In the final episode of our five-part series, Nicolina, Joe, and Jared explore how rental businesses can strategically use technology to stay competitive. Joe shares his decades of experience watching the industry evolve from paper systems to today's digital tools, while Jared discusses the importance of actually understanding the tech you implement. They talk about important tools like customer portals, telematics, and route optimization, plus what's coming next with AI. The key takeaway? Technology should solve real business problems and empower your entire workforce—from clipboard users to digital natives. Don't just chase the latest trends; make smart choices that drive real results.

In this episode of Be a Best Run Business, Nicolena, Joe, and Jared tackle their fourth principle: having one version of the truth. Joe paints a vivid picture by following a single piece of rental equipment through different departments - accounting tracks depreciation, service knows maintenance history, rental systems show income, but nobody has the complete picture. This leads to costly mistakes, like accidentally selling equipment you don't actually own because it's still financed. Jared shares the daily frustration of not being able to answer customer questions because the person with that specific information is at lunch or on vacation. They discuss how unified data prevents embarrassing situations and enables better decision-making across all levels. The conversation touches on data security concerns and the balance between transparency and protecting sensitive information. A standout story involves a company almost selling a profitable location for a million-dollar annual loss because their spreadsheets were incorrectly allocating expenses. The key takeaway: when everyone operates from the same accurate, accessible information, it empowers employees to make better decisions, which ultimately empowers customers too.

In this episode of Be a Best Run Business, Nicolena, Joe, and Jared explore their third principle: taking informed actions. They dive into the difference between reactive and proactive decision-making in the rental world. Jared explains how reactive decisions happen minute-by-minute, like emergency road calls or last-minute reservations, while proactive planning helps create flexibility for when those inevitable surprises hit. Joe discusses how dashboards and data can help prioritize decisions, like which equipment to pick up first, based on what's actually needed versus what's just sitting in inventory. The conversation covers real scenarios - from deciding whether to overnight parts for repairs to managing delivery routes efficiently. They also touch on how having all your information in one system prevents awkward situations, like a salesperson walking into a meeting not knowing their customer's equipment has been broken in the shop for weeks. It's all about using real data to make smarter choices instead of flying blind.