2019s a terrible idea, but a lot of businesses out there are managing their rental fleets in a similar way \u2013 killing themselves without getting the results they\u2019d like because they don\u2019t have the proper tools.<\/p>\n

If you have a rental fleet and you\u2019re not using rental software for fleet management, you might as well be using a branch trimmer to trim your lawn. Here\u2019s what a good rental software will do for you:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It helps you determine the value each item has provided.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When you\u2019re entering your data into rental software, you\u2019re not just tracking where it is right now<\/em>. You\u2019re also creating a history of the item showing where it\u2019s been, what kind of maintenance has been performed on it and when, what you\u2019ve already earned renting it out, and how it compares with all the other units in your fleet in terms of return on investment.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. It tells you what you need now.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Just because your ROI on a unit is high doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s time to acquire more of that unit. There are other things to be considered, like asset utilization and what your optimal number is. You may have 10 units in your fleet, but if your optimal number is five, you can sell off five units and you\u2019ll rent more efficiently. You\u2019ll also have more space on your lot for other items. Good inventory management software helps you drill in on all<\/em> the data and determine the best times for acquisitions and sales.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. It helps you determine the value each item will provide.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        When you\u2019re considering the future of your business, it\u2019s extremely helpful to look into your past to see trends both month-by-month and year-over-year. You\u2019re able to see which equipment has longer-term increases in demand and you\u2019re able to adjust to seasonal variations in advance. This allows you to not overreact to seasonal increases (or decreases) and adjust appropriately when increases in demand are sustained over time.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. It saves you money and increases your efficiency.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          When you have all the data together in a place where it\u2019s easy to see what the numbers would look like if you acquired or sold off inventory, it\u2019s easier to make good decisions when determining whether to roll fleet or re-fleet without missing out on opportunities.<\/p>\n

          But like my coworker with his lawn, it\u2019s not enough to just go out and get the right tool. You\u2019ll need to comparison shop and ensure the product you\u2019re buying can meet your needs. There are four more things to keep in mind when you\u2019re looking for the right rental software to manage your fleet:<\/p>\n

          Usability<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          Rental software is at its best when everyone\u2019s using it. If software is easy for the front office to handle, but difficult to use in the warehouse or on the road, your data is probably going to be missing valuable information from beyond the office. When software is easy to use and employees can see how it makes their work easier, you get more accurate data to base business decisions on.<\/p>\n

          Service<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          The rental industry doesn\u2019t operate Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; if an employee runs into an issue they\u2019ve never seen before outside of those hours, you can\u2019t just shut your business down and wait \u2013 you need a support staff that\u2019s going to be there to help get you up and running again.<\/p>\n

          Growth<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          As you enter more data, your analytics and your reporting improve. If you\u2019re putting that data into a system that isn\u2019t keeping up with your business, then you\u2019ll soon be facing a battle \u2013 transfer to a newer software and hoping your data all makes it into the new system, or risk being trapped on an ancient system that no longer has the features that advanced companies are using.<\/p>\n

          Integrations<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          Specialized software products help you see into every nook and cranny of your business. Integrating their insight with your rental software fine-tunes details for you to analyze. Telematics applications will help you see fuel and hour usage \u2013 if a customer calls off rent early, you\u2019ll be able to charge appropriately for excess usage because you\u2019ll see the numbers when they called in and when you picked the equipment up. Other products simplify the maintenance process by making it much easier to find replacement parts to order and automating the entry of that information for tracking.<\/p>\n

          At the end of the day, using the right tools for your fleet allows you to spend more time where you want to be. Appropriate rental software<\/a> and its analytics ensure you sweat less and get more done \u2013 no blisters or sore backs required.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          The following article from VP of Sales Greg Bennett was originally published in Pro Contractor Rentals‘ magazine, Pro Contractor Rentals Weekly.\u00a0 A coworker of mine came into the office last Monday with a sore back and blisters on his hands. His lawn and weeds had been growing onto his sidewalk, but he didn\u2019t want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":23556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[363,522,403,523,399,524,176],"class_list":["post-23555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rental-industry","tag-efficiency","tag-fleet-management","tag-fleet-tracking","tag-pcr-weekly","tag-pro-contractor-rentals","tag-rental-fleet","tag-rental-software"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t