In a Moroccan rental agency the year is not linear. There are weeks when the vehicles sleep, and weeks when the phone rings while one customer waits at the counter and another is late returning their car. Summer and the return of Moroccans living abroad concentrate a large share of the activity.
The high season is not handled by working faster: it is prepared beforehand, with simple decisions taken while there is still time.
What breaks in the high season
The problems are always the same, and they are almost never problems of demand. A car promised twice. A vehicle stuck at the garage while it showed as free. An unsigned contract discovered on the day of pick-up. A deposit taken but not recorded. Each of these incidents costs a rental and sometimes a customer.
What they have in common: the information is accurate somewhere, but not in the same place for everyone.
Looking at the fleet at the right scale
A rental schedule is read at several scales, and each answers a different question. The day view answers "what are we doing today". The week view answers "where are the tight spots". The month and year views serve to prepare a season and to decide whether to refuse a long rental.
Which view for which decision
| View | The question it answers | Who looks at it |
|---|---|---|
| Day | Which pick-ups, which returns, which vehicles to prepare? | The counter agent, in the morning. |
| Week | Where are cars missing, which days are saturated? | The supervisor, at the start of the week. |
| Month | Is the season filling up as expected? | The manager, to arbitrate long durations. |
| Year | Which periods repeat from one year to the next? | The manager, to prepare the next one. |
The fleet occupancy rate completes this reading, provided you know what it measures: the share of vehicles currently rented among the vehicles in service. It is a snapshot, not an average over the season. To judge a period, look instead at rented days per vehicle over a chosen date range.
Also read:Organising a rental agency's scheduleCar rental planning
Prepare before, not during
LocaFlotte
The four weeks before the season
Nothing spectacular: these are dull tasks which, done ahead of time, remove most of July's emergencies.
- 1
Clear the fleet deadlines
Insurance, technical inspections, road tax and oil changes falling during the season must be handled before. A vehicle immobilised in August costs far more than an early service in June.
- 2
Clean the schedule
Vehicles sold, immobilised or under maintenance must not show as available. A single wrong line is enough to promise a car that no longer exists.
- 3
Set the team rules
Who can grant an option, and for how long? From what amount do you ask for a deposit? These rules must be decided before being applied under pressure.
- 4
Prepare the week's pick-ups
Contracts to issue, customer documents to check, vehicles to clean: the list is made the day before, not the same morning.
Before the first busy weekend
- No fleet deadline during the season
- Vehicle statuses up to date
- Option and deposit rules written down
- The week's pick-ups prepared
- The whole team on the same schedule
What you gain
The team spends the season serving customers rather than catching up on mistakes, and refusing a rental becomes a choice rather than an accident.
After the season, keep what worked
The high season is the best moment to observe your agency. Which vehicles really turned over? Which stayed in the car park? Which rental durations keep coming back? Those answers are read over the elapsed period and shape the following year's decisions, including whether to buy one more vehicle.
It is also the moment to look at what each car earned compared with what it cost.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start preparing for summer?
Early enough for the fleet deadlines falling during the season to be handled first. In practice a few weeks are enough if fleet alerts are followed all year.
What exactly does the occupancy rate measure?
The share of vehicles currently rented among the vehicles in service. It is a snapshot. To judge a period, look at rented days per vehicle over the date range that interests you.
How do I avoid promising the same vehicle twice?
By entering every promise in the shared schedule as soon as it is made, and letting the product refuse overlaps on the same vehicle.
Should I refuse long rentals in the high season?
That is a judgement call, not a rule. The month view shows what a long duration blocks before you accept it.
Can the season be run across several branches?
Yes: a reservation can start at one branch and come back to another, and each member of staff sees only the branches they are attached to.
Prepare your next season
We look at your fleet and your busy periods together, and show how the shared schedule absorbs them.
Request a demonstration