With the advent of carpooling services, traditional car rental services are slowly becoming a thing of the past. But it shouldn’t because there are a few things you could do to prevent that even during these trying times. Listed below are things you can absolutely do to take your car rental service business to the next level.
Offer a one-of-a-kind service
Car rental services are pretty standard. A person goes in store to choose a car, pay for the down payment, and get the keys and go. But what if a customer needs to rent a car to get to someplace and is unable to go to your office? You can drive the car yourself and lose precious gas in the process (which could have been saved for your clients use). Or you could enter a partnership with a trusted trucking service like Flex Fleet to deliver the rented cars wherever your clients are! It’s a great way to show your customers how you value them and your own vehicles.
Plus, with the pandemic making everyone a bit of a germaphobe, having someone else drive a rental car before the customer uses it isn’t really sanitary. So using a truck to send out the rental car would be a safer option.
Market cars for road trips
The pandemic has made air travel and public transport movement unnecessary dangers when it comes to travelling. That’s why road trips have been a much more popular option for those who are brave enough to go out, but still want to be on the safer side of things. Now, road trips can be for a lone person or even a group of friends, but it’s mostly done by the entire family who definitely need a bigger vehicle for their journey. So you can capitalize on this and offer packages for family outings and whatnot. This is an opportunity for you to thrive in the industry so don’t let it go to waste.
Upgrade your fleet of cars
It may cost you a pretty penny, but ensuring that your cars are running the best way they possibly can will benefit you in the long run. For one, customers will be more than happy to seek your services if your rental car is in pristine condition. Number two, they would most likely post their experience on social media which is free advertising for you. And lastly, upgrading your cars now means you’re preparing your vehicles, which I should say are your bread and butter, for the future. As cliche as it sounds, an ounce of prevention is still better than a pound of cure even for automobiles.
Appeal to a niche market
Not everyone can afford to rent supercars, luxury vehicles, and e-cars. But it’s also true that some can and this means there’s still a market for that kind of service. If you have the funds for this, then there is no reason for you not to try tapping into this target market. Even Porsche is dipping their toes in something like this, so why wouldn’t you?
Reward your loyal customers
Again, this is something that’s kind of obvious but we can’t stress this enough. Many companies, even those outside of the rental car business, often neglect their returning customers after a while. Gimmicks and promotional materials are sometimes only available to new customers which of course could force your current ones to just simply switch providers. And at this point in time, nobody wants that. So my advice, please do your best to keep your current customers happy because at the end of the day, they will be the ones to come back, but only if you do a great job to keep them with you.
Businesses must learn how to adapt, cope, and deal with the uncertainties being thrown at us on a daily basis. However, it’s during times like these that real champions emerge because these winners know how to think on their feet and implement fast and effective changes that can spell either success or failure for their enterprise. But you have to remember that in order to succeed, you must never be afraid to try.
