Industry Advocate Pushes For New Car Rental Distribution Model
Existing platforms could meet the future needs of a changing world
There’s little doubt that technology has changed the landscape of how car rental companies conduct their business, and as long as competition and progress remain at full tilt, it’s a scenario that will continue to morph.
Those fluctuations are occurring at such a breakneck pace that one pundit has suggested the industry should step back and examine how to change the infrastructure model when it comes to distribution. Car Rental Gateway employee Martin Kallasmaa, in an article published by Auto Rental News, argues that obstacles surround issues such as credit card data, customer identification and third-party vehicle access still remain as stumbling blocks for clients hoping for a totally seamless booking and driving experience. What Kallasmaa is pushing for involves a car rental system to handle everything under one roof.
“The pursuit of becoming a one-stop-shop serves a purpose to avoid unpleasant surprises, misunderstandings, and negative emotions,” writes Kallasmaa. “To improve the customer experience and satisfaction, the industry needs to move towards desk-free and personalized solutions.”
He also offers at least two solutions, namely that distribution channels should first shoulder customer service responsibilities throughout the entire process, and that vehicular connectivity can help companies make all aspects of services available on a personalized cellphone app. With technology helping to boost personalization, services could be delivered cheaper with added convenience, such as fewer airport lineup and an incentive to book hotels, sightseeing tours and take advantage of other amenities according to each client’s unique tastes.
“A customer rents a vehicle to get from one location to another, quickly and comfortably,” adds Kallasma. “The more seamless the rental service is, the more satisfied the customer who will return to the business time and time again.
It’s a rental car utopian vision that can be facilitated if the software is versatile enough to not only add those features, but present them in a sorted sequence that’s indigenous to each customer. There are plenty of products on the market already able to address these changes, such as Erez, which harnesses technology designed to keep up with a lot of changes already taking place in the industry. Platforms like a turnkey online sales component and an innovative sales and marketing feature help with not only meets the needs associated with online and on-demand booking, it can also highlight amenities of interest to a company’s consumer base.
Additionally, RentWorks eliminates the sales counter with its new mobile version that can handle bookings and check-outs remotely, while another feature enables credit card processing and driver’s licenses to be conducted quickly and anywhere in the field for a speedier more convenient rental experience.
Tools like these will be essential to meet those future needs, if rental car companies opt for a one-shop approach to service delivery.
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