Driving Insight - Technology
Fleet News - Daily Rental Supplement comments Ian McKenzie, group business development director, FMG Support
How do online services help fleet managers in their daily management of rental cars? Are all online services the same? If not, what should fleets be looking for?
Online systems are undoubtedly starting to revolutionise the ongoing management of vehicle rentals through streamlining the booking process and reducing the resources needed to process transactions. Automating orders and providing access to reporting and billing information in real-time has also enabled businesses to deliver higher levels of customer service and manage their own internal operations with greater efficiency and profitability. For example, systems can set agreed, pre-defined business rules that allow companies to always receive the best cost for each transaction according to agreed criteria, and also enable tiered access for employees throughout the business to place bookings themselves. This ensures that control remains centrally but provides the flexibility for employees to order rental vehicles within appropriate bands.
However, the value of using online services to derive efficiencies beyond merely reducing administration still largely remains untapped. The extent to which this can be achieved largely depends on the choice of online service provider and their expertise to deliver against fleets’ performance objectives.
Businesses that want to create value from rental with minimum internal resourcing need to consider fundamental elements such as use-ability, quick response times, integration with existing software and accurate invoicing, and then look beyond the specific requirements of the business. For example, FMG Support’s technology system, Ingenium, provides a flexible solution that can be built around customers’ needs from just providing a tool to process bookings through to creating a fully outsourced vehicle rental management solution. Its online system also enables customers to access an extensive network of vehicle suppliers or can route requests to only preferred suppliers. With the majority of standard bookings placed online, our contact centre can concentrate on providing a rapid, personal response to any specialist or last minute requests that can really help customers’ to deliver on their promises.
To truly improve online rental management, businesses should look for systems that have the flexibility to deliver a complete solution against their requirements and have the support mechanisms in place to ensure that efficiency and profitability is maximised.
