ARA launches Rental U service for members There’s now a new and simple way for American Rental Association (ARA) members to provide managers and employees with education and training — instantly and for free — with the brand-new Rental U. Rental U is an online members-only educational resource that offers streaming videos on a variety of safety and training topics through the ARA website at ARArental.org. The videos, suitable for both managers and employees, can be selected through the site’s shopping cart and then viewed via computer immediately. “The instant access is one of the biggest benefits of using Rental U,” says Carla Brozick, CAE, ARA’s senior director of education and training. “If the weather happens to be bad or a work day is unexpectedly slow, you can instead use that time to provide valuable training for your employees right away.” To access Rental U, ARA members can log on to the website and follow these steps: - Go to “Shop ARA” and then select either the general “Rental U” link on the left or one of the categories listed below that. These include customer service and sales, human resources, management, marketing and advertising, and safety and risk management. A brief description of each video is listed. For more details, the length of the video and to order, click on the video name or “More Info.”
- To watch the video of your choice, click “View Online” and then enter the total number of people who will be watching the video. Click “Play Now” to begin.
The latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera or Chrome is needed to view Rental U videos. The videos are currently not available for viewing on mobile devices. In addition to the convenience factor of instant viewing, there are other benefits to using Rental U, Brozick says. “It’s a free resource and the videos can be watched as many times as you’d like,” she says. While Rental U is similar to ARA’s Lending Library, which offers free DVDs and videos for ARA members to borrow, with Rental U, there are no postage costs or waiting for backorders of videos. There are currently 34 videos available through Rental U, including some popular and highly rated ones that also are available through the Lending Library. Questions on Rental U can be directed to ARA Members Services at 800-334-2177.
| ARA drives consumer traffic to member stores
The American Rental Association (ARA) provides member value in a variety of different ways, from government advocacy, education and training to business management tools, but, delivering consumers to your store through RentalHQ.com provides a direct benefit with bottom line results. Until recently, there wasn’t an easy way to keep members informed of their success through RentalHQ.com, the world’s largest and most comprehensive rental store locator.
“The ARA Member Traffic Report is a significant way to regularly communicate with members how ARA public relations and marketing efforts impact their business,” says Debby Schaller, ARA director of general member services. “This quarterly report shows members the number of click-throughs they receive from RentalHQ.com.”
In addition to highlighting the traffic delivered to member websites through RentalHQ.com, the ARA Member Traffic Report includes other helpful pieces of information, such as:
- Rental related articles appearing near the member’s store location.
- Public Relations articles for members to download and use.
- Top member picks, showcasing ARA products and services.
- Upcoming events showing a list of national events and events in the ARA member’s state.
“These reports have generated a lot of calls to our member services team and the response has been very positive. We’re pleased to hear that members value this service and are interested in tracking their progress,” says Schaller.
Reports are delivered to the primary contact of each member location via their selected delivery preference — email, fax or mail. Members are encouraged to update their profile to ensure that their information is accurate. Call ARA Member Services at 800-334-2177 for assistance or with questions regarding the report.
—Tracy Johannsen
|
|