It is fair to say that all businesses are now digital in some form and increasingly rely on IT to drive business, sell or hire products, analyse data and manage hire or rental inventory, along with many other business operations.
Rental Management Software such as HireHop provide an efficient and comprehensive solution to the management of Hire Stock for corporations of all sizes:
Productivity and Efficiency
Still working off Excel spreadsheets? For many people, the familiarity of the current way of doing things and reluctance to change has resulted in a loss of time and profits. Embracing a software solution like HireHop may seem like a big step; however, once implemented will free up your team to get on with their real work, boosting productivity through instant real-time visibility of jobs and stock levels. Efficiently tracking your stock can also save valuable time in the warehouse and money through a reduction in losses.
Collaboration
Using rental management software makes it easy for employees to work together and keep track of each others progress or status on particular tasks. It enables teams to work together on jobs from any location, share information, documents and updates, as well as integrate with your email accounts and calendars – increasing communication and user responsibility.
Easy to use
Importantly, software for hire companies should be easy to use for all employees, from project managers to warehouse staff, allowing the focus to be on the important tasks at hand in an often time-pressured environment.
Benefits of being in the Cloud
“In March 2017 the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) revealed that the overall cloud adoption rate in the UK now stands at 88%, with 67% of users expecting to increase their adoption of cloud services over the coming year”, UK Cloud Snapshot Survey 2017.
The cloud has become an increasingly important part of business efficiency and extremely important for the operation of rental management companies in the following ways:
Flexibility and Scalability – Grows with your Company
Cost Savings – Low up-front costs, with no complex installations or maintenance charges associated with traditional software
Any Device, Anywhere – Cloud software such as HireHop is accessible on any device such as a PC, Mac, phone, smart TV or tablet, as long as it has a web browser
Eliminate Data Loss – Your data is securely stored and sandboxed
Live Automatic Updates – Eliminates downtime and reduces IT costs
Here at HireHop we want our users to make the most of our powerful software, keeping you up-to-date with all the latest features and advances – and leaving you with the tools to ensure your hires and rentals are managed as efficiently as possible.
We will continue to update this page with how to guides and useful information, as well as tips and tricks, so please check back for all the latest!
Every hire and rental company suffers from customers returning items late, yet most software handles this in a haphazard way, usually by creating new jobs with the late returns, which can cause calculation errors, as well as a multitude of other problems. Also some customers rent a bunch of items indefinitely (an open ended hire) and may return different items at different times, imagine how many jobs you would have to create for that scenario.
HireHop have made this process simple and intuitive, the way it should be.
If an item is late, HireHop will tell you how much is due and allow you to add at the press of a button all overdue charges. This enables you to make the informed decision as to whether or not you want to charge the client and by how much. All this is done from within one job without the headache of having to have multiple jobs just to handle one small hire.
HireHop will tell you how many items on future jobs might be late, enabling you to judge whether or not you can supply that item or will have to substitute it or sub a replacement in to cover your commitment.
For jobs that are open ended (have no determined end date) HireHop, allows you to periodically issue multiple invoices (or one invoice) whenever you choose, as well as allow items to be returned over various dates. HireHop will seamlessly breakdown and tell you what you need to charge for and by how much, all at the press of a button and all within the same job.
At HireHop we want to give you software works around you and makes your life easier, not the other way round.
HireHop is complete, feature rich Rental Equipment Software in the cloud, with advanced functionality, intuitive workflow and a plethora of features, some of which are not found in any other rental management software. However sometimes users want specific features tailored to their unique needs.
HireHop is the only cloud software that can cater for these unique needs, giving your company a solution customized for your specific requirements, all being on a future-proof true cloud platform, available on any device, anywhere in the world.
We can implement unique features for you, from renaming words and phrases, to changing forms and pages, as well as adding new bespoke features you may need to run your company the way you want it to be.
We can implement custom features such as additional checks on equipment, or even a workflow tailored to your company’s specific needs. Due to our unique technology, written and developed by HireHop, any part of the HireHop software can be changed to be how you want it to be.
Call us today so that we can give you a free personal demonstration of what HireHop can do for you and your company. We can also quote you for anything you want customised so that can HireHop be tailored to work exactly how you want it to be.
HireHop allows you to manage late returning hires with ease, giving you the tools to make informed decisions while maximising ROI on your rental stock.
A hire that hasn’t been marked as returned on your rental management software might not be late at all. It would be counterproductive for your hire software to tell you that it was unavailable, for instance a hirer could just be running 5 minutes late, or the item could still be waiting to be checked in due to a backlog in the warehouse, etc. HireHop has provided you with the tools to enable you to make informed decisions and avoid turning down profitable hires just because your previous rental software tells you that it is unavailable, when in fact it is.
HireHop tells you if there is a possible late return conflict in your supplying lists, the availability grid and the pick-lists, enabling you to make informed decisions whether or not to hire in a replacement, chase or wait for the late item to return or just turn down the hire. You can track at a click of the mouse what clients are late, by how long and how many items they haven’t returned on time.
Some companies excuse minor late returns to ensure good customer relations and some don’t. For late returns HireHop calculates how much the customer owes in late fees, enabling you to decide for yourself if you want to charge them or not.
HireHop allows you to manage late returning hires with ease, giving you the tools to make informed decisions while maximising ROI on your rental stock.
A hire that hasn’t been marked as returned on your rental management software might not be late at all. It would be counterproductive for your hire software to tell you that it was unavailable, for instance a hirer could just be running 5 minutes late, or the item could still be waiting to be checked in due to a backlog in the warehouse, etc. HireHop has provided you with the tools to enable you to make informed decisions and avoid turning down profitable hires just because your previous rental software tells you that it is unavailable, when in fact it is.
HireHop tells you if there is a possible late return conflict in your supplying lists, the availability grid and the pick-lists, enabling you to make informed decisions whether or not to hire in a replacement, chase or wait for the late item to return or just turn down the hire. You can track at a click of the mouse what clients are late, by how long and how many items they haven’t returned on time.
Some companies excuse minor late returns to ensure good customer relations and some don’t. For late returns HireHop calculates how much the customer owes in late fees, enabling you to decide for yourself if you want to charge them or not.
This current wave of Ransomware known as WannaCry has maliciously attacked computers in 99 countries so far, rendering users, businesses and hospitals, such as the NHS in the UK, inoperable.
What is Ransomware
Ransomware is a virus that locks and encrypts the files stored on your computer, preventing you from reading or accessing them, basically making your computer inoperable. It then looks for other computers in your network and tries to infect them as well. You have to pay an exorbitant ransom to an unknown criminal, who could be anywhere in the world, who promises to unlock your computer, however most of the time they just take the money and are never heard from again, leaving you in the same situation and with less money in your pocket (never trust a criminal).
What is the Damage
Files, documents, database files, etc. on your computer are made inaccessible to you as they are encrypted. Ransomware also seeks out other computers on your network, even your server, and locks those up. So if you are running software where your data is stored on your computer or the server in your office, you are in serious danger of allowing your business to be crippled.
How To Prevent Being Attacked
Keeping your computer up to date with the latest updates and patches helps protect you, however this is not fool proof as you may be unlucky enough to be one of the first attacked and effected before any fix or patch is released. Most well written viruses infect a computer and sleep there (they stay hidden and inactive), giving them time to infect more machines before you even know about them. This means that no matter how good your security is, you are still vulnerable to new attacks.
The most common way viruses get onto a machine and start spreading is via email phishing scams, such as ones that tell you an invoice or remittance document is attached. These documents are usually “.zip” files that are named in a way to look like PDF or image files, that when opened contain an executable “.exe” file. They also use Word or office files with inbuilt malicious macros, and as older versions of Word don’t have protection from these attacks, your computer becomes infected just by opening them. If you don’t know who sent the email and the attachment isn’t a PDF, don’t open it.
How To Prevent Collateral Damage
There is a way to prevent collateral damage on your computer without paying a penny in ransom if your computer does become infected, enabling you to get up and running again in minimal time and with minimal fuss.
Using cloud software such as Google G Suite, Microsoft Office 365 and HireHop, that store all your files in the cloud, as well as being software that is not native (installed) on your computer, means that any damage caused by a virus or ransomware is a minor inconvenience and not a show stopper. Should your computer become infected, all you need to do is re-install Windows and while your computer is re-installing, just use another device like a phone or iPad, or another computer, thus enabling you to carry on running your business and continue working with minimal interruption.
You have heard of the cloud and have been told how great it is, but why is that and what is the cloud?
More and more people today are moving to the cloud, many without even realising it, using the cloud for storage, banking, email and software, like Microsft Office 365. A survey by Right Scale found that 95% of organisations today are using the cloud in some way, many of them not even realising it.
What is the Cloud?
Traditionally we have stored all our files and managed our databases on servers or computers in our office or home. The cloud is still made up of computers, known as servers, however they are constantly managed, maintained, backed-up and protected in data centers whose sole purpose is to ensure the security and reliable running of the servers.
Unlike many servers in the workplace, cloud servers are strongly protected from being attacked by hackers, using advanced firewalls, encryption as well as other security measures. A firewall is in essence a “wall of fire” that stops a hacker getting past it. We all have basic software firewalls on our computers, however these are vulnerable from attack by things such as phishing, spyware and viruses. HireHop only uses the world’s largest cloud platform, Amazon’s AWS, which powers a huge proportion of the internet, from NASA, Netflix and banks such as Capital One, companies who supply important and vital services and who all trust and rely on the cloud.
“What if the Cloud Breaks?”
The only way the entire cloud could break, is if the World Wide Web broke, which would probably cause an “apocalypse” in people’s lives. To safeguard against any equipment or even power failure, some companies (like HireHop) who provide cloud services use multiple servers located in different parts of the world, meaning if a data center in Europe catches fire, a data center in America, with duplicate data, instantly takes over.
Another question that many people ask is “what if my internet goes down?”. If your internet supplier has a fault and you can’t access the internet, you always have your phone as a backup, you can even tether your phone to your computer or use a WiFi hotspot.
Advantages of using the Cloud
As mentioned before, most of us use the cloud and don’t even know it, so what advantages are there in using the cloud over managing your own data on your own servers.
Cost Benefits Explained
The cost savings are the most obvious compared to running your own server and infrastructure at your workplace.
To properly maintain your own server you need to regularly do backups, security updates and generally maintain it, all taking time, and of course time costs money. You also need the equipment and infrastructure (good quality servers and peripherals are not cheap), as well as the electricity and bandwidth. By using the cloud you can share the running costs with thousands of other people, yet still have your own private and even more secure services only accessible by you. Not only this, you are protected even further with the best servers and other equipment such as advanced firewalls and load balancers (things that all cost a fortune) for a tiny percentage of what they would cost you to buy.
Another cost advantage is a term you may have heard, being SaaS (Software as a Service). This is a subscription model where you don’t have to pay an extortionate upfront cost, instead you pay low affordable recurring monthly payments based on how many users actually need to use the system. With SaaS like HireHop, you also get support included instead of having to pay an additional recurring support fee to the software company.
Any Device, Anywhere
Cloud software such as HireHop is accessible on any device such as a PC, Mac, phone, smart TV or tablet, as long as it has a web browser, allowing you to use and instantly access it anywhere in the world, enabling you to keep up to date wherever you are. Gone are the days of telling clients “I will email you a new quote when I get back to the office”, good cloud software like HireHop enables you to email a beautifully formatted quote, overlaid onto your company stationery from anywhere in the world on any device, enabling your client to get your quote instantly and ahead of your competitors.
Automatic and Hassle Free Updates and Bug Fixes
We have all experienced annoying updates and having to wait for them to install. Old fashioned legacy software requires you to regularly install updates on every machine and server, always resulting in down time, and often having to reinstall when things go wrong.
Imagine if updates were just done without you even knowing or experiencing any interruption. This is another huge advantage of cloud software, updates just happen automatically with no inconvenience.
Occasionally your computer or iPad might break down. Instead of having to install, setup and re-configure software on a new machine, with cloud software you just need go to a new machine and just log in with a web-browser, carrying on where you left off.
Increased and Efficient Collaboration
Cloud software allows you and your team to work in real-time, anywhere and at any time, allowing you to instantly see what they are doing or any changes they have made.
HireHop also allows you to further collaborate using other SaaS products, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Office 365, by integrating their documents, etc, into a job or project just by dragging and dropping the document’s web address, meaning everything you or your team needs is available on one system.
Security
As your data can be accessed on any machine, is it secure? The answer is yes, as long as you are using good cloud software like HireHop.
Any good cloud software like HireHop (just like your bank) use multiple security measures such as HTTPS and other forms of encryption and security. When you change sensitive passwords or log in, you do so through a secure HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure). This guarantees that your connection is secure and that the communications sent and received using your browser are verified and encrypted. You access your online banking via the HTTPS using the cloud as well as your personal tax records, and these are secure due to this same level of security.
The cloud market is rapidly expanding, with more and more companies (including your competitors) adopting the cloud due to its numerous advantages. No matter if you are a large or small company, you should be urgently looking at cloud based software solutions.
Call us at HireHop so that our staff, who have extensive experience in the rental industry, can advise you and answer any questions you may have.
At HireHop, we have just released another new feature in our cloud software for hire companies, multi level Autopulls, as well as detached Autopulls. We have also extended the Autopull feature to add greater functionality, making it easier to use for your staff.
As you can see above, the Yamaha QL5 mixer has an Autopull of of a Digital Stage box and headphones (the stage box Autpulls can also be inserted, including the compulsory locking power cable). These two items are the most common and most of the time, all the user needs to see, however there are more items available for the Autopull as is evident by the “Click to show extended view…“. By clicking this, other items that are not commonly edited will display as below:
Visible now are Autopulls that have been set to be “Extended view only”, many in this example are compulsory, however there is a WiFi router that can now be removed from your items list.
We have extended the Autopull prompts to:-
Prompt (unselected) – The item will appear in the list when new, but not be automatically checked.
Prompt (selected) – The item will appear in the list when new, and will be checked.
Compulsory (no prompt) – The Autopull will be inserted and cannot be removed or edited.
Conditional prompt – The item will be inserted when a new item is added, however it can be subsequently edited, it is like an editable Compulsory.
Detached reminder – This is NOT a linked Autopull, adding this item will append it to your list after, in the above case, after the Yamaha QL5 mixing desk.
When editing the Autopull, you can also set if it is only visible in the Extended View, thus reducing screen clutter and uncommon options for your staff. When adding a new item, if there are no Prompts or Detached reminders, the Autopull dialog will not appear, however editing the item or its Autopulls, the Autopulls will always appear regardless.
HireHop also gives you the ability to add virtual items as Autopulls.
HireHop has just released another new feature in their rental management software, being virtual stock items. A virtual item is something that is not a tangible item, for example a “drill kit” that comprises of a drill, two chucks and a transformer.
The advantage of virtual items is that you can see the availability dependent on what it comprises of. For example, the “drill kit” requires 2 x chucks, 1 x drill and 1 x transformer. If you have 3 x drills, 9 x chucks and 20 x transformers available, the availability of the “drill kit” would be 3, being limited by the 3 available drills. However, if you had 10 x drills available, the availability of the “drill kit” would now be 4, limited by the 9 available chucks, as 2 x chucks are needed for a complete kit, and you can only make up 4 complete “drill kits” from what is available.
Virtual items are identical to stock items, except they can’t have assets. To create a virtual stock item, go to the Rental Stock Management page, click the new button, and select “New virtual item”.
To set what a virtual item consist of, you just add “Autopulls”, just as you would to a normal stock item. We have just added an additional type to Autopulls, being a “Conditional prompt”, meaning the available types of Autopull are now:-
Prompt (unselected) – The item will appear in the list when new, but not be automatically ticked.
Prompt (selected) – The item will appear in the list when new, and will be ticked.
Compulsory (no prompt) – The Autopull will be inserted and cannot be removed or edited.
Conditional prompt – The item will be inserted when a new item is added, however it can be subsequently edited, it is like an editable Compulsory.
Detached reminder – This is NOT a linked Autopull, adding this item will append it to your list after the main item.
We currently have many more exciting and amazing features currently undergoing beta testing that will soon be available to all users, so remember to subscribe to our Facebook page or Twitter feed to be notified about all future improvements and additions.
English (USA)
Every hire and rental company suffers from customers returning items late, yet most software handles this in a haphazard way, usually by creating new jobs with the late returns, which can cause calculation errors, as well as a multitude of other problems. Also some customers rent a bunch of items indefinitely (an open ended hire) and may return different items at different times, imagine how many jobs you would have to create for that scenario.
Hire
