Customer Service Best Practices for Rental Businesses

Good customer service is the cornerstone of any business, and this is especially true in the fence rental industry. Customers come back when they feel appreciated. In fact, 96% of customers say that good customer service helps them stay loyal to their favorite brands.

Small, local fence rental businesses are in a unique position to provide good customer service. The trick to ensuring customer satisfaction is to perfect your customer service practices.

In this article, we'll discuss a few things you can do to provide good customer service as a rental business to make sure your customers come back.

1. Respond to Requests for Quotes Immediately

When a customer reaches out to your company for a quote, it won't be long before they're ready to make a buying decision. Very likely, that customer has reached out to other businesses as well.

If your business is the first to reach that customer with a quote, you prove that your business is fast-acting and organized. This helps your business stand out, especially if your prices are similar to the prices offered by your competitors.

Train your sales team to respond to inquiries for quotes as soon as possible.

Give your sales team the tools they need to make this easy. Load quote templates onto your computer network and make them available to every member of your sales team.

Offer straightforward pricing that makes producing quotes easy. Give your sales team time each day to respond to quotes.

2. Set Clear Expectations with a Good Contract

A good contract sets expectations and helps customers understand the rental process. This helps prevent disputes and misunderstandings. Some tips to ensure your contract will help you and your customers:

• Make it clear and understandable. Write a contract that your customers will easily understand and can use to answer questions about their rental.
• Write a fair contract. Your contract should protect you and your customers, to ensure both parties get what they need from your business transaction.
• Answer questions. In case your customers do have questions about your contract, take time to go over the most important parts of the contract together.

3. Follow Best Practices on the Phone

Many customers will reach your business over the phone. Using good phone manners and best practices when talking to customers reflects well on your business.

• Answer calls immediately. If possible, answer phone calls during normal business hours. Do not allow calls to go to voice mail, if possible.
• Respond to messages immediately. If phone calls do go to voice mail, respond to messages as soon as possible. Train your sales team to check voice mail messages throughout the day.
• Use a standard phone greeting. Train your customer service team to use a standard phone greeting and professional, positive language when speaking with customers. Listen to your sales team and offer feedback when appropriate. 

4. Offer Personalized Solutions

Help customers solve their rental problems and concerns by asking questions to better understand their needs. Some customers may not be aware of all the solutions you can provide.

For example, if your customer is concerned about privacy, offer fence screens. If their location is very windy, suggest a fence brace to make the fence sturdier.

Inquire about their top priorities, including issues of security, cost, potential changes to their end date, and more. As you become more experienced, you'll get a better sense of the challenges each customer faces.

5. Maintain a Clear, Professional Website

Your website is an important tool to provide customers with the information they need to do business with your company.

Use clean design and concise language to help customers find key details, such as your location, contact information, product details, and photos of past services.

Maintain an intuitive layout so customers can navigate your website easily without needing to ask questions. Pay attention to any questions customers do ask about your website and use this information to edit or update it.

6. Offer Discounts

While it's important to have a clear price structure, be prepared to offer discounts to customers.

There are many circumstances when discounts may be appropriate. For example, if a customer has a bad experience with a rental, provide them with a discount to encourage return business. Empower your sales team to offer these discounts as well.

For loyal customers, offer rewards or a referral program. Discounts like this encourage customer loyalty and encourage return business from good customers.

7. Get Organized

It's hard to stay organized when you're managing a large inventory of rental equipment. Use a calendar or rental software to track your inventory and avoid overbooking.

Train all employees to be better organized and communicate with each other whenever they book a rental for any specific date. This way, you avoid making errors that can impact customers. 

8. Encourage Reviews and Feedback

Customers like to be heard. Solicit feedback from customers in various ways. Ask customers for testimonials to post on your website. Send out customers surveys after every rental and be sure to read their suggestions for improvement.

Encourage customers to leave reviews on Google platforms and read those reviews as well. If you receive a review from an unhappy customer, respond to it promptly. This shows that you're paying attention to your reviews and that you take the time to rectify problems when they arise.

9. Offer Multiple Payment Options

Make it easy for customers to pay their bills. Accept payments by credit card, debit card, check, ACH transfer, or money order.

Be flexible about payment terms, to capture customers who need to pay at different intervals.

10. Rent Quality Equipment

Your customers depend on you to provide them with equipment that will stand up to various conditions and challenges. Inspect all equipment before and after a rental to avoid renting anything that might be damaged or easily broken.

Avoid using sandbags to stabilize fences. Sandbags often fall apart after each job or even during the job. They can also be a tripping hazard and will make a jobsite look messy.

Instead, use an Anchor Weight that is designed for the job and will give your fence rental a more professional look. It also saves money in the long run because it can be reused multiple times, for years. 

11. Get Ready for the Busy Season

Your customers will have busy seasons, and your business needs to be prepared. In most cases, the busy season will be summer, so be ready to rent more products during this time.

Identify the industries your customers come from and map out important dates relevant to those industries.

Holidays are also a prime time to be extra prepared. Keep a number of temporary fence panels in your truck, ready for last-minute orders. If you can cater to customers who didn't prepare in advance, they will most likely be willing to pay more for quick delivery. They will remember you the next time they need this service!

12. Never Stop Learning or Improving

As you continue to improve your business, you'll start to notice other things you can do to improve your level of customer service.

Write down patterns - problems that customers have frequently - then brainstorm with your team to find ways to solve these problems.

Remember to monitor competing fence rental businesses in your region to identify successful campaigns, and if you need more ideas on how to grow your business, check out our list of practical tips to expand your customer base and increase profits.