At the 2019 Wynne Systems User Conference during one of his sessions, Product Manager Ken Kimura relayed an interesting perspective a Wynne customer once shared with him. Paraphrased, the customer explained that “Our counter is like our quarterback; they make all of the decisions that drive our operations.” Regardless of how big of a football fan people were, that perspective really seemed to resonate with everyone attending Ken’s presentation.
While often conflated, strategy and tactics describe different phenomena, both of which are integral to the efficacy of any business. Strategy refers to long-term, overarching plans and goals. Conversely, tactics pertain to the small steps along the path of achieving strategic success, like best practices, action plans, resources, etc.
In the rental world, strategy is typically formulated by directors and managers, while tactics are handled by operational staff. Both have a direct impact on the success of any rental store, and by extension, both benefit from tools that enable them to make better decisions faster.
In this blog post, we’ll be exploring how rental counter staff make decisions, the tools they use to inform their decision-making, and how enhancing those tools can contribute towards meaningful business gains.
So Many Screens, So Little Time
In order to fulfill all of their responsibilities, rental coordinators typically jump between multiple screens to obtain information they need. For instance, if a rental coordinator wants to see what assets they can put on-rent or need to pull back, they will open up their rental software’s equipment inquiry. Should a customer call them regarding the particulars of a contract, that rental coordinator will need to access their software’s transaction inquiry. And if they are looking to find out where a customer’s job is located in order to make better decisions about moving their equipment, a trip to their software’s customer job module will be required.
What’s more, once a counter person has the information they need after completing one or more of the steps outlined above, they still need to visit a whole other module to actually carry out a rental transaction.
Individually, the most-common tasks associated with each of these different screens don’t take very long to complete. But because even simple transactions requires hopping back-and-forth between multiple screens, productivity can suffer. What’s more, the siloed nature of the data rental coordinators rely on can reduce visibility of fleet availability, which can further diminish their efficiency.
Bringing Everything Together
Compared to your average retail purchase, typical rental transactions are infinitely more complex. But that doesn’t mean that the right software can’t make carrying out rental transactions simple and streamlined. Wynne’s EnVision Rental Activity Center is designed to empower rental counter staff with the ability to search for equipment and execute all manner of transactions quickly and easily. By consolidating multiple screens into a single, all-encompassing command center, EnVision RAC lets rental coordinators understand their fleet availability with just a quick glance. This no-fuss efficiency enables them to identify opportunities faster and respond to customer needs more seamlessly, enabling rental companies to realize their operational goals.
