Small mix-ups at the counter of your rental business either cost you money or start an argument with the customer. Mistakes like different employees giving different quotes for the same job, someone forgetting the weekend rate starts at 4 p.m. on Friday instead of noon, or nobody being able to check when a customer says they paid less for a piece of equipment last year.
Windward System Five solves all of these and more by putting your rate book directly into the rental rate management software. You set your rates and rules once, and System Five applies them to every rental contract, no matter who is working the counter.
Rental rates set by day, time and season
System Five's rate calendar prices each rental by date and time of day. You can set different rates for weekdays, weekends, specific hours and busy seasons and System Five applies the right ones. Staff don't have to remember when the weekend starts because the calendar already knows.
Rental pricing rules that match how you charge
Every rental business charges a little differently. System Five lets you set your own rental rules instead of forcing one fixed method. For example, you can set:
- Minimum charges. A short rental still covers the cost of prepping and checking the unit.
- Best-rate calculation. System Five compares the hourly, daily, weekend and weekly totals and charges the best rate under your rules, so four hours never costs more than a full day.
The goal isn't to change how you price. It's to make sure your pricing happens the same way on every contract.
- Locked contract rates. The rate quoted at booking remains for the length of the rental. If you raise prices midseason, the new rate applies to new contracts, not to the contractor who booked months prior. This way, nobody gets a surprise on the invoice.
- Rate history. System Five keeps a dated record of every rate rule change. When a customer says they paid less last spring, you can look it up together in seconds.
Hourly billing that only counts the hours you're open
Hourly billing has a common trap. Say a machine goes out at 4 p.m. and comes back at 9 the next morning. Bill by the clock and you've charged 17 hours. If you're open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 14 of those hours passed while your gate was locked, and the customer knows it.
System Five's business-hours billing counts only the hours you're actually open. In that example, the customer pays for three hours, one hour before closing and two hours after opening.
One weekend priced four ways
A plate compactor rents for $45 an hour, $180 a day, $270 for the weekend and $540 a week. The customer picks it up Friday at 3 p.m. and returns it Monday at 9 a.m. The store is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
No counter would charge $2,970, so without rate software, staff improvise. One person says it's two days and another says three. With System Five, the rules you set do the work. Business-hours billing removes the closed hours, best-rate calculation compares the totals, and the contract locks in the best rate under your rules. Here it's the $270 weekend rate.
Four places rental pricing goes wrong
Most rental businesses don't get rates wrong in one big way. They get them wrong in four small ways, and each one has a fix in System Five.
- Missed rate conversions. A four-hour rental gets billed hourly when the day rate was cheaper, or a six-day rental never rolls over to the weekly rate. Best-rate calculation fixes this.
- Weekend and seasonal rates applied from memory. Each employee applies them a little differently. The rate calendar fixes this.
- Price increases apply to old quotes. A midseason price increase applies to contracts quoted at the old rate. Locked contract rates fix this in the customer's favor.
- Gaps nobody knows about. An odd Tuesday-evening window or a new type of equipment has no rate at all, so staff make one up. System Five flags any missing rates.
None of these are a training or staff problem. They happen when the scope of the rate book grows beyond what people can reasonably manage. Upgrading to one do-it-all software like Windward System Five solves this problem and lets your staff and business thrive with accurate quotes coming from a clean and easy-to-use rate book.
To see which System Five features fit your rental business, check out the fit finder.
Questions to ask about rental rate software
Not every rental software system handles rates the same way. If you're comparing equipment rental software, ask these questions to see whether it can price your rentals the way you do. Here's how System Five answers each one.
Can rental software charge different rates on weekends and in busy seasons? Yes. System Five's rate calendar sets rates by day, time and season and applies them automatically.
Will rental software stop a short rental from costing more than a full day? Yes. Best-rate calculation compares the totals and charges the best rate under your rules.
What happens to booked rentals when I raise rental prices? The rate quoted at booking stays locked for that contract. New prices apply to new contracts only.
Can I see what we charged for rentals last year? Yes. System Five keeps a dated history of every rate rule.
Does hourly rental billing count the hours we're closed? No. Business-hours billing counts only the hours you're open.
More ways to boost rental revenue with System Five
Rates are one half of rental revenue. The other half is utilisation, meaning how often your equipment is out earning money instead of sitting in the yard. If your bookings still live on a whiteboard, start with "How to stop double-booking your rental fleet with Windward Software." To rent equipment together as a package, "Bundling With Kits Will Change the Way You Run Your Rental Business," explains how kits work. For keeping equipment ready to rent, "Keep Your Rentals Running," covers maintenance.
Book a demo today
Want to see your own rate book set up in System Five, with your weekend rules, minimums and seasonal rates? Book a demo and bring your current rate sheet.
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