- Operations personnel enter massive amounts of data into your information systems each day
- When the data they input is inaccurate/incomplete, analytics become unreliable (or even misleading)
- Fortunately, there are ways for rental companies to improve the quality of the data that their employees input
From yard workers recording equipment damage to drivers logging when they complete pickups and deliveries, rental branch personnel input a staggering amount of data into their information systems every day. The best equipment rental companies analyze this operational data to identify the areas where they excel, where they have room to improve, and where they might want to invest in the future.
Garbage in, garbage out
But such insights can only be relied upon when the data they are derived from reflects reality, and in many instances, that cannot be assumed. For various reasons, it’s not uncommon for personnel to forget to log their work when they perform it or to make data entry errors. And once inaccurate or incomplete data makes its way into a system of record, it can be very difficult to distinguish between reliable information and distracting noise.
That brings us to the crux of this blog post: what equipment rental companies can do to ensure that the data inputted by their employees is as accurate and comprehensive as possible.
How managers can help
Businesses can broach this challenge from two opposing angles. First (and most obviously) managers can keep a more watchful eye over what their subordinates enter into their information systems. If they discover that errors or oversights are being made, those managers can take the time to discover why they are occurring and how they can be eliminated. Depending on the situation, additional training, more staff, or new means of capturing operational data (e.g. software solutions over “analog” methods like paper documents, whiteboards, etc.) can go a long way. Managers can use their best judgement to determine what means of intervention would be most effective for their specific scenario.
The best equipment rental companies analyze this operational data to identify the areas where they excel, where they have room to improve, and where they might want to invest in the future.
Incentives to the rescue
The other approach equipment rental businesses can use to improve their data quality is to offer incentives. By encouraging personnel to consistently submit accurate data with meaningful rewards, many companies (including some Wynne Systems customers) have seen dramatic improvements to the quality of their operational data. When developing such incentive programs, companies should strive to set achievable goals personalized for individual roles or departments for maximum potential impact. Additionally, because entering accurate data is so essential, any prizes offered should reflect that importance by being sufficiently enticing.
And those are some simple but effective ways that equipment rental companies can improve the accuracy of their operational data. For more ways to take your business to the next level, contact us to schedule a demo.
