Hire orders from quote to return
Every hire runs on one order. It starts as a quote and is confirmed with the cars reserved. It goes out through a handover check, comes back through a return check, and is closed once billed. Class bookings get a free car at confirmation, and clashes are refused with the booking named.
PLANSEvery plan
The problem it solves
- Two counters book the same car for the same weekend.
- Nobody can say which cars go out today and which are due back.
- A booking is cancelled, but the card hold and the advance are forgotten.
- Orders are never closed, so you cannot tell what is finished and paid.
How it works
- Open Rental > Bookings > Rental Orders > New. Choose the customer, the site and PO if any, the depot, and a line per car: a class or an exact item, from and until. The rate plan and rent are worked out.
- Add extras and drivers, then Confirm. Each line is reserved with a car: the first free ready one of its class when none is named. A car taken in that time is refused with the clash. The deposit is worked out and the customer is told.
- On the day, press Out on the line or in Out and Due. The drivers, papers and service are checked; the handover check opens and the car is out once it is signed.
- When it comes back, press Back: the return check opens, and signing it brings the car back and makes the return charges.
- The order is Running while anything is out and Ended when all is back. Bill it, settle the deposit and press Close.
Everything it does
The order
- Customer, Site, Customer PO (copied from the site), Salesperson, Branch, Order Date
- States: Quote, Confirmed, Running, Ended, Closed, Cancelled
- Lines: class or item, quantity, from, until, rate plan and rent; line states Quote, Reserved, Out, Called Off, Returned, Cancelled
- Tabs: Lines, Extras, Term, Terms (printed on the agreement), Internal Note; with drivers and pickup and drop where used
- Totals: rent, extras, total for the booked time before tax, and deposit
Buttons
- Confirm, Back to Quote (confirmed, nothing out), Cancel Booking (quote or confirmed, nothing out)
- Out and Back on each line; Call Off, Extend or Shorten, Swap
- Bill Now, Rent Schedule, Close (only once everything is billed)
- Print > Rental Agreement; Checks and Invoices buttons
Lists
- Rental Orders with filters Quotes, Confirmed, Running, Ended, Rolls On and My Orders
- Out and Due: filters To Go Out, Out Now, Called Off, Overdue, and a calendar
- Each item's Rentals button lists its bookings
Safety checks
- Each car is locked while it is booked, so two people booking at the same moment cannot both win
- Out is refused for a car not ready, with an expired paper, or (where set) an agreement not yet signed
- Drivers' age, licence years and verification are checked for self-drive cars
- A signed check cannot be cancelled; checks In Progress or Ready for Customer can be
Who uses it
Rent UserMakes quotes, confirms, sends cars out and takes them back.
Rent ManagerSees every order, confirms charges and closes orders.
CustomerGets the confirmation and sees the booking on the customer pages and the app.
Where you use it
- Web: Rental > Bookings > Rental Orders and Out and Due
- The SmartMy Rental Staff app: Bookings > Out and Due with Out and Back, and an order's Call Off. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Customer pages and the SmartMy Rental app: the customer's bookings
- Not in the Staff app: making or pricing a booking
What you control
Settings
- Buffer before and after each rental: 0 hours
- Agreement before going out: off (with SmartMy Sign)
- Give money back on cancel: on
Notifications
- Rental Confirmed: to the customer when the order is confirmed
- Rental Due Back: to the customer about a day before a line ends (not for orders that roll on)
- Rental Overdue: to the customer when a car is past its end and not back; the salesperson gets an Overdue to-do
- In the app for customers with a login, and by the first channel that works in the order WhatsApp, email, SMS
- WhatsApp and SMS use your message credits; app push is built in and not switched on yet
- Each goes out at once; a person can switch off a channel, never the message, and in-app notices always arrive
- Customer messages go out on every plan, Starter included
Works with
SmartMy SignThe rental agreement sent for signing from the order (Growth).
Questions
What stops a double booking?
Every line is checked against the car's other bookings and blocks, with your buffers, and the car is locked while it is checked. A clash is refused and named.Can we cancel a confirmed booking?
Yes, while nothing has gone out. Cancel Booking frees the cars, releases card holds and refunds online payments, unless you switch Give money back on cancel off.Do we have to use checks?
No. Without a check template of a kind, that step happens at once. The product brings ready-made handover and return templates for cars and equipment.When can an order be closed?
Once everything is back, all rent and charges are billed, and the deposit is used or refunded.Related features
HIRE ORDERSExtend, swap, call off, roll on and overdue hiresChange a hire while it runs: extend or shorten it, or swap the car through return and handover checks. Call it off with a call-off number, and nothing is charged after that time. Hires that roll on go on by themselves, and overdue cars are flagged every hour.CHECKSHandover and return checks with photos, meters and signaturesEvery handover and return runs through a check from your own template. Check points are cards by team, answered with one tap. The check also takes required photo angles, meter readings, the item list and damage marks. Each team signs its part, and the customer signs last. The new check starts from the last one, so readings show their value before and known damage is already listed. The signed report goes to the customer as a PDF.HIRE ORDERSPlanning board: drag to move, click to bookSee every car and machine by day on one board, with bookings, cars out, call-offs and blocks as coloured bars. Drag a reserved booking to another day or car, and click a free day to start a booking for that car.HIRE ORDERSRental agreements signed online before the car goes outSend the rental agreement from the order through SmartMy Sign. The customer signs on their phone with a code sent by email, or in person on your screen, then your side signs. With one setting on, no car on the order goes out until it is signed.BILLING AND PAYMENTSBilling in advance or in arrears, with Bill NowBill short hires at once with Bill Now, and long hires on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly or end-of-hire cycle. Bill in advance or in arrears, grouped as you like. Rent stops at the call-off or return, and time billed ahead and not used comes back as a credit.BILLING AND PAYMENTSDeposits taken, topped up, used and refundedEvery confirmed hire that asks for a deposit gets its own deposit record, held on a liability account. You take it, top it up, use it for what the customer owes and refund the rest. The order cannot be closed while money is still held.
See your fleet on it.
Tell us how many cars or machines you hire out, from how many depots, and how bookings reach you today. We will set up your fleet with you on SmartMy Rental.