Sadly it seems Covid-19 is likely to stay with us for a while.
So it is vital you adapt your business to the demands that COVID is making of all of us.
Here we look at the many features of BRM that are particularly well suited to help you in this vital area.
updated June 2021
low touch rentals
COVID presents both opportunities and challenges.
Your customers still want to rent your bikes/kit. In fact, likely more now than ever before. But they typically want as little human interaction as possible. They want local COVID rules respected and excellent sanitization.
You can also click here to see the stats on the rise in bike rental online bookings emerging from Covid-19, which proves useful in guiding and directing bike rental business strategies.
Here are some relevant features and how they can help.
Delivery based model / Kerbside pick up
If you can deliver then you should. It means your customers are not forced to come to your store (and risk crowds) if they don't want to. It is also just a fantastic service which can mean the difference between actually getting the business and not. Bikes are big, clumsy things and a family of 4 could even be put off simply by the logistics of the pickup and return and yet that is exactly the kind of business you may want to attract.
find out more about BRM delivery management here
Favour online bookings compared to walk-in
By taking bookings online you are removing one of many 'touch-points' in the rental lifecycle. Your customers can make the booking from the safety and comfort of their own home using their own device. They can even pay in full (if you choose to operate in that way). They can even sign documents digitally from. (see below). All of which means you will have massively reduced many of the human touchpoints in the process. You will also have saved yourself and staff many hours of tedious admin work taking bookings via phone. When customers arrive you can see they are fully paid up and simply show them their pre-prepared bikes. (see scan & go below)
Discount Vouchers
Offering discounts is a really good way to help smooth out your revenue curve and also to make sure you can make the most of your assets (bikes) in quiet times.
Discount codes (when used as gift tokens) can also be used as a way of allowing your loyal customers to support you in times of lockdown.
Collect contract signatures electronically via email
Collecting signatures via email is incredibly powerful for the following reasons;
- reduce the in-store time (wasted time) by getting it all done in advance. Better for you and customers.
- customers use their own devices for signatures - not shared tablet / clipboard / pen all of which would need sanitizing
BRM electronic signature collection
Bike prepared (sanitized) checkboxes
Say you want to mark each bike when it has been sanitized between rentals. When you rent you want to favour freshly sanitized bikes. Keeping track of that in a busy store would be a nightmare without a system.
Scan & Go
When customers arrive you want to get them turned around and riding as soon as possible.
Scan ticket, scan bikes, off they go! (minimal human contact)
find out how with BRM's handsfree mode
Use BRM to take schedule bike maintenance bookings online
More bikes being sold = more bikes to maintain. Tap into this increased demand by making it super-easy for your customers to book their bike in for a service.
ensure you only get X people arriving in any window of time - regardless of individual bike availability.
Rental Buffers
leave space between bookings for sanitizing etc.
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