Software is amazing. If we didn’t have it, I’d be writing this on a typewriter and we’d be doing manual paste-up on boards. Believe me, I remember that process and it wasn’t that long ago. I also remember when I first got involved in the rental industry, less than half of functioning equipment rental centers even had software systems on their rental counters. I was shocked to learn that.
Software in the rental industry has come a very long way in the past 15, 20 years. For that matter, it’s come a long way in the past five, even the past one! When you read this month’s roundtable, featuring five software providers, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what is currently being offered in the rental market. There are other good providers out there that aren’t in this particular roundtable but also have plenty to offer.
One of the things that struck me as I read through these answers was just wondering how many rental companies take advantage of everything that’s available to them, whether it’s from these particular software providers or other suppliers to the industry such as InTempo, Wynne Systems, Baseline, Genisys, Texada, Infor or others. I have no intention of endorsing one over another, they all have unique features with some impressive minds behind them and continuing to improve them.
I remember when I bought my first computer back in the 1980s. I agonized for weeks over what brand I should get. Finally a good friend of mine, noticing my struggle over this momentous decision, said to me, “the important thing is just to get a computer. It doesn’t matter what brand you get. Just get one, get started and make the most out of it – it’s only your first.”
I decided that made a lot of sense and I went and made the purchase a few days later, and it worked fine.
What I didn’t know at the time was it didn’t matter which brand I bought. If I remember right, I bought an IBM clone called “The Leading Edge.” Anybody remember those? What was more important, of course, was the software and really making use of what I had for what I wanted to do. It’s the same thing now – with computers, with smartphones, with anything.
I’m sure most of you reading this who are in the rental business have really good software systems. It may not matter which system you have as much as how you make use of it.
With that thought in mind, I suggest you give this story a read. Make notes of all the various capabilities the participants talk about. You may not need to utilize every single feature they discuss, but there’s a good chance they discuss some capabilities that you aren’t taking advantage of that may help you. If I were you, I would make notes of all the features they mention. You don’t need to run and switch to a different software system just because one of the participants mentions something they have that you don’t. The important thing is to make better use of what you do have.
What are you doing well and what might you utilize that could help your company improve. My guess is there may be a few things discussed here that could benefit your company. Think about it yourself and go over some of the ideas with your staff.
If there are some ideas here that could make your company be more efficient, give them some consideration and see what you can do to improve your systems.
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On the subject of rental software, everybody in this industry probably owes some sort of debt to Jack Shea, who is retiring from InTempo after nearly four decades in the rental software industry (See Industry News). Shea was one of the first to develop a software system for the rental industry. I’m sure there were people he talked to in the early days who thought he was nuts. They were doing just fine the way they were, thank you, without some new-fangled invention. Whether you were a customer of his company, or opted for something that suited you better, Jack was one of the founders, perhaps the godfather of rental software. He helped pave the way for the advanced systems that are out there now, and I’m sure many of you will join me in wishing him well.
