VFX Technologies is a privately held company that rents out high-performance workstations and systems to media companies, agencies, brand networks, content creators, and artists. Their hardware solutions are designed for peak performance and facilitate enhanced 2D/3D modeling, animation, color correction, rendering, and simulation.
Established in 2008 and based in Torrance California, their first product line was the Autodesk Flame compositing/finishing system. Focused on continuously updating their rental and sales inventories to reflect the latest technologies, their product offering has grown tremendously to include high-performance Apple, HP, and custom-designed workstations.
The need to efficiently track this growing inventory of expensive technology is what led them to EZRentOut.
Automating manual processes to streamline growing inventory with EZRentOut
Ron R. Anantavara, chief amazement officer, and Sarote Tabcum Jr, the chief executive officer explained that they were previously using Excel sheets to track equipment. However, this system quickly became inefficient as they scaled the business and requirements became more complex.
Tracking via static spreadsheets meant they were not able to view item availability in real-time or add relevant details and documents which is an important part of their operations. As a result, information existed across disparate systems which caused inefficiency and errors. They realized they needed a single consolidated system that was easy to access for their whole team.
Sarote did extensive research online to find a solution that aligned with their culture of providing cutting-edge technological solutions. EZRentOut offered a cloud-based centralized platform where they could track equipment in real-time from anywhere. Sarote tried the product and felt the intuitive interface and easy web-based access were a perfect fit for their requirements.
Real-time visibility over key business activities
For VFX, one of the key benefits of a centralized database is the ability to gain useful business insights based on their rental activity. For example, Ron uses the dashboard to track an important business metric – asset utilization. They also generate regular reports to review which items are being rented out and used the most.
“We use reports to see what equipment gets utilized every week or month,” says Ron. “This helps us decide what sectors we need to focus on and create targeted ads”
The availability calendar is another highly useful feature. Here they can easily see which equipment is rented out, in maintenance, or available. Based on this information, they can identify which items are on hand, make reliable promises to customers, and optimize the use of their rental equipment.
“I really like the calendar. These tools really help from a sales perspective.”
Quick, accurate tracking with asset labels
EZRentOut has made it easy for VFX to add barcode labels to their inventory. Once a unique identification number is attached to each item, it is easy to check in, check out, and track these items. This has significantly streamlined their order processing by providing real-time information to all team members who are part of the rental process.
For example, their account executives add items to order and Sarote and the team can then easily verify them by scanning the barcode. This helps VFX ensure that the correct item(s) is being sent to the customer. Likewise, upon return, they can scan the item labels to ensure all the items included in the order have been returned.
The result: Fewer lost or misplaced items, and faster, more accurate order processing.
Enhanced employee productivity
Role-based access in the rental software EZRentOut has helped VFX improve employee productivity. Even though the entire company is a user, their role is clearly defined within the system. Sarote and Ron have administrative access, account executives have staff-level rights to process orders, and the warehouse manager has staff-level access to track inventory and manage retired assets. This has efficiently aligned user and admin controls to streamline rental operations per everyone’s role.
Bundling items for quick checkouts
One feature that is particularly useful to the VFX team is the ability to bundle accessories that are checked out with larger pieces of equipment. For example, they often have to check out computers along with a mouse, keyboard, power chords, and other items. Previously, these items had to be pulled together manually which was time-consuming. Now they have created accessory bundles that can be easily attached to a computer for quick checkouts.
Agile operations with the EZRentOut mobile app
As the VFX team moves around in the field, the mobile app has helped them remain agile. Once they deliver an order, they can easily collect signatures on a mobile device from customers which can then be uploaded against the order. Since deliveries are considered complete once the staff receives signed delivery receipts, the ability to complete the whole process within the app is a major advantage.
The app has helped the VFX team process deliveries faster and manage rental operations from anywhere and anytime.
“This is something that you guys have and others don’t. Being able to sign and upload signed documents on EZR is wonderful. We love that!”
The future with EZRentOut
EZRentOut has been helping VFX Technologies streamline rental operations since 2016. Over the years, VFX has appreciated the support they receive from the team, who are always available to troubleshoot and resolve issues. VFX is currently working on streamlining the QuickBooks integration and is also looking forward to using our Webstore and selling items capability in the future.
“I’m looking forward to testing and trying all the cool features”
