Finding the gaps your rental software leaves behind

Follow one real task from start to finish

Pick a recurring task such as preparing a returned vehicle for its next booking. Ask the people involved to show how it happens today, including the work outside the main rental system.

Write down each handoff, status update, and decision. Include the quick messages and informal checks that make the process work. The purpose is to understand the operation, not to judge people for adapting to gaps.

Look for repeated questions and duplicate updates

Workarounds are useful clues. Watch for patterns like these, then ask what information or action is missing at that point:

• The same vehicle status is retyped in more than one place.
• A team member has to ask whether a task has already been completed.
• A customer promise is visible only in one person’s messages.
• A process pauses while the team finds out who can make the next decision.
• An exception has been recorded, but nobody owns the follow-up.

Distinguish a tool gap from a process gap

Some problems come from missing visibility. Others come from an unclear definition of “done,” inconsistent responsibilities, or information that was never captured. Adding automation before resolving those questions can simply move the uncertainty faster.

Ask whether two people would make the same decision from the current record. If not, first agree on the meaning of the status, the minimum information needed, and the person responsible for the next step.

Choose a small problem with a clear outcome

Avoid beginning with a goal as broad as “automate operations.” Choose one observable problem: for example, the incoming shift cannot tell which returned vehicles still need inspection.

Describe what a better outcome would look like without committing to a particular solution. The team might need a clearer status, a shared queue, or a notification. Decide how you will recognize improvement before deciding what to build.

Keep people involved as you test the change

Try the change with the people who perform the task. Ask where the new approach adds effort, what exceptions it misses, and whether it helps the next person act. Keep a clear fallback for situations it does not cover.

This is the starting point for a conversation with Fletch: the actual problem your rental team is trying to solve. The goal is to explore what would help your operation, rather than fit every team into a fixed set of features.