Rental & Booking

Admin Dashboard > Configuration > Rental Settings > Rental & Booking

Purpose: The "Rental & Booking" section under "Rental Settings" in the Admin Dashboard is a centralized hub for configuring the core functionality of rental and booking operations in the Any.Rentals platform. This section allows administrators to tailor settings to align with their business operations, ensuring seamless rental management, booking efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Overview and Usage

This section comprises various sub-sections, each designed to configure specific aspects of rental management. Administrators should carefully configure these settings to reflect their business policies and operational needs. Below is a detailed guide to all available sub-sections:

1. Calendar Refresh Setting

Purpose: Set the frequency for refreshing the Admin rental calendar. If you have a busy and frequently updated rental and/or service schedule, you may want to enable this feature.

• Options: Choose intervals such as 5 minutes, 15 minutes, etc.
• How to Use:
  • Enable or Disable Auto-Refresh.
  • Select the desired interval from the dropdown menu.

2. Flexible Rental Settings

Purpose: Enable total flexibility in rental durations and terms. Allow your customers to select any desired rental period within the parameters that you define here.

• Available Settings:

  • Base Time Interval: Set the foundational unit of time (e.g., hours, days) for rentals. This affects pricing calculations and availability.
  • Base Time Period: Define the default rental duration for items (e.g., 1 day, 1 week).
  • Minimum Rental Period: Establish the shortest duration a customer can rent an item.
  • Minimum Rental Interval: Specify the time intervals that align with minimum rental periods (e.g., hourly increments).
  • Maximum Rental Period: Set the longest allowable rental duration for any item.

• How to Use:

  • Navigate to the Flexible Rental Settings in the Admin Dashboard.
  • Adjust each setting based on your operational requirements and customer preferences.
  • Use the Save config button in the upper right corner of the page to apply your changes.
  • When configuring a rental item, enable Flexible Rental Periods from the product info page left menu. You can also choose to use the global flexible rental defaults you have defined, or override these defaults on the product level.

• Effect: Supports diverse customer needs and maximizes rental opportunities by providing tailored rental duration options.

3. General Settings

Purpose: Configure overarching rental policies and operational settings to ensure seamless functioning of the rental business.

• Available Settings:

  • Show Availability on Category Page: Toggle to display rental item availability directly on category pages for customers. If enabled, a calendar search function will display on the category pages, allowing customers to easily check availability for any item in their selected category.
  • Maximum Advance Booking Days: Set the maximum number of days a rental can be booked in advance.
  • Minimum Hours Booking: Define the minimum number of hours required for booking a rental item.
  • Auto-Cancel Non-Dispatched Rentals: Enable automatic cancellation of orders that are not dispatched within a specified timeframe.
  • Allow Multiple Primary Rental Items in Same Cart: Permit customers to add more than one primary rental item to the cart for a single order.
  • Admin Can Book Rentals With Prior Dates: Allow administrators to create rental bookings with past start dates for special cases.
  • Admin Can Double-Book Rentals: Enable administrators to override availability and double-book items when necessary.
  • Auto Change Rented Items Status to Returned After End Date Passed: Automatically mark items as returned after their rental period ends if not manually updated.
  • Send License Alert: Notify customers or administrators when a license associated with a rental item is about to expire.
  • Default Calendar Time Period: Define the default time frame displayed in the Admin rental calendar.
  • Subscription Message: Customize the subscription message displayed during the rental checkout process.
  • Custom Rental Default Price: Set a default price for rentals when specific pricing is not provided.
  • Display "Late" Designation on Rental Calendar: Highlight rentals marked as late directly on the calendar for easy identification.
  • Late Designation Buffer (mins): Specify the buffer time in minutes before an item is designated as late.
  • Show Last Paid Breakup for Edit Order: Display the last payment breakdown for administrators when editing an order.
  • Auto Store Selection if Single: Automatically select the only available store location if multiple store selection is disabled.
  • Print Terms & Conditions in Rental Contract PDF: Include the terms and conditions text in the rental contract PDF for customer reference.
  • Page Url: Define the URL for the rental settings page for quick navigation.
  • Allow Sales Items with Rental Orders: Enable customers to combine rental and sales items in a single order.

• How to Use:

  • Navigate to General Settings under Rental Settings in the Admin Dashboard.
  • Adjust each field or toggle to reflect your business policies and operational requirements.
  • Save changes to apply them across the platform.

• Effect: Ensures consistent rental policies and enhances operational efficiency by automating key processes and aligning with business strategies.

4. Recurring Billing

Purpose: Manage settings for periodic billing of long-term rentals.

• Settings Include:
  • Billing intervals (e.g., weekly, monthly).
  • Automated invoice generation.
• How to Use: Specify billing cycle preferences and enable automation.
• Effect: Simplifies invoicing for recurring rentals and enhances customer experience.

5. Store Open Hours

Purpose: Define business hours for your store.

• How to Use: Enter opening and closing times for each day of the week.

6. Availability

Purpose: Configure item availability settings to ensure optimal booking management and prevent scheduling conflicts.

• Features:

  • Rental Buffer: Define the time buffer between consecutive rentals of the same item. This buffer ensures adequate time for inspection, maintenance, or preparation of the item before it is rented again.
  • Store Closures: Block specific dates when the store is closed. These dates will automatically mark all items as unavailable during the closure period.
  • Availability Hours: Set the daily hours during which items are available for rental. This allows precise control over booking windows and helps align rental times with operational hours.
  • Availability Hours can be the same or different from your Store Hours, Delivery Hours, and Pickup Hours. For example:

• Same Hours Across All Settings: A store operating from 9 AM to 5 PM may set Availability Hours, Delivery Hours, and Pickup Hours uniformly.

• Different Hours for Store and Availability: For instance, a store may operate from 9 AM to 5 PM but choose Availability Hours from 10 AM to 4 PM to allocate the first and last operational hours for inventory checks, cleaning, or administrative tasks. This ensures smoother operations and minimizes errors during active rental times.

• Different Availability for Specific Scenarios: A rental business might define Availability Hours as 9 AM to 8 PM to accommodate extended rental pickups, while limiting Delivery Hours to 10 AM to 4 PM and Pickup Hours to 9 AM to 6 PM.

These configurations help tailor operational schedules to specific needs while ensuring efficiency and customer satisfaction.

• How to Use:
  • Navigate to the Availability section in the Admin Dashboard.
  • Input desired buffer durations in the "Rental Buffer" field.
  • Add closure dates to the "Store Closures" calendar.
  • Define availability hours for each day of the week under "Availability Hours."

7. Delivery Settings

Purpose: Define policies for delivering rental items to customers and ensure smooth logistics for timely and accurate deliveries.

• Available Settings:

  • Enable/Disable Delivery: Toggle delivery services on or off based on your operational capabilities.
  • Driver Buffer: Specify a buffer time between deliveries to allow drivers sufficient time for transit and handling.
  • Delivery Starting and Ending Times: Set daily start and end times for delivery services for each day of the week.

• How to Use:

  • Navigate to the Delivery Settings in the Admin Dashboard.
  • Enable or disable delivery services as per your business operations.
  • Define driver buffer times and specify delivery hours for each day of the week.

• Effect: Streamlines delivery operations, prevents scheduling conflicts, and enhances customer satisfaction by ensuring clear communication of delivery policies and seamless service execution.

8. Pickup Settings

Purpose: Set policies for customer pickup of rental items.

• Available Settings:

  • Enable/Disable Pickup: Toggle the option to allow or disallow pickups for rental items.
  • Driver Buffer: Specify a time buffer between scheduled pickups to ensure operational efficiency.
  • Available Daily Pickup Hours: Define the daily pickup start and end times for each day of the week to ensure pickups align with operational hours.

• How to Use:

  • Navigate to the Pickup Settings in the Admin Dashboard.
  • Enable or disable pickup services as per business requirements.
  • Set buffer times between pickups to accommodate preparation or transit.
  • Define start and end times for each day's pickup availability.

9. Advance Booking & Authorization

Purpose: Manage policies for advance bookings and pre-authorization of payments.

• Settings Include:

  • Enable/Disable Advance Booking: Toggle advance booking functionality on or off.
  • Advance Booking Lead Time: Specify how far in advance a booking must be made to allow sufficient preparation time.
  • Advance Booking Discount: Offer a discount for bookings made in advance to encourage early reservations.
  • Card Authorization Type: Define the type of card authorization to be performed when a booking is made (e.g., pre-authorization, full charge).

• How to Use:

  • Navigate to the Advance Booking & Authorization section in the Admin Dashboard.
  • Enable or disable advance booking based on business needs.
  • Set the minimum lead time required for bookings to ensure operational readiness.
  • Configure the discount rate for advance bookings, if applicable.
  • Choose the appropriate card authorization type to secure the booking.

• Effect: Ensures financial security, streamlines operations by providing a preparation window, and incentivizes customers to plan their rentals early.

10. Cancellation & Fees

Purpose: Define policies and operational settings for handling cancellations, associated fees, deposits, and refunds.

• Available Settings:

  • Rental Return Late Fee: Set a fee to be charged for late returns of rental items.
  • Late Fee Grace Period: Specify a grace period before late fees are applied.
  • Late Fee Interval: Determine the interval at which additional late fees are applied (e.g., hourly, daily).
  • Enable Cancellation: Toggle whether cancellation options are available to customers.
  • Hide Cancellation Text: Choose to hide or display cancellation-related text during checkout or in communications.
  • Cancellation Reminder: Send automated reminders about upcoming cancellation deadlines.
  • Cancellation Allowed Prior to Rental: Define how far in advance a customer must cancel to avoid fees.
  • Cancellation/Rebooking Service Fee %: Set a percentage-based fee for cancellations or rebookings.
  • Cancellation Service Fee Taxable: Specify whether the cancellation service fee is taxable.
  • Rebooking Service Fee Taxable: Specify whether the rebooking service fee is taxable.
  • Auto-Calculate Early Return Refund: Enable automatic calculation of refunds for early returns.
  • Minimum Cancellation Service Fee: Define the minimum amount charged for a cancellation.
  • Maximum Cancellation Service Fee: Define the maximum amount charged for a cancellation.
  • Capture Final Payment Automatically If Not Cancelled: Automatically charge the remaining balance if a booking is not cancelled.
  • If Cancelled, Refund To: Determine the destination of refunds (e.g., original payment method, store credit).
  • Include Up-Front Deposit: Specify whether to include an up-front deposit for rentals.
  • Deposit Text: Customize the text displayed regarding deposits.
  • Deposit Amount Type: Choose between a fixed deposit amount or a percentage of the rental cost.
  • Deposit Taxable: Specify whether the deposit amount is taxable.
  • Deposit Message: Customize the message shown to customers about deposit requirements.
  • Intake Hours Required: Whether equipment operating hours are required field when intaking a rental item.

• How to Use:

  • Navigate to the "Cancellation & Fees" section in the Admin Dashboard.
  • Configure each field based on your business policies for cancellations, fees, and refunds.
  • Save the changes to apply them to your rental operations.

11. Emails & Notifications

Purpose: Send a reminder email to customers letting them know the cancellation deadline is approaching to avoid cancellation fees.

• Available Settings:
  • Enable/Disable Notifications: Turn cancellation notification on or off.
  • Email CC to: A default email address (or addresses) to also send cancellation notifications to. For example: your bookkeeper.
  • Delivery Timing: Set the timing for sending reminders or notifications, such as hours or days before a deadline.

12. Barcodes & QR Codes

Purpose: Automate the tracking and management of rental items and orders through barcodes and QR codes.

• Features:

  • Automatically generate barcodes or QR codes for inventory items and rental contracts.
  • Enable scanning for checkouts, returns, and inventory tracking.
  • Print unique product codes and contract codes on rental contracts if enabled.

• Available Settings:

  • Enable/Disable Barcodes: Choose whether to enable automatic barcode generation for rental items and contracts.
  • Code Type: Select the format for generated codes (e.g., barcode or QR code).
  • Product Field to Generate Code: Which product information field to use as the basis for the automatically generated code?

• How to Use:

  1. Navigate to the Barcodes & QR Codes settings in the Admin Dashboard.
  2. Select the desired code type and ensure automatic generation is enabled.
  3. Verify that codes are correctly assigned and printed on applicable rental contracts.
  4. Use a compatible scanner to streamline checkouts, returns, and inventory management.

• Effect: Enhances operational efficiency, reduces manual errors, and ensures accurate tracking of rental items and contracts.