Managing multiple equipment rental operation locations can be a logistical nightmare.
After all, you can’t be at all locations at all times. Without a system that gives you visibility to your rental operations, you’ll be hard-pressed to detect and address gaps in your processes that could hamper your operations.
That’s why you need a proven system that lets you manage your equipment rental operations even when you’re offsite.
With the right systems and solutions, you can optimize managing your equipment rental operations remotely — from tracking your assets’ condition, accessing equipment inspection information to comprehensive damage reporting.
This article highlights an interview with Perco Rentals Service Manager, William Strength. We went over the importance of using reliable technology to establish rental processes that streamline managing various equipment rental locations.
Expedite your asset condition monitoring process
One of the biggest challenges you can face as a rental equipment company is knowing your assets’ actual condition throughout the rental process. This can be even more difficult when you’re managing multiple locations and a fleet of dozens, hundreds, or especially thousands of equipment assets.
Relying on paper-based methods to track your equipment’s condition before, during, and after renting is inefficient. Documenting the details and getting copies of the information would take too much time and effort.
What’s more, it’s easy to overlook equipment damages when inspections are done manually, causing your company to rent out malfunctioning equipment to your customers.
This can lead to your rental equipment breaking down in the field, delaying your customer’s project. You’d be left with frustrated clients on top of additional expenses to send replacement machinery and fix the malfunctioning one.
Perco Rentals found a way to address these challenges with Record360.
I’ve been in this industry for 15 years… and the fact that everyone isn’t using this system blows my mind.
Record360’s web and mobile app let you capture and track your equipment’s condition throughout the rental process.
You can capture high-resolution videos and photos of your equipment, add the necessary information, and upload everything to the cloud.
All the information is stored and easily accessible on the web app, giving you a centralized location where you can find out everything about your assets.
As William put it, “We’re really remote, and I control 17 locations. So i’m able to see what the equipment looks like when it’s rent-ready before it goes to a customer. So I’m ensuring that the customer is getting something that they are paying for. And then, in return, we’re getting what we’re supposed to be returned.”
William added, “So we’ll use Record360 a lot to see the equipment because I’m not there (in the company’s other locations) every day. So we’re paying the vendor to make sure and record the data, so I’m able to see it remotely, such as hours documented for PMs and fuel charges there and back.”
With a powerful asset condition recording and monitoring system, you ensure you’re documenting your equipment regardless of the location, including maintenance, availability data, and damages.
“… I couldn’t even calculate the amount of money we’ve saved so far just by holding people accountable.”
According to William, “Having Record360 sets the right processes in place such as putting the right checklist, but it’s more than our vendors in our various locations being able to take the pictures and document the damages. I couldn’t even calculate the amount of money we’ve saved so far just by holding people accountable.”
The process for getting started was also simple and efficient according to William, ” We’re talking about a 10 minute process that can save you thousands upon thousands of dollars. And that is not an exaggeration.”
Leverage customizable equipment inspections technology
Efficient rental inspections are vital to knowing your assets’ true condition and detecting damages instantly.
However, this requires the right technology that best fits your company’s needs, one that goes beyond the basic equipment photo and video capturing features.
Record360 provides a robust solution. The app lets you create digital inspection forms and checklists you can load into your tablet or smartphone, allowing you to capture your equipment rental data in a single standard format.
William stated, “After I spoke with some people at Record360, I realized how customizable it was. So for us to be able to use it for more than a purpose of the images, we went back to the app and built a checklist. We needed something to determine whether or not we’re checking our equipment out properly, because we have 17 locations that I can’t be at.”
He added, “So I need to be able to see what’s going on with these locations. So we use Record360 not only as an insurance, but to be able to document the progress of this equipment through the steps of the shop and be able to monitor it before it goes out. And the maintenance intervals on it as well for all 17 locations.”
With a customizable checklist, you have a reliable and efficient system to conduct equipment inspections that your multiple locations can easily adopt. This ensures thorough documentation of all the damages on your rentals after they come back from your customers.
Cross-check your equipment’s condition with the pre-release equipment inspection information, helping your teams identify defects and issues caused by customers and alert them immediately.
This is what William had to say on how Record360 tailored the solution for Perco Rentals, “So I built a checklist and emailed Support at Record360 saying, ‘Hey, look, this is kind of what I want this generic checklist to look like until we get more specific.’ She immediately called me and elaborated on more of what we could do, even with the checklist we had, even if it was something as simple as maybe a radio button that would be easier than a dropdown menu or things like that we can add to it. She perfected the checklist.”
Implement comprehensive damage reporting
Repairing equipment damages can get very expensive. If you’re not documenting asset damages properly after they come off a customer rental, you incur additional expenses that you shouldn’t have to.
Failing to document all your equipment damage properly also leads to the lack of evidence to back up your claim in a dispute, which is challenging enough when monitoring damages remotely.
You would need to go through the long back and forth with your customer to negotiate the repairs they’re responsible for.
This can increase equipment downtime, and you’ll lose a lot of money on broken or malfunctioning equipment you can’t rent out on top of potentially shouldering hefty damage expenses.
An excellent solution to reduce potential disputes and expenses is Record360’s damage reporting features.
… there was no argument. The customer is aware of it and is buying the ranger because we had proof with the help of Record360.”
William stated, “We had a ranger come back that was pretty torn up. It needed repairs, and it was going to cost more than the unit’s worth. But there was no argument. The customer is aware of it and is buying the ranger because we had proof with the help of Record360.”
He added, “Record360 has made it (damage reporting) to where it’s painless. We get a piece of equipment back, and it’s damaged. We download the Record360 app immediately, and email it to the customer with a quote on what the damages are. There are no questions asked. You have damages they’re visible before and after, making the process really painless.”
The app allows you to capture, create, store, and access damage reports easily, getting your workflows moving smoothly even when your equipment rental operations are working in multiple locations.
As William put it, “At Perco where we’re remote, we don’t have any other employees except for what we have here in the main hub. So we rely on these vendors to be able to do the job that we’re paying them to do. So not only is Record360 insurance against our customers, but it’s also insurance against our vendors to ensure that they’re doing what we’re paying them to do.”
Capturing equipment damages becomes a smooth and swift process with reliable asset documenting and equipment damage inspection technology, saving you thousands of dollars on damage expenses.
What’s next?
What challenges are you facing while running your equipment rental company in multiple locations remotely?
If you are ready to eliminate damage disputes and reduce damage expenses by optimizing your rental equipment operations, contact us today to schedule a free consultation or product demo.
