What sort of person simply hands the key to his car to a complete stranger?
The reality is that this scenario plays out countless times at car rental companies. While there are rules in place to minimize risks, that doesn't mean that you can rest on your laurels. The right tech can help you immensely.
What are your options if you run a car rental company and want to contain risks?
The answer is that you need GPS tracking services. Keep reading to learn why rental car tracking is important for your business.
GPS Tracking Services Are About Vehicle Safety
The primary reason for rental car tracking is to ensure your cars are safe. Your customers, by renting your vehicles, are counting on the reliability of the cars.
When you install GPS tracking services, your vehicle rental business will be able to track cars in real-time, monitor speed, keep track of fuel levels, and stay on top of where vehicles are at all times.
Without this vital information, it would be virtually impossible to provide the level of dependability and customer service that your clients expect.
Getting the right GPS tracking solution for your fleet of rental vehicles will allow you to get a wide range of critical information remotely. You can even generate reports to get whatever information you need.
Location Tracking
It's important to know precisely where all your rental cars are at any time. Having this information is one way you can ensure that customers are using the rental cars in accordance with the terms of the rental agreement.
For instance, you'll want to ensure that renters aren't taking the cars anywhere they shouldn't be. You might not, for example, want them to take rental cars beyond state lines.
Without the right GPS tracking technology, you won't be able to verify whether or not customers are compliant with such a rule. But the right solutions installed in your fleet of rental cars will allow you to keep on top of this info.
Most customers will abide by the terms of the contract. But the reality is that others might be tempted to use the vehicles improperly. You'll easily be able to track where the cars are and the routes being taken.
Depending on the solution you choose, you can get notifications if rental cars go outside of a specific geographic boundary. Everything will be done seamlessly and automatically.
Improve Customer Service
If you're running a car rental company, you know that offering great customer service is just as important as quality cars available at a competitive rate.
Customers have lots of options when it comes to renting cars. So, you'll want to offer them a unique value proposition that sets your car rental business apart. Having a bird's eye view of your rental vehicles will help.
Being able to track where your rental vehicles are in real-time means better customer service since you'll be able to communicate availability to customers.
If you have a handful of rental vehicles due back within a certain time frame, you'll be able to check where the vehicles are at any given moment. You'll then be able to book rentals with a greater degree of confidence.
Not knowing where your cars are will put your car rental company at a competitive disadvantage. Information is power. The more information you have on the whereabouts of your cars, the better you can run your business.
And if you're able to give customers the answers they need without having to scramble to find out where your cars are, you'll have more satisfied clients.
Boost Car Rental Company Profits
Tracking a rental car will also help you to boost your rental company's profits. You can leverage the GPS software to get data on fuel use, routes taken, idling, and more.
You need to know not only where your vehicles are, but also how they're being used. With the cost of fuel going through the roof, it pays to leverage the right technology to find out how your cars are being used.
It's hard to run a business effectively if you don't know what's going on across the board. Using a GPS tracking solution will help. Being able to generate reports will also provide you with data you can use to make strategic changes.
Manage Your Fleet
When you operate a car rental company, you'll want to ensure your rental cars are out on the road more than they're on the lot... or at the mechanic.
Routine maintenance and timely repairs are critical if your rental cars are to be available to customers.
Knowing the precise path the cars are driven, the speeds at which they're driven, the conditions they're driven in, and more will inform your fleet maintenance and repair decisions.
You'll be in full control as the rental store owner. And the information you can glean using a GPS tracking solution will help you to keep your cars on the road.
Lessen Car Theft Risks
You can also reduce the risks of rental car theft if you implement GPS tracking technology.
If a car thief believes the vehicle he covets has a tracking device installed, he'll probably abort his plans and find an easier target. Many such crimes are crimes of convenience. Making things inconvenient can discourage many thieves.
Equipping your fleet of rental cars with the right solution will lessen car theft risks. It'll also be easy to notify the authorities and to give them the information they need to retrieve your stolen rental cars.
Rental cars that don't have GPS tracking systems are difficult to recover. Ask any insurer -- they'll confirm this. The last thing you'll want is to have to engage in a back-and-forth with your insurer over a stolen rental car.
With GPS tracking devices installed, your rental cars will be located fast. That's if a thief actually bothers to steal it in the first place. You'll be able to generate reports based on real-time data to facilitate the return of your stolen cars.
Your insurer will also give you a discount on your rental car insurance policy if you equip your fleet of vehicles with tracking devices. Using this type of technology means your cars -- even if stolen -- will be retrieved and returned.
Insurers know that this type of technology is a deterrent and that the risks of a stolen vehicle being lost for good will drop considerably. So, it's worth considering a move to equip your rental cars with GPS tracking technology.
Monitor Driver Behavior
You'll want to ensure your customers are driving in a safe and responsible manner. That will protect them, other drivers and pedestrians, and your cars.
That's why tracking a rental car makes sense. You'll be able to do the following:
- Find out if drivers are engaging in aggressive driving
- Keep tabs on drivers who are accelerating recklessly
- See which drivers tend to idle way too much
Depending on what sort of information you gather on driver behavior, you might wish to implement safety protocols that renters have to follow. This could include stipulating what behaviors could warrant canceling the rental.
Since you'll be able to track rental cars remotely, you'll be able to reach out to drivers right away if it's deemed they're driving in an unsafe manner. You can then take whatever measures are needed for those who don't comply.
While you won't want to ban any drivers, you may choose to do so for customers who routinely run afoul of your safety protocols.
It goes without saying that drivers are more likely to use rental cars in a more responsible manner if they know the car rental company can track usage.
Prevent Unauthorized Use
When it comes to tracking a rental car, you'll also want to keep employees -- not just your customers -- in mind. Equipping your cars with a GPS tracking device means you'll be able to spot unauthorized vehicle use.
For instance, if you have employees driving to pick up rental car customers, you'll want to ensure that your employees do just that. You'll be able to track the routes taken, any stops made, and other particulars.
What this means is that you'll know if your employees take unnecessary detours, go to locations they shouldn't be at, or do anything else that they shouldn't be doing. Tracking technology will ensure rules are followed.
And if your workers are following the rules, they'll be more productive and efficient. Odds are that your customers will wind up getting better service.
Understand Demand
When you're tracking usage across your fleet of rental cars, you'll be able to find trends. You can generate reports to see, for instance, where the demand is coming from and what days of the week or times of the day are busiest.
And since you'll know where all of your rental cars are at all times, you'll be equipped to meet customer demand and maximize car rentals. Keeping on top of demand trends can also help you adjust your marketing efforts.
You'll know what cars your target demographic tends to rent, how long their rentals tend to be, what their driving habits are, and other important things.
Know Where Your Cars Are Even When Customers Don't
If one of your customers parks his rental car illegally and the car is ultimately towed, what can you do? The customer may not know where the car is. It's also possible that the customer is unfamiliar with the area.
As the owner of a car rental company, you'll have nothing to worry about if the car was equipped with a GPS tracking device. You'll know exactly where the rental car is and then advise the customer where he needs to go to get it.
If a customer gets stranded in a territory she has never been to before, you'll be able to get them into a replacement rental car in short order. People who are stranded in unfamiliar areas may not be able to give directions.
But you'll know exactly where the car is located. You'll never face a situation where you simply don't know where a rental car is. In short order, you'll be able to see all of your rental cars on one screen when you work with the experts.
Attract Responsible Customers
Tracking a rental car isn't about trying to invade a customer's privacy. It's about a lot of important things like keeping customers safe and protecting the car rental company's vehicle fleet of vehicles. So, it's a win-win.
The type of customer who is responsible and appreciates safety measures won't be bothered by using a rental car that is equipped with tracking technology. In fact, most law-abiding consumers will be safer knowing this.
Meanwhile, customers who have bad driving habits might, if they know a car rental company equips its fleet of vehicles with tracking solutions, look elsewhere.
Get the Real-Time GPS Tracking Solutions You Need
If you're looking for real-time GPS tracking for your car rental company, you've come to the right place. Our easy-to-use application puts you, as the owner of a car rental business, in the driver's seat.
You'll be able to do it from your computer laptop, tablet, or smartphone. You owe it to yourself to explore how our solutions can benefit your company.
There are many benefits that come with getting the right technology. And those benefits aren't just for your company. They're also about doing what's best for your customers.
For the help you need or to get the GPS tracking services you need, contact us.
