What software do car rental companies use?

There is a belief that not everyone can afford to rent cars. Business requires investments, and it is not just about the availability of a fleet, but also about the right software. Companies like Zhongsheng Group, Avis Budget Group or Hertz can afford to develop personal software and maintain it for hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. However, is it possible to create your own car rental service and not spend that money? Yes, it is quite possible.

Software for small companies

What functions should be performed by the software on which the work of the car rental service is built? Let us start with a list of basic requirements.

Track the condition of the car. Manage the fleet, namely to collect general statistics on cars and provide information for analysis. Track vehicle location. Fix the state of individual cars, based on fuel or charge sensors, check engine operation, speed of movement. Provide services to the client. Let us start with the registration form, because the client should be able to enjoy all the benefits of the system. A car booking module is needed so that the client can reserve a car for a specific time. It should be possible to upload the fleet via API so that the site always has up-to-date data on cars. Perform accounting. We are talking about accounting for funds, assessing income and expenses and the ability to receive payments online. It is also necessary to constantly monitor car reserves and track the waves of rental demand.

All these features are available for small and medium businesses. You do not need to develop the system from scratch yourself. You can simply use a ready-made solution.

Let us look at the functions in more detail

Each of the elements helps to collect information on the entire fleet. The service covers three most important segments for an entrepreneur:

– car condition; – client requests; – accounting

In fact, this is your digital office that works smoothly and efficiently.

Acceptance of payment

This module allows clients to deliver payments. It includes all the necessary permits and licenses to transfer  funds.

Clients, in turn, get ample opportunities to choose a means of payment. The module allows you to pay rent in cash, or if necessary, select Visa, Mastercard, PayPal or any other system. At the same time, it is worth remembering the source of payment, namely cars.

Reserves

Any car rental company is guided by a plan for the issuance of vehicles and a schedule for their acceptance. It always includes the percentage of vehicles that are repaired, leased and ready for use.

Focusing on such a schedule, employees more rationally distribute efforts and work more efficiently. A special module monitors the reserve of cars. You, like the company’s managers, receive up-to-date information and can calculate the company’s future income based on it.

You can also see which specific car brands are most often unavailable, and, therefore, are in high demand. Thanks to this, you will be able to select the best and most demanded offer for clients.

Fleet management

This is an integrated approach to fleet management. First of all, you have access to the entire database of cars with a detailed description of each, its costs, profitability and payback periods.

Contracts for the lease of each car, the names of tenants, their contacts and personal information are available separately. You can always find out who and when used a particular car.

Along with this, you also see the entire schedule of booked cars. You understand the exact dates when the car will be ordered, what profit the fleet brings now and will bring in the future.

Telematics and remote monitoring

Thanks to the latest technologies and capabilities of software products, you will be able to:

Track the exact coordinates of each car. You will always know exactly where your car is. In case of an emergency, you will be able to easily find its location. Evaluate each client: how aggressively they drive, how often they exceed speed limits, in what condition they return the car. Monitor the condition of the car, including oil level, gas tank, engine speed, door status(open / closed). If necessary, you will be able to remotely start the engine or turn it off.

All this allows you to objectively evaluate each client, focusing on more conscientious users and, accordingly, stop serving those that cause damage to cars.

Car history

All of the above concerned the technical characteristics of the car. In this case, we are talking about the complex history of the car. As an owner or top manager, the following data is available to you:

A report on all lease agreements: who signed them, under what conditions and for what period. Which driver used the car and in what condition they returned it after use. The quality of the manager’s work: how the payment was made, in what amount, who conducted the transaction, what feedback the client left about the service.

The essence of any process lies in the details. Solid, high-quality service allows you to literally immerse yourself in every detail of the business, tracking it from different angles.

Overbooking

Every service has customers who make a pre-order and then cancel it. This is not a disaster, but a reality. Smart car rental management software allows you to use a simultaneous booking strategy.

This is necessary if both clients often change their minds and tend to cancel the car reservation. The program shows you the probability that the user will disappear again, giving up the lease.

At the same time, if clients still intend to use the booked car, the system will always offer an alternative and select the best solution.

Reports

The fleet app is your personal office, so you cannot avoid reporting. The system stores and provides you with detailed information, namely:

All accounting: every transaction, invoice, executed document. All this is accumulated in your personal account and is available for transparent analysis. Closed deals and loyalty program features. You see not only the basic information on income and expenses, but you can immediately calculate the effectiveness of promotional campaigns by the number of acquired customers. Reports on technical support and car repair. Monitor the engine of your business and adjust its operation if necessary.

Transparency, efficiency, accuracy – these criteria ensure the reliable functioning of your business, ensuring stable profits.

Popular car management system

All these functions should be performed by one system. It is possible to develop it from scratch, but for incredible money, and after this you will also have to maintain its work on an ongoing basis. This means additional costs and expenses.

On the other hand, you can use ready-made services, as large car rental companies such as Local Rent and Discovers car do. Both services have fleets in different countries using the proven RentSyst tool. All functions and features are included in the functionality of the service. You can check them out through the demo version of the app.

The choice is always yours: build a branched system tailored to your needs, or use an existing solution, without having to reinvent the wheel.

We wish you adequate clients, high KPIs and success to your business!