3 Ways to Drive Automation and Speed-Up Car and Vehicle Rentals

The car rental industry has traditionally required a tedious amount of paperwork for both customers and staff.

However, digital transformation is beginning to change that, making it easier and more convenient for staff and customers.

Here we’ll show how this transformation is taking place, and the role smart data capture technology is playing in digitalizing without disruption.

This includes our top three ways to transform today:

• Self sign-up to rent a car.
• Instantly capturing the driver’s details from a driver’s license.
• Fast and easy inventory thanks to VIN or barcode scanning.

And all of this can be done on one of the many thousands of smart device models that people use.

For example, precious time spent waiting at a facility, clutching various documents and waiting for paperwork is increasingly frustrating for consumers. People expect on-demand convenience from car rental companies as they would if they were using a smartphone to make a bank payment.

Now is the time for car and truck rental businesses to use technology to increase convenience and efficiency as a way to future-proof their business.

Here we show how this can be achieved.

The future (and present) is digital

A US car rental report by Phocuswright concluded that:

“In the past decade, car rental brands may have been too preoccupied with fending off new entrants to the space to invest as heavily in their mobile programs as they should have. This oversight left room for nimble car-sharing and ride-hailing companies to innovate and compete on technology and convenience, especially in the mobile channel.”

Industry disruptors like Uber, Lyft, Turo in the US and BlaBlaCar in Europe, have indeed taken advantage of the industry’s lapse in digital focus. Speeding up physical interactions is key to future-proofing their business against any similar situations.

The challenge for existing car rental companies is to match the mobility and flexibility of newer tech-smart, ride-hailing, and car-sharing services. And savvy companies are already embracing mobile technology to put customers firmly in the driving seat.

Statista forecasts that 69% of total revenue in the shared mobility industry will be generated through online sales by 2024. To stay on the road, ‘traditional’ rental companies must find innovative, accessible, yet cost-efficient ways to digitally transform their businesses.

The road to better customer experience

Adapting existing processes through digitalization goes a long way to enhancing the customer experience and safety.

The everyday smartphone, empowered by smart data capture software, has a crucial part to play. Car and truck rental businesses can use it to streamline and automate workflows – all while increasing customer convenience.

This can be done either via a Scandit-powered enterprise app or, depending on data processing requirements, using our SDK for the Web which adds fast and accurate JavaScript barcode scanning to any website. With the Web SDK, users can scan directly from any web or mobile browser with no need to download an app, making it a handy option for last-minute or infrequent rental customers.

There are several ways companies can easily make use of this technology to delight customers and compete in an increasingly digital marketplace. Here are our top three:

1. Give customers the keys to convenience with self-scan ID capture

Manual car rental processes take time and are naturally prone to errors, such as mistyping personal details, negatively influencing customer satisfaction.

Online bookings are growing in the rental industry, with 70% of bookings expected to be made this way by 2027.

Using Scandit’s scanning technology on everyday mobile devices, customers can simply scan their driving license or ID from home to confirm their identity while making a booking online.

ID Bolt captures driving license data within one second and up to 100% accuracy, eliminating data entry errors and removing the need for customers to visit a rental facility to book.

They can scan using a laptop camera or handover to their smartphone to scan the license, and all the relevant information is instantly captured and populated.

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It is also possible to use the customer’s smart device to access the vehicle without the need to visit a rental center. For example, once the customer has located the vehicle, they could scan the vehicle’s VIN number, or another element (e.g. driving license again), perform a contactless signature, and complete checkout – all without the need for company personnel to be present.

Scan quality is critical to get it right, first time, every time. Some US car and truck rental firms have reported only a 50% scan success rate on capturing driving license information, due to glare, shadow, or a blurry picture obscuring the barcode.

Scandit’s software ensures that high performance is assured whether a customer is scanning through a mobile app or a website. For example, VIN codes in particular can be located in awkward places and obscured by light glare.

In a world where convenience is paramount, offering a flexible and contactless way for rental customers to access and drop off vehicles is a must-have.

2. Enhance employee efficiency with mobile-powered automation

Automate support services and eliminate inconvenient ticketing systems with remote accessible line-busting procedures. With Scandit-powered smart devices, employees can be freed from stationary desks and paperwork, allowing them to move around the facility to support customers at various stages of their visit much more quickly.

The same technology used for scanning customer driving licenses during booking can also be reliably used to speed up the process of customer data retrieval. By using the company app on the user’s mobile or a website, customers can easily scan the front of their EU or UK driving license to capture the details contained in the text or the VIN (vehicle identification number) barcode present on the car.

The rental company can then quickly, and securely, verify the user’s identity and access all their contract information. This is particularly useful in overcoming any language barriers where customers are traveling abroad or are non-native speakers.

The same process also allows companies to quickly locate customer information if they call for any other customer service need, e.g. to log a claim.

3. Accelerate operations with automated inventory management

Taking inventory can be time-consuming, yet it is a critical aspect of efficient rental operations. The ability to track vehicles and keep track of parts efficiently can significantly impact operations and customer satisfaction. Make it easy for employees to streamline the process with Scandit Smart Data Capture.

Here are some key benefits:

• Real-time fleet tracking: Barcode or VIN scanning can enable immediate identification and tracking of vehicles throughout the rental process, eliminating the need for manual checks and reducing the risk of human error.
• Streamlined repair workflows: The rental industry has typically relied on traditional paperwork to log and track vehicle repairs. With VIN scanning via Scandit-powered smart devices, staff can easily book and track repairs.
• Automated inspections: By integrating smart data capture with inspection checklists, you can automate the process of recording vehicle condition and damage.
  Insurance replacement and courtesy car hire: Fast and accurate scanning of driver’s licenses can enable rental facility staff to arrange insurance replacement vehicles for customers, effectively replacing traditional paperwork.
• Reduced admin: Manual inventory management tasks, such as data entry and reconciliation, can be time-consuming and error-prone. Intelligent data capture can automate these tasks, freeing up staff to focus on ensuring a smooth experience for the customer.
• Accurate inventory management: Scandit’s MatrixScan Count allows rental facility staff to scan spare parts as they enter the workshop, ensuring you have an accurate log of inventory and can quickly understand what’s been delivered, what’s in stock, and what you need more of. This data can be used to create inventory lists or cross-check against existing inventory lists before processing an order.

The bottom line? Efficient inventory management leads to faster rental processes, reduced wait times, and more efficient processes, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Talk to us about your digital transformation

These are just a few examples of where scanning-enabled mobile devices can help to automate and adapt car and van rental processes. If you’re looking to improve your vehicle rental customer service, moving towards an automated model can help to drive efficiency and improve customer experience.

We’re already helping car rental firms to streamline rental operations – and we can support your digital transformation too. Discover more about our solutions for fast, flexible, and convenient car rental.