Background

Spokes Bicycle Rentals is a family-run business that has served tourists in Vancouver, British Columbia, for more than 75 years. With a convenient location at the entrance to Stanley Park, Spokes is the perfect starting point to ride along the world-famous seawall and beyond.

Problem

As Vancouver’s favorite bike rental shop, Spokes can get pretty busy. Often, groups will come in to rent bikes, which creates a unique challenge when employees need to provide assistance with fitting and accessories like helmets. They needed something that would provide in-store customers with the ability to select items while they waited, freeing up their employees to provide direct service during the fitting part of the process.

Solution

Spokes worked with the Point of Rental team to create Kiosk. Spokes’ team and circumstances helped guide Point of Rental developers as they worked to streamline the check-in process – both for those renting bikes (Kiosk) and those returning them to the store (Quick Return).

Result

Spokes’ goal of never making a customer wait has been easier to achieve since they added Kiosk to their Stanley Park location.

Tim Quarles, Spokes’ project manager in charge of Kiosk’s implementation, appreciates that the features are able to help Spokes get customers on their bikes quickly and their bikes available more quickly when they’re returned.

“When bikes are being returned, many times a group will come in minutes apart, so we need to be able to receive, receive, receive,” said Tim. “The Quick Return feature allows us to do this efficiently. Similar to the Kiosk feature, it helps us serve our customers quickly. Competition chips into your market share if you don’t get people moving quickly.”

Spokes’ team has also used knowledge gained from the rest of Point of Rental’s features to further enhance their customer service. It’s made it easier to track missing bikes and identify appropriate replacements if there’s an issue with a rental.

“If someone has a flat tire, we send a mechanic out on the exact replica bike so that the customer can get on the new bike right away. In order to do that, we have to know the exact bike they were sent out with,” Tim said.

All in all, Point of Rental helps Spokes’ friendly and knowledgeable staff help customers through the rental process more quickly, creating a better experience for customers and staff.

How can Point of Rental make an impact on your business? 
Find out today:

SHARE THIS CASE STUDY