Renting Copiers, Fax Machines, and Printers Part VIII
By Larry McGinnis

Part Eight: HOLDING YOUR CUSTOMER, THAT EXTRA STEP

RENTING FAX MACHINES

A grievous mistake made by a lot of dealers renting equipment is not being able to hold on to the rental customer. At the root of that mistake is a misconception that this is a hardware business. It is not. In fact, very little of the copier, fax, and printer rental business is dependent on the type of equipment that is rented. This is a service business. Service, in this case, means going that extra step to ensure that the customer is kept happy. I had a customer that wanted me to come out every time the toner light came on and replace the toner. I objected and refused to do it. The next month, the customer canceled the rental. Was the customer unreasonable in her demands? The answer is yes. Who suffered by not meeting the customer’s demands? I believe the customer did at some future date; but I lost the account and never got it back. How hard would it have been for me to drop in and change the toner for the customer? It's not worth losing the account over. The point is the customer has the last word when he’s renting, and renting requires a different view of service. A good rental customer, one that pays his bills on time, is worth a lot.

The clean-and-check call

The best way to keep a rental customer is to run preplanned clean-and-check calls. A clean-and-check call is a service call done once a month for moderate to high-volume accounts and quarterly for low-volume accounts. The rental machine is cleaned and checked out for copy quality and operation of the functions. Any problems found are corrected and a short report is done. Why go to all that trouble? Put simply, it works. Doing clean-and-check calls keeps you in contact with the customer. You can learn a lot about the customer by being on the spot each month. For example, will the customer need a larger machine, with more features? Is the customer getting along without a feature that is really needed? Is the number of copies being done on the machine much more than the monthly allowed amount? This brings us to rule #8.

RULE #8: IF YOU DON'T UPGRADE YOUR CUSTOMER, SOMEONE ELSE WILL.

How do you know if your customer needs to be upgraded? You listen and ask questions during your clean-and-check call. What if the customer is underusing the machine? This fact will come out if you’re listening to your customer. However, many customers like the convenience of renting and want features not used on a regular base. Underusing a machine may be a sign that the customer is quality conscious and wants the best.

Also, clean-and-check calls are a good collection vehicle. “Mr. Smith, I’m coming out to clean and check your copier, and I noticed that we haven't received your check for last month. Can I pick up a check when I come to your office?”

Finally, a clean-and-check call gives you an opportunity to sell toner to your customer. “Mr. Smith, I noticed that the last toner cartridge was put into your copier. You should keep a spare ready to use. I have a cartridge in the car for this machine. Would you like me to bring it in?”

RULE #9: DO YOUR CLEAN-AND-CHECK CALLS.

The most important reason to make clean-and-check calls is to keep the rental machine in peak running condition, keep the copy quality up, and head off problems. Your emergency calls will go down if you do the clean-and-check calls.

The final reason for doing the clean-and-check call is to get the machine meter. Believe me, it's easier than trying to call the customer and asking for the meter. Doing so just calls attention to the machine and the rental.

The clean-and-check call should be done at the same time each month. I do them by sets. The first set includes the rentals that are billed in the first week of the month; the second set includes the rentals billed in the second week of the month and so on. I run a list of clean-and-check calls on the computer and then arrange them geographically.

Perform the clean-and-check call showing the customer the before and after copies. Inform the customer of any extra service you perform, and ask about toner. Be sure to get the clean-and-check work order signed. I bill the rental from the clean-and-check report. Remember, the less the customer has to think about the rental, the better off you are.

Service

Be of service to your customer. Service seems to be a lost art. If the customer is going to move, offer to move the machine for him, at no additional charge. If a new employee needs some training on the machine, come out and train him. If the customer runs out of toner and needs a quick delivery, deliver it. If your customer needs a short-term rental on a fax machine, rent it to him. In other words, be of service to your customer.

Emergency service calls

Personally, when I was in the business, I only serviced the machines that I owned; so I was free to service the equipment almost on demand. When a service call comes in, stop whatever you’re doing and run the service call. The emergency service call comes first. If you service other machines, other than your rental fleet, make the rental fleet your top priority. Don’t scrimp on parts; remember, the machine you’re servicing is your machine. Do the job correctly the first time, and keep the callbacks down.

RULE #10: NOTHING WILL KILL A RENTAL FASTER THAN A MACHINE THAT IS CONSTANTLY BREAKING DOWN.

A common mistake is to try to stretch the developer or the drum a little longer. Change them when the time is right, and do the complete preventive maintenance. Why is it that we don’t have time to do the job right the first time, but we have time to come back on a callback?

You might recall, I mentioned that you should limit the types and models you keep in your rental fleet. One of the important reasons for this policy is so that you can carry parts. The cost to you and the stress on the customer is greatly reduced by having the part with you. I know that this isn’t always possible, but common parts such as cleaning blades, fuses, lamps, fuser units, and developer should be carried. You know the machines you’re going to rent, and you know the parts that should be stocked and carried with you.

Keeping your customer happy is of paramount importance. We need to constantly remind ourselves that proper and ongoing service is the means to that end.

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Larry McGinnis brings over 30 years of experience to the office machine business. His company, TEC-AID, markets a service department management program called ServiceTrak and a sales aid program called SalesBuilder Plus. He can be reached by calling 866/983-2243 or check out his Website at tec-aid.com.