RER: What new capabilities, products and upgrades have you developed in the past year?
Hopp: We just introduced an integrated payment processing module that lets users complete transactions in InTempo Enterprise. This can be used for one-time purchases or recurring long-term rentals. Rental organizations can keep a customer’s card on file without storing the actual card information on their system. If a customer wants to extend an existing contract or rent a new machine, they can run the charge without having the customer provide their payment information again. Meanwhile, that data is stored in a secure portal, providing a higher level of protection from security threats.
Our payment module can process online payments as well as phone orders and counter sales. If a rental business offers online checkout, they can implement the same solution they use at their rental counter. If they don’t have an online store, they can still let their customers pay online, using secure email or SMS-based payment links.
What have you done to improve your software’s integration with telematics systems and other integration with machine data?
Our software integrates with two leading telematics solutions – Trackunit and Iron Portal – helping rental companies connect the dots between their machines and their ERP. We’re providing more visibility than ever before into key data points, such as machine hours and location. Business owners can more easily track service calls, use hours, and other critical measures.
What have you done to improve mobile capability in the past year? Is this more important than ever in the age of COVID and more people working remotely?
Mobile has been a major priority for us, although that’s been the case since before COVID. We know that our customers don’t do all their work from the rental counter, and we wanted to offer solutions that let them complete important workflows wherever they are – whether that’s checking equipment in or out in the rental yard, creating reservations from a jobsite, performing work orders in the field, or performing work orders at a customer’s worksite. Our mobile app and service module gives teams the ability to get the job done from anywhere, with fewer delays, making operations more efficient across the board.
What are likely to be the new trends/new directions in software in the foreseeable future?
Security has been one of the biggest trends of the last few years, and that’s just as true in the rental space as it is in other industries. We’re seeing buyers become increasingly interested in the security of their Internet of Things, and we’re responding accordingly.
We’ve rolled out a new user interface with considerable security enhancements; one of the largest is that users can maintain and manage users internally so they can only see what they’re authorized to see. Delivery drivers can’t see customers’ sensitive financial data, and equipment inspectors don’t have access to personally identifiable information. However, that platform also offers more than just security upgrades. The interface gives users much more flexibility to add custom features and upgrades – more quickly and at a lower cost.
What new features have customers been asking for that will be important?
We have been working on a number of unique APIs that let InTempo communicate with other software programs. This will let customers more easily share information across their platforms – whether those are legacy systems or newer cloud-based technologies. Meanwhile, it makes life easier for our customers’ IT teams; implementation is faster and requires fewer resources.
We also continue to add more and more flexibility to push and pull data with third party software packages, such as SmartEquip, IntelliChief, Banks, and others.
