Give Customers the Right AV Rental Equipment with Barcode Scanning

In the AV rental industry, giving customers the right equipment is essential, as it can have massive consequences for film and video productions. Barcoding items can mitigate these problems by reducing human error, providing accurate tracking, and ensuring they get what they booked. It can transform AV rental business operations and improve customer experience.

AV rental customers generally book a wide range of equipment, including cameras, microphones, speakers, projectors, and lighting. If just one of the items they need is handed out incorrectly, a whole day of shooting can be potentially wasted. This is why ensuring that your AV rental business always gives out the right equipment with barcode scanning is vital to success.

Barcode scanning allows you to tag every item in your inventory, so you can accurately track equipment, quickly identify and select items, increase accountability, enhance customer experience, and improve the efficiency of your operation. Let’s look at the importance of providing the right equipment to customers and how barcode scanning can make a difference.

What happens when you give customers the wrong equipment?

To begin, it is crucial to understand what the effects of giving customers the wrong equipment can mean for them and your business. The best way to do this is by considering specific scenarios where the wrong equipment can have disastrous effects. Here are three common AV rental items and the consequences of giving customers the incorrect kit.

Scenario 1 - The wrong camera

Let’s say a customer owns a specific camera, but they need to be able to shoot from multiple angles simultaneously. So, they search online and book a second camera to achieve their goals. They pick up their camera and head to the shoot location, but they discover they have been given the wrong camera when they get there. Now, they cannot shoot because the footage won’t match, and they’d need to edit it to look right.

Scenario 2 - The wrong SD card capacity

For this scenario, a customer has rented a lot of equipment and knows they will need a specific amount of storage for the content they’re shooting. They pick up their equipment from the camera rental store and head to their shoot, not suspecting anything is wrong. However, midway through the shoot, they get notified that their SD card is full. Upon checking, they notice they have been given the wrong SD card capacity. They cannot finish their shoot and will have to delay production incurring extra costs.

Scenario 3 - No cables included

A lot of equipment requires cables to connect between devices, for example, an external camera viewing display or a microphone mixing board. They add these cables when booking online, pick up their equipment, and head to their shoot. However, during set up, they realize they are missing a cable which means they can’t connect equipment properly, causing delays as they go back to get the cable they need.

In each of these scenarios, getting the wrong equipment caused customer delays. This cost them not only time but also money, and the reason for this is that the AV rental company didn’t give them the right equipment. If the business had been able to identify and hand out the requested items accurately, these problems wouldn’t have occurred.

This does not only mean that customers have a bad experience but also affects your rental business. Your reputation will be damaged by bad reviews and poor word of mouth while you incur extra costs resolving issues that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. So, how can you prevent this from happening by implementing barcode scanning in your practices?

How can barcodes prevent costly mistakes from happening?

Barcodes provide many benefits for AV rental companies, making it easier to prevent costly mistakes from happening. Below are the four main benefits of implementing barcodes within your AV rental business.

Accurate inventory tracking - One of the most significant benefits of using barcodes in AV rentals is precise inventory tracking. Barcodes allow rental companies to keep track of their inventory levels in real time. With barcodes, rental companies can ensure they have the right equipment in stock, reducing the likelihood of any last-minute issues.

Easy equipment identification and selection - Another way barcodes can prevent costly mistakes is through easy equipment identification and selection. Barcode scanning makes it simple to identify and select the correct equipment quickly. This ensures that the right equipment is selected for customers, avoiding costly errors and delays for both parties.

Enhanced customer experience - Rental companies can also provide an enhanced customer experience. Customers can be confident that the equipment they are picking up is accurate. With the ability to identify and select equipment quickly, customers can get the gear they need, leading to a better overall experience.

Time and cost savings - Barcodes can save AV rental companies time and money. With accurate inventory tracking and easy equipment identification and selection, rental companies can reduce labor costs and improve efficiency. By preventing costly mistakes, rental companies can avoid expensive repairs, replacements, or refunds.

Case study: equipment.cafe

With over 2,000 unique products and over 10,000 unique stock items, equipment.cafe needed to find a way to handle an increasingly large inventory without skipping a beat. The most critical aspect of customer experience is ensuring everything is available when customers need it and that they always hand out the right equipment.

By implementing barcodes, equipment.cafe achieved these goals with the additional accuracy as provided. Tagging over 10,000 items was a huge challenge, but the cost savings it provided made it worth it. In addition, it has sped up pickups and returns and reduced human error when determining if the right equipment has been handed out and returned.

Implementing barcodes with the Booqable mobile app

Implementing barcodes is easier than ever, thanks to the mobile app’s barcode assignment feature. To do so, search for a product, select a stock item, scan the attached barcode, and assign the barcode. Then, you can use this barcode to specify stock items on a booking and quickly scan items that are being picked up and returned.

You should print your own barcodes and order custom barcodes online. Then you can attach them to all the items in your inventory and assign them within the mobile app. This will make the process of implementing barcodes much easier. It can also help train employees on using the mobile app to process pick-ups and returns more efficiently and timely.