In the Netherlands many family-run car rental companies are still active. Grandad, the founder, had to make do with the ever-reliable means of keeping track of things: 'pen and paper'. But what did that look like?
In this blog we look back at how car rental used to work and measure it against the present day. How did the pioneers of car rental run their shop without computers and mobile apps? Are they even necessary?
Car rental in the old days
If you try to picture how things used to be done, you quickly gain respect for those rental companies.
It is utter chaos. Long queues of impatient people at the desk. Mountains of paper with rental contracts and hand-over forms. A packed paper diary full of crossed-out appointments. A phone that never stops ringing with customers wanting to make a last-minute reservation, and a lingering uncertainty about whether the vehicles will get nicked.
That's how it must have gone, right?
You would indeed think so. But society was put together differently back then. It was, for example, a lot less hurried and also less anonymous. People knew their neighbours and their customers.
That is how grandad managed it all just fine. There were still queues now and then, but people would happily have a chat with each other. In many cases rental contracts and hand-over forms were not even necessary. You knew exactly who that customer was; it would be fine. Grandad did not need a diary either. He simply remembered.
Perhaps I am overdoing it now. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The fact is that the world looked different back then, which means you cannot compare car rental of the past with car rental today.
Car rental twenty years ago
Fleets have grown, customers are anonymous and impatient, and the world is becoming ever more digital. Reservations are made by phone and even via websites already.
Most car rental organisations still use grandad's way of working. The changed world, however, makes it harder to keep everything on track.
There are long queues at the desk, everyone hurried and excited to begin their adventure. Here and there you hear complaining and sighing from people who feel they have been waiting too long. Meanwhile an employee is searching through a pile of rental contracts looking for a specific note on this rental. Honestly, it is a tad chaotic.
After a morning of hard work, calm returns somewhat. It does not last long, though, because the first vehicles already have to be transported to another location. This goes on until late in the evening. Still, they manage to get it all done.
The inevitable slip-up
Halfway through the afternoon, however, things go wrong. Two different customers are standing at the desk to collect their car, but only one car is available. It turns out that a reservation was confirmed by phone, but in the rush was not properly entered in the diary.
Luckily another customer happens to be returning a vehicle at that very moment. That was a close call.
The rise of car rental software (20 years ago – now)
With the rise of the computer, a better way to streamline processes emerged. Gradually, digital systems were developed to keep track of the basic rental processes:
Planning board.
With a digital planning board you can easily see which vehicles are rented out when and for how long. Double bookings are a thing of the past.
Reservation management.
Customer reservations are updated automatically and displayed in a user-friendly interface, without the hassle of paper diaries and post-it notes.
Digital check-in/check-out.
All required forms and documents are digital and instantly available. This speeds up the process and minimises waiting times for customers.
Automatic invoicing.
Invoices are sent at the touch of a button and deposits are refunded automatically.
The software thus gives more grip on the many intertwined processes. Rental companies that have switched to this kind of car rental software will never go back.
And I do not blame them.
Well, not entirely. By now a lot of car rental software has been overtaken by innovative software and initiatives that connect all processes via an AI-supported cloud infrastructure, which has put software development into a new fast lane.
The basic principles discussed above are making way for newer and improved ways of renting.
This marks the start of the transition to rental 4.0. That is what we at RentVisie are responding to. We recently announced RentVisie rental software 4.0. Curious about what we have in mind with it? Then keep following our blogs!
Want to know more about how our software fits your business? Get in touch with us.
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