Masterental.com Provides a Masterful Resource

Dec. 1, 2001
The merger of RenTrain and Masterental.com has brought with it a new Web site portal designed to be a resource for both the rental dealer and the end

The merger of RenTrain and Masterental.com has brought with it a new Web site portal designed to be a resource for both the rental dealer and the end user.

“What we're doing is a combination of education and training along with e-commerce capabilities,” explained Steven Lillybeck, vice president, publishing. “The services that we're providing help the rental dealer, and they also function in the same fashion for the end user.”

For example, to learn more about rotary hammers, users can enter the Masterental.com site, select “Learn” from the toolbar, click on Product Library, choose the Tool and Equipment category and then choose Power Tools. From that category listing, select Rotary Hammers; choose from the manufacturer(s) listed and then select a specific product. Once the user reaches that page, he or she can read a complete product description, provided by the manufacturer, and also download resources such as safety instructions, operating instructions and maintenance information, explains Shawn Nussbaum, chief technology officer. Users must have Acrobat Reader (a free download, available directly on the Masterental site) installed on their machine to access the PDF files.

At this stage, a user may want to find out where to rent that particular rotary hammer. To find out, simply type in the city in which you would like to search followed by the name of the product. For example, to search for a rotary hammer in Kingsport, Tenn., type in “Kingsport, rotary hammer” and hit search. This function will automatically transfer you to the site's “Rent” section, where stores that carry rotary hammers in the area searched will be listed. Clicking through a rental store link will take you directly to that store's Web site.

If the user selects the first store listed using the above search, he or she will be directed to a page with a 1 1/2 inch rotary hammer. From here, an online order may be placed, which will be faxed directly to the store once the user checks out. The dealer would then call the customer directly to finalize the order.

RenTrain also offers Web site development services to rental dealers. The company will either enhance an existing Web site or build one from scratch.

The goal of the Masterental.com service is twofold: to increase Web presence for individual rental dealers by driving traffic to their sites and educating dealers and consumers about the products, and to provide a gateway to all areas of the industry for consumers.

“We really want to enhance rental from the existing client base as well as to educate consumers who have not yet availed themselves to the rental option,” said Lillybeck.

Next time you find yourself searching for the maintenance instructions for a skid steer, consider logging on the Masterental.com site to quickly download them. Or, if you're just looking for an effective way to enhance the Web presence of your rental center give them a call.

If you have a Web site you would like to see featured in RER, please contact Brandey Smith at [email protected].