Equipment Rental Inspection

The importance of electronic signatures for equipment inspections

June 7, 2021 by record360

Using electronic signatures streamlines your equipment inspections, asset management, and rental operations.

With it, you can obtain the signatures of parties involved in your processes and transactions without having to meet them physically.

Offering e-sign options for your customers can drastically improve and simplify your processes while making doing business with your company more efficient and flexible.

This article covers what an electronic signature is, its impact on your equipment rental company, and why it is crucial for modern inspections.

Definition of an electronic signature

An electronic signature (or e-signature) is a legal method of getting approval or consent on digital forms and documents. Legal e-signatures can replace handwritten ones in any virtual process.

The current U.S. code under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (E-SIGN) Act defines e-signatures as:

An electronic sound, symbol or process that is attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.

Are e-signatures legally binding?

In the U.S., electronic signatures are recognized and legalized as equally binding as pen and paper signatures after legislation passed the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the E-SIGN Act in 1999 and 2000.

The two pieces of legislation allow e-signatures to replace ink signatures as long as they meet three legal hallmarks:

The signer must be whom he/she claims to be. The signer’s identity can be authenticated or verified through digital markers, such as an IP address (if required).
The signer’s intent to affix his/her signature to the document or form is captured. The e-signature is legally binding if the transaction’s parameters have been communicated and the signer unequivocally goes through the signing process.
The signature associated with the form or document is verifiable. The electronic signature is legally accepted if the steps in the signing process can be validated. This includes how the document was signed, what action the signer completed, and what documentation was presented to support the digital transaction. The business or originator must also keep a record of all electronically signed documents.

That said, e-signatures are legally binding as conventionally obtained signatures as long as they satisfy the legal requirements.

How to insert electronic signatures

How companies implement and set up electronic signatures depends on the type of business and transaction involved in the signing process.

E-signature deployment methods and the customer-facing interface can also be unique to the company based on the software or applications.

Most e-signature tools allow you to upload your document and enter the signer’s email address. The signer can then click the link within the email and sign digitally from a mobile device, browser, or computer without signing up to or downloading anything.

Equipment inspection software Record360 is equipped with a helpful eSign feature that lets inspectors affix an electronic signature after filling out a new equipment inspection form.

If you have a previous inspection record that needs signing off, you can open it from the app and send the report to your customer’s or other stakeholder’s email address.

With the in-app e-Sign equipment inspection software feature, you can easily replace your paper forms and processes.

You can capture digital signatures easily and on the fly, minimizing the waiting times involved in the traditional methods of securing signatures.

Record360 also allows you to set up auto-emails to send out inspection records efficiently to your customers, then store them in the app’s secure dashboard for easy document tracking and access.

Importance of electronic signatures during equipment inspections

Manually getting people’s signatures on your inspection records can be a long and painful process. This can lead to equipment inspection delays, can keep your operations from running smoothly, and in turn, you lose money.

Electronic signatures can address these issues while providing the following benefits.

1. Efficient inspections

The paperwork that comes with securing signatures for your inspection records can be time and labor-intensive.

It takes away precious time you could spend on core tasks that help you achieve your business goals.

Electronic signatures can help optimize your equipment inspection process, eliminating the manual and repetitive aspects through seamless digital methods.

With e-signatures, you and your staff won’t waste time on:

Waiting for senior managers to return to the office to get their signature
Signing (or obtaining signatures), printing, scanning, and manually posting inspection records and other related documents
Manually archiving authorized records
Manually verifying if the documents were signed by the right or authorized people

You can accelerate your rental processes, equipment inventory management, asset inspections, and entire business operations because e-signatures allow you to:

Save time on creating inspections and getting them signed
Secure signatures from everyone (customers and managers) anytime and anywhere through any device
Make the whole approval process less prone to error and streamline it
Get the same level of trust and security with documents signed with wet ink
Move your workflows along more efficiently, leading to seamless operations and increased revenue

2. Improved customer experience

Electronic signatures improve your customer’s experience with the company because it provides a convenient way for them to sign your equipment inspection reports.

This also means holding parties responsible for any equipment damages is more streamlined, and you’ll have clear, irrefutable proof to back up your claim.

Your staff can take high-resolution equipment videos and photos using the Record 360 app to capture equipment damages, attach them to the inspection, and send them to customers to sign and acknowledge.

Auto-emailing your inspection reports and obtaining signatures digitally efficiently improves the process and reduces potential damage disputes and frictions with customers. This can enhance your interactions and relationships with customers, encouraging repeat business and client loyalty.

3. Obtain signatures securely

Electronic signatures include encryption to ensure the document can’t be changed after affixing a signature, preventing tampering risks.

Digital signatures can also reduce errors on your equipment inspection reports because now you can do everything electronically and correct or update information easily without starting over.

A reliable equipment inspection software helps ensure you have accurate and secure records and an efficient asset inspection, inventory management, and rental process.

Start using electronic signatures for equipment inspections

Electronic signatures eliminate cumbersome, tedious paperwork and methods, streamlining your equipment inspection process.

With electronic signatures, your staff can do their jobs more effectively and efficiently, allowing them to focus their time and energy on critical and revenue-generating tasks.

Are you ready to leverage the power of equipment inspection software with robust e-Sign features?

Schedule a demonstration today to learn how Record360 can optimize your equipment rental processes.

10 equipment inventory management tips for better inspections

June 2, 2021 by record360

You need an efficient equipment inventory management system to run a streamlined and high-performing equipment rental company.

Without one, you’ll have a long-winded process for checking an equipment’s availability, renting it out, and creating client contracts, among other things.

To improve the quality of your rental company’s asset inspections, you need more than just a handy equipment inspection form. You need reliable equipment inspection software plus efficient equipment inventory management to organize your assets and monitor their availability and usage.

In this article, we’ll share tried and tested tips to improve your inventory management and equipment inspections.

1. Apply an efficient tagging system for rental inventory

Put unique tags on your assets to hasten your search and identification when you need them — e.g., during registration in your equipment inventory spreadsheet or future handling.

Serial numbers are frequent tags, but opt for more recognizable asset ID numbers and codes. Be intentional about the coding for simpler memorability.

Apply damage tags as well to streamline your identification and documentation of asset defects.

For example, the Record360 app lets you place and customize appropriate tags onto your equipment photos and videos for faster reference to your company and clients:

2. Leverage RFID tags, barcodes, or QR codes

Using barcodes, RFID tags, or QR codes is also straightforward and efficient for equipment inventory management and identification.

By scanning these codes during check in and out, you save time and effort and reduce human error in identifying your assets.

You can also opt for QR codes because they can provide further information from your equipment inventory system and lead you to relevant app pages and functions.

3. Digitize your equipment management forms and processes

Speed up your equipment management processes by replacing paper-based tasks, forms, and equipment inventory lists with digital ones.

For example, from the Record360 app, you can create electronic rental inventory checklists and inspection forms and load them straight onto your mobile device.

This helps your team capture essential standard information for input in the equipment inventory system, check your assets’ conditions, schedule repairs, and deploy it to your clients faster.

With these and other benefits of digitization for your company, you can agree that going paperless is a journey worth taking indeed.

4. Use robust equipment management software

To centralize your asset inventory management and its tasks, information, media, and inspections, use an equipment management software tool.

These tools streamline your operations more efficiently than equipment inventory spreadsheets, help you track your asset usage more closely, and minimize human error.

For one, Record360 has a comprehensive dashboard with data, insights, and visuals about your fleet’s real-time conditions, location, and others.

From this app, you can also verify client identities, assign inspections, get customers’ digital signatures, keep your team in the loop, and many more.

5. Simplify incident reporting for rental inventory

Upgrade recording asset defects in equipment inventory lists using electronic and other efficient systems to report them and notify your team fast.

Give your team quick access to visual documentation, automatic damage labels, and even geo-tags and time-stamp features, such as those on Record360.

Cloverdale Equipment Co. rental manager Sean Carr shares how these features helped them report asset damages and resolve any related disputes:

Because the record includes the time, date, and location of the drop-off, no one can dispute the condition the equipment arrived in…We record the same information so everyone knows the condition of the equipment exactly when we picked it up.

6. Set up real-time relevant notifications

Update your team fast by setting up real-time notifications for asset damages, inspection failure, and other critical equipment inventory management matters.

Use SMS, push, email, and other instant communication channels. For instance, the Record360 app lets you schedule automatic email delivery to concerned departments in your company.

Through these alerts, you maintain your team’s productivity, open active communication lines, and hasten your response time.

7. Streamline equipment assignments and handoffs

Delegate and hand off tasks easily to your team through electronic inspection checklists and forms, such as the ones on Record360’s app.

With this feature, you can kick off asset inspections from mobile devices, quickly and thoroughly check your equipment inventory system, and help your team finish their assignment on the field.

8. Manage your equipment and inspection locations

Streamline your multi-site asset inventory checks and inspections through an equipment management system that lets you perform those tasks from anywhere.

For example, Record360 lets you send to your team direct links to digital inspection forms and checklists in the app. You can then immediately obtain remote data in real-time and act accordingly to the reports.

Bobcat of St. Louis corporate rental manager Mike Rust relays how using Record360 helped him do that:

With Record360, it’s much easier to do equipment reviews across locations… All the rental manager needs to do is call up the original rental record, take a new batch of photos, and see if there’s any new damage.

This results in a more rapid turnaround for them and their clients.

9. Implement simple, secure documentation

Beyond equipment inventory spreadsheets, document your assets’ actual condition through high-resolution photos and videos you can upload to the cloud and share with your team.

With these media, you can precisely capture any equipment defects, instantly inform your team and clients, and provide solid evidence on your innocence about the cause of damage.

The Record360 equipment management software has simple-to-do high-res camera functions, damage tags, and cloud-secure storage and sharing systems.

These simplify and enhance your documentation and inspection far better than incomplete manual, handwritten reports, and equipment inventory lists — and are among the several ways rental software protects your assets.

10. Schedule periodic rental inventory audits

Regularly audit your assets for your accounting and tax duties and equipment inventory spreadsheet updates instead of doing it entirely at the end of the year.

By dividing a whole year’s workload into more doable chunks, you lessen your stress and get more time to verify information and correct any errors.

Schedule your internal audits every week, month, or quarter — whichever is suitable for your company. However, high-value assets must undergo more frequent inspections.

Additionally, keep tabs on looming tax changes and prepare for them ahead of time. Then, apply the adjustments to your regular inventory audits for a gradual, less burdensome implementation.

FAQs on Asset Inventory Management

Following are some FAQs on asset inventory management and their corresponding answers:

What is an equipment management system?

An equipment management system is a software tool to help monitor asset conditions, generate accurate reports and information, and provide other functionalities to simplify related tasks.

How do you track equipment usage?

Track equipment usage through asset identification and geo-tags, time-stamps, an equipment inventory system, high-resolution before-and-after photos and videos, user logs, barcodes and QR codes, equipment inventory lists, and others.

How do you manage equipment inventory?

Manage equipment inventory efficiently through equipment management software, which logs asset users, location and date-and-time information, photos and videos, and more.

Improve your equipment inventory management process

Optimize your company’s equipment inventory management through hyper-efficient practices and robust but simple electronic and software tools.

Show your team how these adjustments streamline your asset inventory management to encourage them to adopt the tools and best practices.

Interested in learning more about Record360? Schedule a demonstration today.

Why equipment videos and photos are important for equipment inspections

June 2, 2021 by record360

Can your equipment inspection software capture photos and record videos of your equipment during inspections?

Can it also make them immediately available for review on a web portal?

If you answered “no,” then you are likely dealing with one or more of these challenges:

You manage multiple damage disputes
You are eating the cost for many of those disputes
You are spending thousands of dollars on equipment repairs when you aren’t at fault

Here’s the thing: Equipment videos and photos are an absolute must for equipment rental companies.

They show your assets’ true condition during inspections.

These images and videos remove any vagueness in your equipment descriptions, which is absolutely crucial to avoid damage disputes (or winning them).

That is why if your equipment inspection software is not equipped with video and photo-documenting features, your rental company would lose big time.

This guide will cover the crucial role equipment videos and photos play and the importance of having equipment inspection software for rental companies.

Why do you need equipment inspections, and when is the best time to do them?

Conducting a thorough heavy equipment inspection and preventative maintenance is crucial to ensure your fleet remains compliant with operations and safety regulations.

It could save you tons of money because a regular heavy equipment inspection could help you detect machinery issues before they escalate into bigger problems.

This means you can focus your resources on maintaining your equipment instead of replacing them. It also ensures your equipment is safe for use and helps you avoid costly liabilities when accidents occur.

Below are some points your equipment inspection form should include:

Tire pressure
Mirrors and glass
Brakes and lights
Fluid levels
Horn
Seatbelts
Tire condition
Steering
Fuel and oil leaks
Safety devices (fire extinguishers)
Emergency stopping system

Perform regular equipment inspections before and after releasing your rental assets. This improves your equipment inventory management and ensures your assets are in excellent condition while they are rented out, preventing them from malfunctioning on-site, and protecting their readiness for the next job.

A heavy equipment inspection should be conducted when:

Your assets have been exposed to conditions that can cause damages and compromise safe operations
Your equipment has experienced severe environmental conditions, such as being in muddy, dusty, wet, or corrosive areas
Your assets were driven on mountainous terrains and unpaved roads
Several operators handled your equipment
The machinery is to be used for tough jobs
The asset shows signs of necessary repairs indicated by noises, signals, and obvious damages
You are about to sell or buy a piece of used equipment
The worksite location is far from your shop

Use an equipment inspection checklist template to simplify your routine asset inspections.

Why equipment videos and photos are crucial during inspections

Equipment videos and photos provide visual and physical asset documentation and proof of damages that written records alone can’t capture.

Below are some of the reasons why equipment videos and photos are critical when conducting a heavy equipment inspection.

1. Capture, document, and protect your assets

Instead of painting a picture of your machinery’s real state via narrative descriptions, you get an actual image of its true condition through videos and photos.

You can easily capture, store, and share your inspection findings using these videos and images.

Record360 is an equipment inspection software that lets you take photos and videos of your assets using your smart devices via its mobile app.

The Record360 app eliminates paper-based inspections and comes with a customizable equipment inspection checklist template.

You can upload media or take new equipment videos and photos to document asset damages and defects and attach them to your inspection report.

Add an electronic signature and the receiver’s email address and send — that’s the entire inspection process done in minutes.

Record360 provides a quick and easy way to record and file your equipment videos and photos during inspections.

According to Cloverdale Equipment Co Rental Manager Sean Carr:

Record360 is the hard evidence we were missing to prove equipment condition.

2. Protect your equipment

Keeping track of your equipment’s condition with paper documentation or a “big board” is challenging if you have a large fleet, especially if you release over 10 pieces of machinery daily. President and co-owner of Pioneer Equipment, Michel Allen, said,

Before Record360, we were using the Fred Flintstone method, which was writing everything down and trying to keep up with data on a marker board.

Video and photo documentation drastically speeds up your ability to check your equipment while also improving the quality of your inspections and records.

Record360 allows your team to easily capture high-resolution videos and photos, including relevant documents they can upload and attach to reports.

This simplifies gaining irrefutable proof of equipment damages from customer use. You would be able to hold responsible parties liable for these damages, and you won’t lose thousands of dollars on disputes.

Record360 also lets you save asset condition and heavy equipment inspection records in a centralized location that you, the managers, and your team can easily access, search, and share.

Beyond video and photo documentation, the app also offers condition recording and monitoring that is vital to protect your assets.

3. Streamline equipment inspections

Writing long reports to describe your assets’ condition can take too much time and effort.

This can also slow down rental processes and could increase the risks of critical and often costly asset defects and damages.

However, by recording the inspection through videos and photos, you can streamline the process without the need to describe the asset’s condition and incurred damages word by word.

Record360 expedites this process through its digital capabilities using your mobile device. It also lets you add tags and information directly to the photo or video to show which parts and areas have damages and other issues.

Easily share the captured media by uploading it to the Record360 web app or including it in your equipment inspection reports.

Fleet managers can easily access the files and records through the web app anytime, anywhere, and they can download and share the files when needed.

The app also speeds up your internal handoffs by allowing you to access inspections from your desktop and alert your team in the field.

Record360 equipment inspection software provides you with geo-tagged and time-stamped records, resulting in better customer relationships, fewer disputes over damage, and meaningful savings for your business.

As Newman Tractor Rental Coordinator Xavier Vela had said,

Using Record 360’s streamlined documentation process has halved the amount of time spent on equipment reviews while protecting the company from $7,500 in damage expenses a month.

Takeaways from the importance of equipment inspection videos and photos

A systematic regular asset inspection process with proper documentation ensures you have everything you need to capture your equipment’s condition before, during, and after a rental. This would protect your assets and streamline your equipment inspections.

Capturing videos and photos of the equipment will help you comply with safety and operations regulations at all times and improve your preventative maintenance processes.

It can also reduce potential negative impacts on your productivity, guard your company against liability risks, and decrease costly damage disputes and expenses.

All of these and more through one equipment inspection software. Discover the power of Record360 and schedule a demonstration today.

5 benefits of using a digital equipment inspection form

June 2, 2021 by record360

Managing your equipment inspection forms can be a total nightmare if you’re running a massive fleet.

Plus, if you’re still using the archaic pen and paper to conduct your equipment inspections to your entire equipment rental process, your process is bound to grow inefficient. (If it isn’t already.)

That’s why choosing the paperless route is crucial.

With dependable equipment inspection software, you can achieve streamlined and efficient asset rental management and inspections, saving you a huge chunk of your time and resources.

This guide covers five reasons why you should use a digital equipment inspection form and how a reliable app with robust features can help with seamless asset inspections and management.

1. A digital equipment inspection form provides complete flexibility

Electronic asset inspection solutions provide an easily customizable equipment checkout form template.

This gives your team the flexibility needed to inspect various pieces of machinery efficiently. Your staff can use a standard, modifiable equipment sign out sheet directly from a mobile device.

This can significantly cut down on the time and energy it takes to conduct your equipment inspections before releasing them to customers and after getting the machinery back.

The Record360 rental equipment inspection software has digital forms that equipment rental companies can use to streamline their inspection processes.

With this feature, your team can conduct inspections quickly, set it to auto-email your customers and fleet managers, and save it on the cloud for easy documentation and access.

Inspectors can sign off on the report and get customer e-signatures on the fly, streamlining the equipment check out sheet and the entire inspection process.

Shane Johnson, Premier Platforms Branch Coordinator, uses Record360 to digitize their processes to maximize the productivity of their 675+ asset fleet.

He stated:

Going to a digital platform such as Record360 has been huge for us.

He added that they use Record360 at the point of delivery and throughout the rental, to document the updates and then as a final check when the asset returns.

Eliminating clunky and time-consuming paper-based inspections helps your team get everything done faster.

Also, the ease and efficiency that a digital equipment inspection form encourages a proactive environment for performing regular and comprehensive inspections.

2. A paperless equipment checkout form allows absolute mobility

Data shows that regular updating and equipment inspections can mitigate some of the risks of construction and save the lives of 582 workers in the U.S. each year.

However, sticking to manual and paper-based equipment inspections can make it easy to miss critical equipment defects and damages. This can lead to malfunctions and accidents in the field, which means potential costly liabilities for your company.

A digital equipment checkout form helps your team cover all the bases, more ground, and project sites since it takes less time to accomplish electronic inspection forms.

Along with using an equipment checkout form template, you can capture visual verification of your asset’s condition and damages with an inspection software that lets you take high-resolution photos and videos via your mobile device and attach it to your reports.

This makes it easier to share, access, and send out your equipment check out sheet, equipment return form, and other inspection data anytime and anywhere.

You can also save and reuse your digital equipment check out form. Your staff won’t need to create a new checklist every time and instead refer to previous data and use an equipment checkout form template.

You can also combine your equipment checkout form or checklist with other data to uncover deeper insights such as your workflow trends. This can give your management team a big-picture view of your operations and make necessary adjustments for process improvement.

3. A digital equipment check out form improves communication and collaboration

Whether from your equipment return form or equipment sheet, all your asset inspection data should be subject to analysis constantly.

Doing so helps you assess what you’re doing right, where you’re losing money, and the areas in your process that are open to high liability risks.

Electronic equipment inspection forms and digital methods make this process more efficient. These eliminate the need for moving mountains of paperwork across people and floors.

A digitized equipment checkout form template and inspection system streamline your asset management. This includes recording data on your equipment return form, filing your equipment sheet, and reviewing and analyzing all your inspection and asset management info.

4. Electronic equipment inspection forms facilitate real-time reporting

Paperless equipment inspections allow real-time reporting. You can do everything digitally, including your equipment check out form, equipment sheet, and other related documents.

This allows for live data capturing and transmitting, expediting your inspection and rental process.

Your team won’t need to wait to receive the paperwork to kick off the asset rental process since your team can send assessments via the equipment inspection software to your managers while the inspection is happening.

This can significantly reduce time spent on gathering and compiling your equipment sheet, encoding, sorting equipment return form data, analyzing, and reporting through multiple channels.

Record360 makes this a seamless and efficient process through the app’s dashboard. It gives you a quick view of your fleet’s condition in real-time.

You’ll get instant insights, learn your assets’ total damages, and access all the information easily for damage disputes.

According to Vicky Cummings, Cummings Leasing Rental Manager:

Record360 gives you the crystal-clear pictures you need to prevent disputes.

A digital equipment inspection form reduces the hoops your team needs to go through to record and relay damages and reports.

It opens up a communication route through equipment inspection software that allows concerned management and staff access to real-time information.

5. A digitized equipment check out sheet boosts asset inspection and management efficiency

A lack of regular and thorough equipment inspection can lead to unexpected malfunctions or, worse, accidents and injuries.

Not only can this open up your company to expensive liabilities, but if the accident happens within your team, you lose significant manpower and precious work hours.

Data shows that more than 235,000 workers were forced to miss work hours due to injuries from contact with equipment and objects.

A streamlined asset inspection process through a digital equipment check out sheet and other electronically acquired data can help mitigate this kind of risk.

Digital equipment inspection checklists can help instill discipline in conducting thorough assessments.

Plus, with everything done electronically, your team can complete inspections in minutes and send the report immediately to a centralized database in your equipment inspection software.

This saves your management staff valuable time spent searching for information, creating reports, and scheduling and planning inspections.

It’s also easier for managers to access previous equipment inspection and management reports and data for corrective actions, comparative purposes, and further data verification.

Frequently asked questions about equipment inventory management

Below are a few of the commonly asked questions about equipment inventory management.

What is an equipment management system?

An equipment management system is essentially a process that includes managing, monitoring, and maintaining your assets.

It helps ensure proper equipment utilization, deployment, and reallocation of assets quickly when and where they are needed.

How do you manage equipment inventory?

Most leading companies opt for user-friendly, modern equipment inventory systems that match the business’s needs.

Reliable software automates many equipment management background work and streamlines processes.

What is an equipment inventory list?

An equipment inventory list includes all the information related to every asset you have, such as the model, serial number, dimensions, purchase date, etc. It helps ensure proper equipment tracking, management, maintenance, and deployment.

Wrapping up the digital equipment inspection form benefits

Using a digital equipment inspection form expedites your workflows, streamlines your rental process, protects your business from damage disputes, and makes your asset management more efficient.

It helps your team do their jobs more effectively.

You also get standardized and easy-to-access equipment inspection data and gain better visibility into your assets and processes.

If you want to get all these and more from one equipment inspection software, schedule a demonstration of Record360 today.

Top 11 equipment inspection software features

June 2, 2021 by record360

Are you looking for equipment inspection software to replace your tedious, unreliable, and time-consuming manual pen-and-paper process?

We don’t blame you.

Many equipment rental companies suffer from thousands of dollars worth of unfavorable damage disputes, needless staffing costs, and ruined customer relationships because of their inefficient, pen-and-paper documentation processes.

To help you overcome this hurdle and find the best equipment inspection software for your company, we put together this list of top equipment inspection software features you need to consider before making a purchase:

Video & photo capture of equipment utilization
Digital equipment inspection forms and check-out sheets
Quick internal company handoff and response
A real-time dashboard
Secure, digital e-signatures
A cloud-secure system
Seamless customer verification
Inspections and inventory management
Inspections and equipment tracking
An equipment maintenance log
Task assignment capabilities

What is equipment inspection software?

Equipment inspection software is a practical tool for any rental company to streamline manual inspection workflows and accurately document a unit’s condition before and after renting it out. It gives rental companies the capability to conduct equipment inspections, audits, and maintenance plans, without relying on mistake-prone manual processes.

Top 11 equipment inspection software features

To optimize your asset inspection processes, your equipment inspection software should possess the following functionalities:

1. Video & photo capture of equipment utilization

Video and photo captures are among the most critical equipment inspection software features.

They allow you to visually document your equipment’s pre- and post-usage conditions, which are — unfortunately — insufficiently described in traditional handwritten inspection reports.

Clayton Conrad, Coast Counties Peterbilt rental manager, explains his frustrations on the repercussions.

The biggest issue with the paper logs was customers disputing damages… [We] didn’t have clear evidence as to whether or not the customer caused the damage… [and damage losses] were in the thousands, if not tens of thousands per year.

However, with photo and video documentation, you have accurate records of how your equipment appeared before and after utilization and can correctly attribute them to your clients.

Record360 has high-resolution video and photo capturing capabilities. The app also lets you tap on damaged equipment parts shown on your media file and apply damage tags and notes

Record360 then lets you upload these videos and photos to the cloud, send them to your clients to notify them, and attach them to your inspection forms.

With this feature, you upgrade the quality of your inspections and resolve customer disputes fast (or avoid them altogether). You also preserve your company’s integrity, client relationships, and business savings.

Relieved with this Record360 feature, Conrad says, “We can keep our trucks in better shape and sell them for more because we have someone to bill for the damage.”

2. Digital equipment inspection forms and check out sheets

Another practical capability your equipment inspection software should have is creating digital forms, checklists, and check in and check out sheets.

Why?

Because an equipment check out sheet (and check in sheet) can do wonders for your equipment rental company. It hastens your workflow implementation and service delivery and cuts your administrative costs and resources — boosting your day-to-day productivity.

Pioneer Equipment Rental business owner Michel Allan shares,

If you have a good format and it’s simple to navigate, then it gets done accurately and quickly… With one report… we can process equipment in and out [fast].

Digital inspection forms are also generally more secure than paper files, which can easily get misplaced and damaged, resulting in data loss and low service quality.

Using the Record360 app, you can create digital inspection checklists and forms, load them straight into your mobile devices, and painlessly capture your needed data in standard formats.

Users (whether staff or clients) can simply type in applicable answers, go back to previous pages when needed, and press selected options or tick boxes.

With digital inspection forms, rental companies can complete workflows quickly compared to them taking several minutes when writing and filling up paper forms.

3. Quick internal company handoff and response

If you’re handling an enormous fleet of equipment assets, delegating several urgent inspections to your staff via traditional communication channels can be burdensome.

That’s why you need to select a reliable and feature-packed equipment inspection software. Having one increases the efficiency of your asset inspection activities, making them seamless and automated.

For example, with the digital inspection forms you create on our Record360 app, your staff can conduct inspections offsite and send their results electronically.

You can also perform inspections on any of your company branches. Just send your drivers or contractors a direct link to corresponding Record360 app functions, so they can remotely and promptly fill out and return the digital inspection report.

The Record360 app can also automate and schedule real-time email delivery to responsible departments whenever an inspection fails, needs to kick off on which date, and more.

That way, you and your staff can respond instantly, apply the best corrective action, finish inspections faster, and continue serving your customers with quality equipment.

When Premier Leasing streamlined its vehicle condition review processes through a standard coordinated workflow, rental manager Kevin Etlicher shares:

Having a standardized process means we can get our trucks ready hours before a customer comes in… We receive notice that a rental is going to happen, and we can do the documentation well in advance. That way, when the customer comes in, we can hand over the keys and have them sign the check out form. They’re on their way in no time.

4. A real-time dashboard

A reliable equipment inspection software provides you with a clean, easy-on-the-eyes dashboard showing your overall asset inspection operational performance in real-time.

Record360’s dashboard homepage meets you with inspection-related data graphs and charts, including recent condition reviews, total damages, and more. Get a bird’s-eye view of your equipment inspection operations by reviewing the data on your dashboard.

From the graphs, you can see a summary of ongoing and closed inspections and damages inflicted on the units for a specified period.

The Recent Activity and Recent Inspections panels on the right side update themselves and display those happenings in real-time.

With a comprehensive, informational dashboard like this, you can closely keep tabs on your equipment’s conditions and inspection activities and access rich data to support your claims during disputes.

5. Secure, digital e-signatures

With an electronic signature function in your equipment inspection software, your clients can digitally sign your inspection forms on the fly. They no longer need to drop by your office just to sign a document — they can do this remotely. This saves time, effort, and resources for your client and yourself.

Record360’s eSign feature enables you to send inspection-related and other documents to your clients (even repeatedly) for their digital signature. You can view your eSign request status right from the Record360 dashboard and click in to see more details.

You can also request signatures for multiple documents using a straightforward, customizable email template. Your customers receive a branded email with clear instructions on what to do next.

If your clients have not yet signed the delivered documents in 48 hours (extending to 96 hours), Record360 automatically sends reminders. Once they’ve signed digitally, you and your clients receive a confirmation email with a link to the signed document.

With productivity-boosting features like e-signatures on your equipment inspection software, you can get more done, reduce costs, and improve client satisfaction.

6. A cloud-secure system

Your equipment inspection software should also have a cloud-secure system.

This enables quick file uploads and downloads in a safe repository that’s accessible to you and your authorized employees.

Cloud-secure systems make file sharing much easier because you can immediately save them on a categorized folder online.

You and your staff don’t need to copy and paste inspection-related photos, documents, and videos onto a USB drive, hand it to each other, and risk acquiring computer viruses or accidental file deletions.

7. Seamless customer verification

Equipment rental companies traditionally verify identities by requiring customers to submit copies of authorized IDs and other identification documents in person, via mail, or email.

The rental company personnel then photocopies physical copies or prints electronically sent files and attach them to the rental application and inspection forms.

This makes your rental and inspection workflows tedious, time-consuming, and expensive.

To improve your administrative examination processes, choose equipment inspection software tools with customer verification features.

The Record360 app shows us an example. It has license scanning functionalities that make it safe and quick for your customers to present their identification documents for your verification.

They don’t need to go to your office to submit their files, and you wouldn’t need to buy and use up shedloads of paper and ink to print those documents.

The result: Cost reduction and saved time for both you and your customers.

8. Inspections and inventory management

A handy database of your assets and their respective inspections is vital when getting equipment inspection software.

You should be able to access a ton of information anytime you need it, e.g., when monitoring and assessing your assets, handling repairs, or resolving client debates about damages.

Record360 has the Units panel on its dashboard that lists your rental equipment assets and their details, such as their locations, users, identification numbers, damages, and others.

On every equipment unit’s detail page, you’ll find its photos and videos, essential inspection information, geographic location, inspection history, and activity log (more on this in the next segment).

Record360’s dashboard also has the Inspections panel where it lists the inspected equipment units, plus information similar to those in the Units section.

The Inspections page also has tabs that let you organize and view only the submitted inspection reports and drafts and by other filters. You can also delete listed assets and edit their details (e.g., ID numbers) accordingly.

To download reports on damaged equipment or uncover the business branches that implemented the most inspections for the week, export filtered lists of units and asset condition reviews from the Record360 dashboard.

As you can see, equipment inspection software with an efficient unit and inspection inventory feature streamlines the management of your units, condition checks, and disputes — resulting in better asset protection, brand image, and client relationship protection.

9. Inspections and equipment tracking

Especially if you have multiple office locations, you want to stay on top of things and remain updated with your other branches’ inspections and equipment conditions.

If that applies to you, look for equipment inspection software with asset and inspection tracking capabilities.

As mentioned earlier, the Record360 dashboard homepage shows periodic graphs and real-time updates on your inspections by location.

You can also quickly track your equipment and inspections made on them through the details on the Inventory panel: location, user, ID number, and others. Record360’s activity log and inspection history also let you monitor your equipment and the activities conducted with it.

These are the details summarized by the Inspections History graph on the Record360 dashboard homepage we discussed previously.

With these features, you can closely keep an eye on your assets and equipment inspections and ensure the units are where they should be and regularly examined.

10. An equipment maintenance log

When your inspection reports reveal that your assets need repairs or maintenance visits, you want to supervise these activities smoothly — particularly if you have a large fleet.

That’s why your chosen equipment inspection software must have a systematic equipment maintenance log. For example, Record360 allows you to schedule equipment inspections from the Units section view or an individual asset’s detail page view. Your drivers and other authorized staff can also leave comments about your equipment’s utilization and maintenance status and condition.

Equipment maintenance logs like this let you check that your assets are always in tip-top shape, preventing damages that can harm your customers and ensuring operational continuity.

11. Task assignment capabilities

Equipment inspections involve several recurring tasks.

If you’re still using pen and paper and other manual methods to delegate tasks to your team (such as leaving notes on their desks), your staff can quickly forget or miss your instructions.

In contrast, using equipment inspection software can automate, centralize, and secure your assignments to your personnel.

This translates to efficient task monitoring over time, more systematic staff-manager coordination, and better communication lines in your equipment rental company.

Record360’s new Tasks feature is an example of this software functionality. It allows you to assign specific to-do’s and inspections to the personnel in real-time and notifies them instantly.

As a result, they can complete the equipment inspections, address any arising issues, and serve your customers promptly.

Use the best equipment inspection software for your business

Investing in comprehensive equipment inspection software is among the smartest business decisions you can make as an equipment rental company owner.

It protects your assets, grows your bottom line, and establishes your reputation while strengthening your client relationships.

Don’t miss out on the critical cost-saving benefits of a robust, feature-packed equipment inspection software like Record360.

Interested in learning more about Record360? Schedule a demonstration today.

How rental inspection software protects rental assets large and small

April 14, 2021 by record360

For both large corporate chains to independent companies, rental inspection software can save thousands of dollars in potential damage disputes, and vastly improve processes. Below are two examples of how equipment rental companies are protecting their assets — from air compressors to large aerial lifts — with Record360. Learn why having access to a world-class rental inspection app can be invaluable to your rental business.

“Everyone wants to save every dime they can save.”

Repairs and replacement parts, even for smaller items such as hoses, valves, fuel caps, fire extinguishers, add up quickly. Paper inspections won’t provide the concrete evidence needed to prove to a customer they are responsible. At Preferred Rentals, their selection of rental equipment runs the gamut:

Back hoes
Excavators (large and mini)
Forklifts
Generators
Compressors

Watch the clip below and see Robert Marvin, who runs counter sales for Preferred Rentals, explain why he believes:

“For the rental business, I would think everyone would want Record360.”

“It’s been a beautiful product for us.”

At Premier Platforms, a 3 location, independently-owned, family business, they use Record360 to protect their 675+ assets during short and long term aerial lift rentals.

In their industry, seemingly insignificant damage to a large boom lift could run in excess of $10,000. And with only paper to rely upon, there is no way to prove to a customer that they are responsible. Record360 mobile inspection app is built to prevent that exact scenario from happening.

In the short video below, Branch Coordinator, Shane Johnson, describes all the ways they use Record360 to improve their day-to-day operations while protecting their valuable assets.

“Going to a digital platform such as Record360 has been huge for us.”

They use Record360 at the point of delivery, and also throughout the rental, especially long-term rentals, to document the updates and then as a final check when the asset returns.

The photo and video evidence collected by Record360 provides indisputable proof where and when damage occurred, including:

Time stamps
Geo-tags to show location
Condition at drop off and return

Don’t wait until after the next repair cost you have to eat. Request a demonstration of Record360 and start saving today.