Guidepoint's SVL Lite system helps car rental companies boost profit margins.
Whether they cater to local customers or travelers picking up rental vehicles at airports, car rental companies throughout North America are using theft recovery technology to boost daily utilization of their fleets and cut losses when cars aren’t returned on time. The typical company can recoup its investment in easy-to-install wireless theft recovery systems in a matter of months, said Anne Taylor, sales representative for the rental car segment of Guidepoint Systems Inc.
Whether they operate a small local market rental fleet or a large airport rental fleet, car rental managers incorporate our technology because they have a problem,” said Taylor, a 20-year veteran of the vehicle rental industry. “Solving that problem always boils down to making sure they can pinpoint exactly where their vehicles are – at any day and time. It’s all about reducing risk.”
Car rental personnel are able to monitor where vehicles are from any Internet-connected smartphone, PC or tablet using the Guidepoint SVL Lite system. Every equipped vehicle shows up on a live map display with location, speed and direction.
Taylor will be giving personal demonstrations of the Guidepoint SVL Lite system and its features at Booth 421 of the International Car Rental Show being held April 15-18 at the Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas.
For companies that serve local markets, the Guidepoint SVL Lite system can prevent insult to injury that comes when customers who don’t return vehicles and the costs associated with recovering the assets. “We’ve had instances where customers don’t return the cars, and the rental car companies discover their vehicles are parked in impound lots with high daily charges,” Taylor said. “So the companies not only lost several days of revenue, but they also had to pay additional costs and spend hours of time on recovery.
“Always knowing the locations of your cars allows you to make good decisions. When a customer maxes out a credit card, you have the option of recovering the vehicle immediately, and putting it in the hands of a paying customer.”
For companies that have hundreds of rental vehicles, the Guidepoint system makes sure that a car doesn’t sit idle simply because it has been overlooked on a large parking lot, body shop, or Dealership. “Our software allows you to see how many vehicles are currently sitting on your lot or lots at any time of the day. You can also see at a glance if vehicles have been sitting stationary for a period of time, allowing you to make necessary adjustments. ” Taylor said.
When a vehicle is set to be removed from inventory and sold, the SVL Lite unit can be taken out and reinstalled on new stock, she said. Car rental companies say their mechanics can install the units in less than 30 minutes. Purchase of the unit comes with a 1-year subscription, and subscriptions can be renewed annually.
Guidepoint Systems, with headquarters in Detroit and main operational facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, owns and operates response centers staffed 24/7/365 in the United States and Mexico to provide a wide range of services for rental car companies, dealerships, commercial fleet managers and individual vehicle owners. Guidepoint customer service representatives personally handle notifications of impact, theft, driver emergencies and concierge services.
To learn more about how car rental companies use the Guidepoint SVL Lite system, please call Anne directly at (905) 626-1339 or write to her at [email protected]. For more information on Guidepoint, please call (877) 477-3463 or write to [email protected].
