Red Hat Hire and Trading
Background
Red Hat Hire & Trading (Red Hat Hire), a small plant and tool hire company based in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, has become the centre of excellence for the hire, repair, maintenance and sales of a wide range of small plant, gardening and power tools as well as specialising in chainsaws. Red Hat Hire are aware that essentially a Stihl Chainsaw or Honda Mower is the same wherever you buy or hire it from, but what sets Red Hat Hire apart is their outstanding attention to customer service.
The issue
Red Hat Hire realised they needed to update their software system which in turn would further enable them to offer an even better service to their customers. Managing Director Peter Dear tells us, ‘‘I'd been using a very simplistic package which was immature and unstable. I needed more functionality but I still wanted the system to be easy to use’’. As a smaller rental business, budget was also a key criterion for the solution Red Hat Hire was seeking.
The solution
In 2005 Pete attended the Hire Show in search of a suitable rental system which would meet his business needs. It was here that Pete met with inspHire. He continues;
‘‘I was very impressed with the inspHire guys who were extremely professional. They took the time to show me the inspHire software and answered all of my questions. It was clear that inspHire Express was a professional and mature product which was well supported by an expert team.”
Peter Dear, Managing Director, Red Hat Hire
Upon implementing inspHire Express, Red Hat Hire & Trading has experienced a great improvement in their back office operations. Express’s integration with Sage has automated Month End procedures and removed the need for duplication – immediately cutting out two days work each month. Pete goes on to say, ‘‘I now know that our invoices and stock levels are truly correct and we are getting so much more business information than ever before.’’
Furthermore, as a customer orientated business, Red Hat Hire can see the benefits that inspHire has brought to improving their customer service. For instance, when servicing cash customers, inspHire’s quick view facility gives staff on the hire desk both current and historical customer information enabling a speedy and efficient service.
Pete concludes ‘‘the functionality within Express far outweighs the low level of investment I’ve made. It’s like moving from a Robin Reliant to a Mercedes – they both get you from A to B but it’s what you get out of them that matters.’’
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