The car rental business was among the hardest hit businesses during the Covid, and they are yet to stabilize considering the challenges. Now, as the economy is slowly getting back to normal, businesses dealing with renting cars are looking for innovative ways that can give thrust to their stagnant business, and bring more customers to their doorsteps. However, they have to admit the fact that nothing will remain the same as it used to be.
The car rental business operators need to adjust their business with the Covid guidelines and execute every plan keeping the Covid in the center. They have to ensure that customers receive quality services without compromising the safety measures and connect with their customer base with the least physical contact. Technology is turning out as a savior in this difficult time and fortunately, car rental operators who invest in the latest software support systems are able to deliver their services with minimum risks. Advanced technologies such as IoT software, car rental software, and AI software as the first line of defense to safeguard their customers and enhance customer experience.
Top Ways Car Rental Companies Can Enhance the Customer Experience Post-Covid
- Contactless service:
Post-covid, customers still follow the covid guidelines as the threat of infection still remains. In such circumstances, the car rental business can take the help of technology to introduce a contactless experience to customers. All they need is to install a mobile app. It helps customers with various processes of car rentals without visiting the physical location, such as check-in/check-out, performing damage inspection, car reservation, etc.
- Vehicle inspection:
Car rental companies conduct vehicle inspections before handing over the car to the customers and after taking charge from them. It is labor-intensive work and makes customers wait during the inspection. However, with the evolving technology, this process has also evolved. Vehicle inspectors are looking towards advanced technology such as AI to make it fast and customer-friendly. Facilities like uploading car videos or images into the system with AI capabilities can enhance the inspection to find the damages in the car. It makes the process faster and reduces the long queue of customers waiting for their turn.
- Alerts and notifications for a rental car:
Customers expect an end-to-end experience while availing the car rental service, and in the digital age, this is entirely possible. One way is to notify the customers and alert them about the car’s arrival as they arrive at the airport or railway station, or any pick-up point. It saves customers a lot of time and helps them to get away from a crowded place quickly.
- Toll charges:
It is advisable to avoid hard cash transactions if customers want to reduce the risk of Covid. Customers using car rentals can avoid cash lanes and interaction with toll staff by paying the toll in advance to the company’s transponder.
- Keyless access:
Smartphones have connected humans in a true sense. Car rental businesses are utilizing this power to elevate the customer service post-Covid. Several car rental companies have already extended the facility of giving their customers keyless access to the car. Customers can access the car through their smartphones, not just the access but also to start and enable a few functions of the car even from being away from the car. Because of this, the customers no longer have to wait or go to the counter to collect the keys, whereas the car rental companies do not have to allocate a person to hand over the keys.
- Stay connected to loyal customers:
A loyalty program can be a good alternative for rental companies to stay connected with their customers post-Covid. They can introduce a point-based loyalty program or offer coupons to avail the discounts. Moreover, Car rental companies can allow customers to use a corporate discount coupon on personal car rentals. They can take the help of technology such as car rental systems to push the offers to a large pool of customers.
- Paperless contract:
Post covid, the customers still need to take precautions. Paperless agreements and signing contracts digitally can make the rental contract process quick and minimize one-to-one contact. It helps to avoid physical interaction with customers and increase the customer experience.
- Contactless customer support:
Customer support can be a key aspect in the car rental business to increase the customer base. In a highly competitive landscape, business owners must proactively resolve customer issues and provide them with the best services. They can use chatbots to answer customers’ queries, send real-time notifications about the fault in the car, use IoT sensors to inform about the gas station or service station nearby, etc.
- Multiple online payment options:
The car rental businesses can further reduce direct contact of the customers with staff by incorporating online payment options. They can introduce multiple online payment options and allow customers to pay rent from anywhere.
Conclusion:
There is much anticipation about how the car rental business would revive post- Covid and adapt to new strategies to attract customers. In this quest, the technology is turning out quite supportive and valuable. Car rental businesses that invest in advanced technology such as IoT and cloud computing to deliver superior customer experience post-Covid can make a difference and be competitive.