Case Studies

Handy Rents Embraces Change

Mike Miller is co-owner of Handy Rents, an eight-store operation based in Eastlake, Ohio. He recently took some time to tell us how he worked with Alert to successfully upgrade his computer hardware and software system to Alert EasyPro for Java.

Alert: Mike, tell us a bit about how you got started upgrading your computer system.

Mike: We had been functioning with an outdated system for a while. The server was too small for our needs and we had old communications equipment. To put it bluntly, time had passed us by and we needed to make a decision: were we going to continue to limp along with an old system or really step into the new century and commit to investing the funds needed to update our system? We decided that instead of being afraid of change, we should embrace the idea of a complete overhaul of our hardware and software.

Alert: How did Alert help you plan for such a big change?

Mike: We decided that if we were going to get serious about updating our system, we should learn all we could about new technology and where Alert was going with their software development. So we attended their annual users' group meeting. During the meeting we met with Alert staff and reviewed the information they have compiled in a publication called the Technology Planning Guide. The guide helped educate us on the different options for updating our system. Then Alert staff worked with us to develop a Technology Plan.

Alert: Do you still use the Technology Planning Guide?

Mike: We use it extensively. In fact, I have it right behind my desk. It's filled with all the paperwork related to our upgrade. It has the Technology Plan that we developed with the help of Alert staff, as well as all of the invoices and notes related to the upgrade.

Alert: Now that your upgrade is complete, how would you rate the performance of your new rental software on a scale of one to five?

Mike: At this point I'd have to give it a five. It definitely exceeds our expectations. It's fast and has been easy to use. And now that we have PCs instead of 'dumb' terminals for workstations, we can get on the Internet and find information to support the work we're doing to serve our customers.

Alert: Can you share a specific example of how you're using the Internet?

Mike: Last week, we had misplaced the owners. manual of a piece of equipment we were selling to a customer. The customer was adamant that the manual be included or he wouldn't purchase the equipment. We couldn't locate the manual, so one of our staff jumped on the Internet, downloaded it from the manufacturer's web site, and printed it out for the customer. Also, a few of our rental stores are in pretty rough neighborhoods. If we're dealing with a questionable customer, we've used the Internet to cross-check telephone area codes against prefix numbers to ensure that customers aren't providing bogus phone numbers. We've also used mapping web sites on the Internet to verify that the person's address is valid for the same reason. Anytime you can stop a bad rental from happening, it's exciting.

Alert: Is the Alert system easy to learn?

Mike: Within a few days, our new counter staff have been able to use Alert EasyPro for Java to write a contract and check equipment in.

Alert: What software features are you finding to be most useful?

Mike: We love the ability to custom-tailor our rates for each store. We have to keep our rates a bit lower at stores that are in highly competitive areas. At our other stores, we're able to charge a higher rate. Expecially today when we're competing with big box hardware stores and national rental chains, it really helps to be able to custom-tailor our rental rates for each store location.

Alert: Does having all your stores on one server help with inventory sharing?

Mike: That's a huge benefit. By sharing inventory among eight locations, we're able to keep our cost basis lower and maximize our ROI (return-on-investment). The system also allows us to easily track rental income by store. All of my managers have revenue goals every year, so if they find idle equipment at another location, they can utilize that equipment and increase their store's performance.

Alert: What other improvements have you seen as a result of your upgrade?

Mike: Alert helped us upgrade our interstore communications to state-of-the-art, fast DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) service. Compared to our old phone connections, the speed at our remote locations has at least tripled. It's tremendous. It has improved productivity at our remote stores considerably. Reports that used to take minutes to print out now print instantly. When you can accomplish a repetitive task like writing a rental contract faster and more efficiently, you're going to save a lot of time in the long run. With the speed increases at all eight stores, this time savings adds up to hours of increased productivity every day.

Alert: How important do you think your Alert system has been to the success of your business?

Mike: The computer system is a very valuable tool for us. even more important than our rental inventory. The information it tracks for us from the physical location of our equipment to the dollars each piece of equipment is earning. would take a team of accountants to do manually. In 1991, we only had three stores. Now we have eight stores. We wouldn't have eight stores if it wasn't for the computer. The information the computer system provides allows you to increase the amount of business you can do while controlling staff costs.

Alert: Overall, would you say the upgrade met your expectations?

Mike: The upgrade worked out tremendously. You guys are great to work with.