The second counter is a turning point. While there is only one branch, everyone sees everything and information travels across the room. As soon as there are two, the same question comes back several times a day: is that car here or over there?
This article describes the three decisions a network has to make — where vehicles come back, who sees what, and what is consolidated — and what the product actually allows.
The vehicle belongs to a branch, the rental may cross two
Every vehicle is attached to a branch: that is its home base, the place you look for it when nobody knows where it is. But a rental does not have to stay there. A reservation carries a pick-up branch and a return branch, which can differ.
That is exactly the case of a customer taking the car at the airport and returning it in town. Without the distinction, the second counter's team discovers a return it was not expecting.
The contract carries the same information: pick-up branch and return branch appear on it, so the document handed to the customer says where the car has to come back.
Also read:Organising airport pick-ups and returns
Who sees what: a matter of role, not of trust
In a network, not everyone needs to see everything. The owner and the account administrators have a view over the whole company. Other staff are attached to one or several branches and work only on those.
This is not about suspicion: it is what makes the screen usable. A counter agent seeing the reservations of three branches spends their time filtering. Attached to their own, they see their day.
Who sees what
| Profile | Scope | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Owner, administrator | The whole company | Consolidate, arbitrate, configure. |
| Staff attached to one branch | Their branch | Serve counter customers, prepare pick-ups. |
| Staff attached to several branches | The branches assigned to them | Seasonal reinforcement, supervisor of two counters. |
What the plan allows
The number of branches, like the number of vehicles and users, depends on the plan you subscribe to: each plan sets those limits, and some plans do not cap them. This is a check to make before opening a counter, not on the day creation is refused.
The current limits are shown on the pricing page.
Also read:See pricingMulti-branch management
Opening a counter without disrupting the existing one
LocaFlotte
The steps of a successful opening
A second branch is prepared like a small migration: whatever is not decided beforehand will be improvised afterwards.
- 1
Create the branch with its details
Address, phone number and the information that will appear on the documents handed to that counter's customers.
- 2
Attach the vehicles
Each car gets its home base. A "floating" fleet with no branch attachment quickly becomes untraceable.
- 3
Assign the access
Each member of staff is attached to their branch. Supervisors covering several counters get several.
- 4
Decide the return rules
Is a return at another branch allowed, and under what conditions? The answer must be known before the first customer asks.
Before day one
- Branch created with its details
- Vehicles attached
- Staff access assigned
- Inter-branch return rules decided
- Plan limits checked
The sign that it worked
Nobody calls the other counter to find out where a car is, and the manager can compare the two branches without re-entering anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can a customer return the car at another branch?
Yes. The reservation and the contract carry a pick-up branch and a return branch, which can differ.
Does an agent see the reservations of other branches?
No, unless they are attached to them. The owner and the administrators do have a view over the whole company.
How many branches can I create?
It depends on the plan you subscribe to, which also sets the number of vehicles and users. Some plans do not cap these numbers; the current limits are on the pricing page.
Do I need a separate fleet per branch?
Each vehicle has a home branch, which does not prevent a rental from starting at one counter and coming back to another.
Can I compare branches with each other?
Yes: activity reports are read over the period of your choice, which lets you compare what each counter actually produced.
Prepare the opening of your second branch
We set up a second branch on a demonstration account and show what the manager and the counter agent each see.
Request a demonstration