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Able Rent A Car, NJ

Rent4Less, CA

Capps Van and Car Rental, KS, MO, NM, AZ, TX

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Burien Toyota, WA

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Customer Profiles

Behind the Scenes with:
Capps Van and Car Rental

Company Name:
Capps Van and Car Rental
Vice President of Operations:
David Cox
Locations:
19 in Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas
TSD Products:
TSD RENTAL Management Software, WebLink, Credit Card Processing, Timeclock

With over 6,500 vehicles, Capps Van and Car Rental was an easy choice for the most recent Auto Rental News cover story. Such a large fleet and successful business require a comprehensive management system, and TSD is pleased to be the provider of fleet automation solutions for Capps Van and Car Rental.

Prior to their signing on with TSD's RENTAL Management Software (then called RENT2000) in 1999, Capps' fleet management process might have taught a thing or two about strategy to the government of a small country. “We had what we called 'War Rooms,'” remembers David Cox, Vice President of Operations. All 1,200 vehicles had a designated magnet and each room had giant calendars. When a car was reserved or out on rent, a magnet went up, and when it was returned, the magnet came down again.

Not a bad system, but it had its problems for the management at Capps. “I would get in on a Saturday morning where we had made no reservations because all the magnets were up, and there would be vans everywhere,” says David. “People had forgotten to take magnets down and we were losing money.”

Then came a 1999 phone call from TSD. Capps was already using a competitor's software system along with their War Room method, and thought they were doing just fine. “I told [the rep] she had about a five percent chance of selling me on the system, but I took the demo anyways,” says David. “Within 30 minutes, I was totally wowed, and I realized that we could make a lot of money using this system.”

Capps estimates that TSD RENTAL Management Software paid for itself with the first summer's revenue. The War Rooms were taken down in favor of TSD's Forecast Availability Report. Computerized, mathematical functions removed the human error of forgetting to take the magnet down, but still allowed Capps to keep its promise of always delivering what the customer reserved and never overbooking. “We became more profitable, partly by being better organized with fleet planning,” says David about TSD's reporting features. There would be no more days where the lot was full but reservations were turned down based on a misplaced magnet.

Capps hosts its own servers for TSD RENTAL Management Software. “The way servers are nowadays, it's so easy. We like the control,” says David. Capps does all of its own accounting and likes to have the data at hand, and their large size allows for an on-staff IT specialist to maintain the system.

Still, they maintain a close relationship with TSD, including an ongoing subscription to TSD's Support Services, which gives them access to all software updates. “With our old system, we would always be five or six versions down. At TSD, you always have the latest and greatest one.”

Capps has even become a beta-customer for TSD's newest products. TSD puts heavy emphasis on customer input when developing products, and WebLink, which delivers online reservations from a customer's website directly into TSD RENTAL Management Software, was no exception. “We like to have the first view of new products and the latest version of the system,” remarks David. Capps became one of the first customers to sign on with WebLink and became instrumental in its development and success.

Capps estimates that 25-30 percent of its reservations each day are delivered via WebLink. In fact, they have even enhanced their website to include a corporate section where customers can input their rate code and book online. By working hand-in-hand with TSD, Capps has managed to make their website an invaluable revenue tool — especially important for a company in such a niche market as van rentals.

The fleet of cars, vans and trucks at Capps has increased rapidly each year, from 6 cars at their 1972 inception to 1,200 in 1999, before beginning their relationship with TSD. Since, they have grown to 6,500 vehicles and plan to purchase about 10,000 vehicles next year, adding locations to their impressive list of 19 in Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, and their home state of Texas.

TSD has aided Capps' growth in terms of vehicles and online exposure, but the employees at Capps are what brings customers back over and over. “We have virtually no turnover,” says David, citing excellent training and the offer of commission to any employee that picks up the phone and inputs a reservation. “But when we do, TSD's system is so easy to use you can have someone who's totally green, who's never rented a car before, renting in an hour.”

With tremendous growth, high levels of customer satisfaction and a positive corporate culture, Capps Van and Car Rental has become a model business for independents nationwide. TSD is proud to assist Capps in managing their fleet and driving online reservations, and looks forward to the continued success of independent rental businesses.

For information contact:
TSD
sales@tsd-inc.com
Toll Free (800) 743-1200
Voice (978) 794-1400
Fax (978) 794-1455