Many Penske rental agents use rental revenue to supplement their primary business, and happy customers are key to that revenue growth.
Since rental customers expect a positive experience from pickup to drop-off, any negatives could hurt the rental business as well as an agent’s principal business. With Penske, agents said the support they receive — along with the quality of equipment — helps to keep customers happy.
Customer service starts with having equipment available when customers expect it. Mitzi Wallace of Wallace Propane and Welding Supply in Boone, North Carolina, said Penske’s inventory management system ensures she has the right equipment when she needs it. “I can confidently say to a customer when I make a reservation, ‘Yes, we will have a truck here for you.’ Whereas competitors can’t seem to guarantee that the truck will be the right size or even available at pickup,” she said.
Stand Out From Your Competitors
Tammy Cassidy of C & G Auto & Truck in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, said having the right equipment at the right time is critical. “When people walk in here and tell us they’ve just had a bad experience, we tell them not to worry and we find them something,” she said. “They calm down and thank us, then we go above and beyond to try and find them something they can use.”
Provide Your Customers With 24/7 Service
The quality equipment and round-the-clock support from Penske builds trust with customers. “I go by what customers say and they say that Penske equipment is top-notch,” said Jamie Howrey of JCC Rental, which operates out of Brighton, Colorado. “They’re very good about taking care of their customers and everybody speaks volumes about Penske. There’s no question about it, the equipment is great and the new trucks I see coming into our fleet are very well taken care of.”
If a vehicle has problems while customers are in route, Penske has 24/7 Roadside Assistance to keep them going. “Penske is amazing, the equipment is new and always in good shape. Everything that comes out of district comes to us clean and orderly,” said Grebinar. “If something goes wrong with a customer on the road, I give them the 24/7 Roadside Assistance number. With Penske, you don’t have the liability or the responsibility for the back-end maintenance or problems. That’s a big deal.”
Cassidy said the roadside service is a game-changer. “Penske is by far the top one to rent vehicles that are going to make it to a destination. Absolutely 100%. I’m not just saying that because it’s Penske, I’m saying that because it’s true.”
Garner Repeat Business
A timely interaction positively impacts customer satisfaction, especially for repeat business. If a customer has made their reservation previously online, the rental process is quick and efficient.
“We can get a customer into their truck within 10 minutes or less,” said Grebinar. “The computer system is virtually glitch-free and the process, in general, is very smooth.”
Wallace agreed. “If they have their reservation, it’s a quick process,” she said. “Once they come in and have their proper ID and credit card, it takes maybe 10 minutes max to do the rental then go out and do the inspection. Then they’re on their way.”
Grebinar adds that the customer relationship is important to both him and his business. “We take pride in what we do,” he said. “We consider the Penske customers our customers and we treat them like they’re ours.”
Howrey was looking for a little extra revenue and ended up becoming a rental agent after stopping in at another local Penske shop and being impressed with the company’s service. “Everybody who comes in has something very, very positive to say about Penske,” he said. “They’ll tell me that it was easy to make the reservation or easy to get here. Customers notice that we move quickly to help them. They didn’t have that with the competition.”
