You may be new to the rental industry, or maybe you’ve been running your business for many years. When it comes to choosing the right software for your company, two things are for certain: 1) There are more than a few choices of companies to choose from, and 2) You’re busy. Probably too busy to test drive every company that makes software that may or may not work for you. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right company the first time. Below are several things to look for when choosing software for your company.
1) ONLINE ORDERING:
Advantages to online ordering: According to a Nielsen Global Online Survey conducted in 2008, over 85% of internet users worldwide made purchases online. In America, the number was actually 94%. People are shopping online for the rental industry too. In fact, people that work in the bounce house rental industry say that up to 60% of their rentals are done online (sometimes while they are sleeping). The right program will free up more of your time and help put your company on autopilot.
What to look for: The most important thing to look for when choosing your company is real time ordering. Several software companies claim to offer online ordering. However, in reality, although the customer can order online, the software does not intuitively update the inventory, making the possibility for a double booking possible. In order to take away the risk of double bookings, make sure that your program offers real time inventory updates every time an order is placed.
2) ROUTING SYSTEM FOR DELIVERIES:
Advantages to having a routing system: As you already know, gas prices are continuing to rise on a regular basis. In fact, the average price for a gallon of gas in 2011 was around $3.50. Not having an efficient routing system when making deliveries can waste valuable time and money. Having a routing system built in to the software will provide your employees with the most efficient route and schedule for the day. In turn, your employees will save precious company time, and your company could save thousands (every month) in gas expenses. One expert in the inflatable business says that he began saving over a month when he started using a delivery routing system.
What to look for: A good routing system should automatically be able to look at the delivery schedule for the day and plot the most efficient route for deliveries. Be sure to verify that the routing system is part of the software that you purchase in order to avoid having to manually enter in all of your customers addresses for the day. A good delivery routing system should do all of the work for you. All you should do is press print and get your drivers on the road.
3) SEO BUILT INTO THE SOFTWARE:
Advantages to having good SEO: As mentioned before, almost all shopping is now being done online. In fact, even if people don’t intend on shopping online, they still search for a good company through a search engine such as Google. Fewer and fewer people use the phone book to look up companies anymore. Good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can get your website to the top of the search engine. In return, more customers will choose your company over the competition.
What to look for: A good software company will offer you a website that is already pre-designed with many keywords that help make your company easier to find during an internet search. In order to make your company even more successful, make sure to choose software that offers the ability to do even more SEO if you so desire. As stated above, a good SEO campaign can easily take your business to the next level, and it is very important to invest in a company that is going to take your SEO needs seriously.
So now that you have all the information, it’s time to go find yourself the best software for your company. Look for these things and you can easily save thousands of dollars every month while increasing your monthly income at the same time. With the right tools, you can watch your business grow substantially while you do less work. Who wouldn’t want that?
For the best software that we found that meets all of the listed requirements, please click here.
Event Rental Systems 