{"id":40475,"date":"2020-07-05T12:01:55","date_gmt":"2020-07-05T12:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/por-development.local\/?p=40475"},"modified":"2020-08-04T15:01:17","modified_gmt":"2020-08-04T15:01:17","slug":"tech-helps-rental-combat-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.point-of-rental.com\/de\/tech-helps-rental-combat-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech Helps Rental Combat COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

The rental industry and its suppliers aren\u2019t standing idly by and letting the coronavirus threaten the lives of their employees, their customers, or their businesses. They\u2019re transforming the rental process at an unprecedented pace to create contactless counters to combat COVID-19.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Software features designed to reduce paperwork and increase efficiency have suddenly become critical components in the battle to reduce the number of disease vectors in a business. Companies are providing more deliveries than ever to reduce the number of people in their showrooms – doing that well requires dispatching software. They\u2019re adding steps in their re-renting process to ensure items are thoroughly disinfected – and tracking it digitally. They\u2019re implementing drive-thru rentals with electronic ordering, signatures, and payments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And when states and countries open up again, these technologies are going to be critical parts of the future of any rental business.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Canadian Rental Service\u2019s <\/span>Counter Talks<\/span><\/a>, host Patrick Flannery spoke to Point of Rental CEO Wayne Harris about how suppliers are helping rental companies navigate muddled business waters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Positive Attitude<\/strong><\/h6>\n

The first and most important way to combat COVID-19, according to Harris, is that rental leaders have the right attitude to take on a challenge – that it\u2019s an opportunity to problem-solve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not throwing up their hands, saying \u2018I quit,\u2019 \u2018This is too hard,\u2019 or even saying, \u2018Well, we\u2019ve always done it this way, so we\u2019re going to keep doing it this way,\u2019\u201d said Harris. \u201cWhat they\u2019re doing is rolling up their sleeves and saying \u2018How can we solve this?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Contactless Rental Tools<\/strong><\/h6>\n

The second piece is taking the extra time to survey the landscape and see what\u2019s possible. With contactless showrooms, delivery is becoming crucial; even businesses that were dragging their feet on making deliveries a part of their business are moving quickly to incorporate them. Some businesses in urban areas are even working with ride-sharing companies to handle deliveries instead of building out their internal delivery logistics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In places where rental has been considered an essential business, digital tools like electronic signatures and payments have helped limit virus transmission opportunities. The technology has been around for years, but now companies like Point of Rental have developed electronic signature software priced for rental companies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy family has a rental store up in Oklahoma,\u201d said Harris. \u201cWe thought – sure, we can do something for our customers, but this is an industry-wide thing. So we put our development team on it to take eSign and make it a standalone product.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Online renting<\/strong><\/h6>\n

And if you\u2019re closing contracts and collecting payments online, you might as well work on generating new customers. Focus on building your online presence, from social media to landing pages to creating an online store (and linking it to your inventory, if possible).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The online shopping process is familiar to customers and simplifies processes for rental stores. From virtual showrooms to photo-heavy websites showing off each piece of equipment and its specs, you\u2019ll be able to reach your customers where they are. With an effective online store, you\u2019re building relationships before you meet your customer. You\u2019re also protecting them and your staff by providing a smooth, contactless, secure rental process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the comfort of their own home, they\u2019ve already gone online, they\u2019ve seen what you have, they\u2019ve already reserved it,\u201d said Harris. \u201cEverything\u2019s done, so when they show up to your rental store, all you\u2019re doing is saying, \u2018pop the trunk,\u2019 you put it in there, and you\u2019re done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now is a great time to implement new tech because customers are more understanding than ever about the difficulties of operating in this environment. You can learn on the fly and get yourself ready for when demand bounces back and \u201cthe new normal\u201d becomes \u201chow we do business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So figure out what systems will work best with your employees, your business, and your market. COVID-19 may have changed the outlook for 2020 to be a little less \u201cbest year ever\u201d and a little more \u201cthere\u2019s always next year,\u201d but now\u2019s the time to build the foundation of that success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re open (or opening soon) and need a way to collect electronic signatures and payments, visit <\/span>pointofrental.com\/esign<\/span><\/a> to try out Point of Rental’s electronic signature solution built for the rental industry. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The rental industry and its suppliers aren\u2019t standing idly by and letting the coronavirus threaten the lives of their employees, their customers, or their businesses. They\u2019re transforming the rental process at an unprecedented pace to create contactless counters to combat COVID-19.\u00a0 Software features designed to reduce paperwork and increase efficiency have suddenly become critical components […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":40476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rental-industry"],"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